Bureaucracies actually favor employees who are specialists in various fields, so that each individual specializes in and has great aptitude for their assigned topic. Each bureaucratic employee is intended to be an expert in their own realm, with only the best of the best attending to the most crucial tasks. In order to ensure this high standard, the system operates exclusively on the merit principle – hiring and promotion decisions are based on proven accomplishments and assessments, rather than on personal connections or other intangible assets. Another defining feature of the bureaucratic system is impersonal relations with the public, where each matter is attended to with impartiality and fairness, even if members of Congress or a President is involved. This impartiality is enforced by a strict adherence to a lengthy set of rules, which details each and every case that may arise before a bureaucrat. These rules attempt to anticipate any concerns that may come before the bureaucracy and set out laws governing explicit courses of action, all to ensure that no favoritism is shown. Internally, bureaucracies are structured on a fixed hierarchal basis, with each employee confined to their sphere of expertise and power stemming from the topmost authority figures downwards.

The Department of Homeland Security was first proposed at the beginning of 2001 and was then expedited to meet the growing threat of terrorism after 9/11. Thus it was created during the Presidency of George W. Bush. The primary function of the Department of Homeland Security is to protect the citizens of the United States from terrorist attacks on American soil.

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs leads the Department of Veterans Affairs, which deals with caring for and supporting military veterans as well as maintaining military cemeteries. The Veterans Health Administration is the organization within the Department charged with providing healthcare for veterans.

This should have been a relatively easy question. The correct answer is “technical expertise,” although “political connections” may have been an incredibly tempting answer (and not entirely incorrect). While political connections are (oftentimes) important in bureaucratic appointments, according to Weber’s 6th tenant of bureaucracy, technical expertise is the most important—note that “political connections” are not among the Weberian tenets.

Federal bureaucrats do not engage in public policy creation, their sole purpose is to implement policy. The bureaucracy implements laws made by the legislature and executive actions, they do not advise the President or the Cabinet, nor compete in the private sector. Congressmen protect and represent the interests of their constituencies.

The national census is conducted by the Department of Commerce. The Department of Commerce is also responsible for issuing patents and granting trademarks, along with the research into and promotion of trade.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) used to be an independent agency, though not of Cabinet-rank. FEMA was brought under the control of the Department of Homeland Security when it was created on March 1, 2003.

The President holds the ultimate position of authority over nearly every single bureaucratic agency, in keeping with the Constitution’s charge that the President must “take care that the laws shall be faithfully executed.” However, the President merely oversees bureaucrats on a general level, while the true work of creating agencies, writing policies, and allocating funds is done by Congress. Meanwhile, potential bureaucrats are tested, assessed, and ultimately hired by the Office of Personnel Management (OBM), which is headed by a director chosen personally by the President. The OBM classifies its bureaucrats according to the General Schedule (GS) rating system, which tallies test scores and work experiences to assign each individual a rating (from one to eighteen). Only the most highly qualified bureaucrats (those who earn a GS rating of sixteen or above) are considered to be part of the Senior Executive Service. These senior executives are highly prized within the bureaucratic realm and are often moved amongst different agencies by the President, in order to maximize optimal performance.

This should have been a relatively simple question. The correct answer is “that everyone is treated the same…” This, of course, is the longer explanation of the fifth Weberian tenet of bureaucracy—“purposely impersonal.” In slightly more detail, this means that bureaucrats treat everyone the same—Bill Gates, a high school janitor, the CEO of Delta Airlines, etc. Everyone is treated the same, regardless of their status. This doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is treated well (think your neighborhood DMV) just that everyone is treated the same.

If you used the context clues provided, this should have been a fairly simple question. The correct answer is “independent executive agency,” which makes sense given that it reports “directly to the president.” Examples of independent executive agencies include: the CIA, and the Selective Service System.