Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act

Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act - Quiz

1. Who did Chester A. Arthur appoint as commissioners of the newly created Civil Service Commission?

A) Dorman Bridgman Eaton, John Milton Gregory, and Leroy D. Thoman
B) Pendleton, Arthur, and Blaine
C) The Cabinet members of the time
D) Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson

2. By 1884, what percentage of Customs Service jobs were to be awarded by merit?

A) Twenty-five percent
B) Fifty percent
C) Seventy-five percent
D) Ninety percent

3. During Grover Cleveland's first term, the number of merit-based federal positions grew to what number?

A) 16,000
B) 10,000
C) 27,000
D) 40,000

4. What percentage of federal employees are currently covered by the merit system?

A) About 12%
B) About 90%
C) About 75%
D) About 40%

5. In the short term, why did the Pendleton Act fail to eliminate the patronage system?

A) Congress refused to fund the commission
B) The President ignored the law entirely
C) The exams were too easy to pass
D) Bureau and division chiefs were still left with free rein to appoint whomever they wished

6. How did presidents circumvent the act to continue partisan dismissals?

A) They bribed the Civil Service Commission
B) They waited for the officials' fixed terms to expire
C) They abolished the positions entirely
D) They dismissed officials directly despite the law

7. How did the Pendleton Act change campaign finance?

A) It banned all political campaigning
B) It made political parties rely on tax-payer funding
C) It forced parties to seek funds from wealthy donors instead of official fees
D) It made federal officials mandatory contributors to campaigns

8. Which agency was created to replace the functions of the Civil Service Commission under the 1978 Act?

A) The Executive Office of the President
B) Department of Labor
C) Office of Personnel Management
D) Federal Bureau of Investigation

9. What case led to the scrapping of the Professional and Administrative Careers Examination (PACE)?

A) Marbury v. Madison
B) Luévano v. Campbell
C) Pendleton v. United States
D) Cleveland v. Merit Systems

10. Why was the PACE exam considered discriminatory?

A) It was only available to residents of Washington D.C.
B) It required a university degree from an Ivy League school
C) Lower average scores and pass rates for Black and Hispanic test takers
D) It was only available in the French language

11. Which executive order created the Schedule F classification for policy-making positions?

A) Executive Order 13957
B) Executive Order 12000
C) Executive Order 1978
D) Executive Order 14003

12. Who rescinded Executive Order 13957 in January 2021?

A) Joe Biden
B) Barack Obama
C) Donald Trump
D) Jimmy Carter

13. What happened on January 20, 2025, regarding Schedule F?

A) The Office of Personnel Management abolished it
B) The Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional
C) President Trump issued an order to restore the effects of his prior order
D) Congress passed a law to permanently ban Schedule F

14. What was a primary goal of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978?

A) Remove all management from the civil service
B) Establish the right of civil servants to unionize
C) Abolish the merit system
D) Lower the percentage of merit-based employees

15. How long did most federal officials' protected terms last under the Pendleton Act?

A) For life
B) Four years
C) Ten years
D) One year

16. Which president signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law?

A) James A. Garfield
B) Andrew Jackson
C) Chester A. Arthur
D) Rutherford B. Hayes

17. On what date was the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act signed?

A) January 16, 1883
B) January 16, 1881
C) December 25, 1885
D) July 4, 1878

18. What primary criteria did the Pendleton Act establish for federal positions?

A) Political patronage
B) Party affiliation
C) Campaign financial contributions
D) Merit

19. What term refers to the practice of awarding government jobs to allies for support?

A) Recess appointment
B) Spoils system
C) Civil service reform
D) Merit system

20. Who introduced the first major civil service reform bill during the Civil War?

A) Roscoe Conkling
B) George William Curtis
C) Charles Sumner
D) Chester A. Arthur

21. Which politician led the pro-spoils branch of the Republican Party?

A) James A. Garfield
B) Roscoe Conkling
C) Rutherford B. Hayes
D) Charles Sumner

22. How did Roscoe Conkling derisively refer to reformers?

A) Political appointees
B) Merit bureaucrats
C) Snivel service reformers
D) Spoilsmen

23. According to historian Eric Foner, which group viewed civil service reform as a threat to their economic mobility?

A) The Democratic Party
B) Blacks
C) The United States Civil Service Commission
D) The Stalwart Republicans

24. What primary method did the Pendleton Act introduce for selecting government employees?

A) Lottery systems
B) Presidential nomination
C) Competitive examinations
D) Political endorsements

25. Who introduced the reform legislation in 1880?

A) Rutherford B. Hayes
B) James A. Garfield
C) Chester A. Arthur
D) George H. Pendleton

26. What was the reason given by Garfield's assassin for his action?

A) He opposed the Civil Service Commission
B) He was a foreign spy
C) Disagreement over the Civil War
D) He did not receive a political appointment

27. Which political party won control of the House of Representatives in 1882?

A) Stalwarts
B) Republicans
C) Whigs
D) Democrats

28. Within five years of the act's passage, what portion of federal appointments outside the Postal Service were covered?

A) Three-quarters
B) All
C) One-tenth
D) Half

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