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Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act - Quiz
Contributed by: Khatun
  • 1. Who did Chester A. Arthur appoint as commissioners of the newly created Civil Service Commission?
A) Pendleton, Arthur, and Blaine
B) Dorman Bridgman Eaton, John Milton Gregory, and Leroy D. Thoman
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) Fifty percent
B) Seventy-five percent
C) Ninety percent
D) Twenty-five percent
  • 3. During Grover Cleveland's first term, the number of merit-based federal positions grew to what number?
A) 16,000
B) 27,000
C) 40,000
D) 10,000
  • 4. What percentage of federal employees are currently covered by the merit system?
A) About 12%
B) About 40%
C) About 75%
D) About 90%
  • 5. In the short term, why did the Pendleton Act fail to eliminate the patronage system?
A) The exams were too easy to pass
B) Congress refused to fund the commission
C) Bureau and division chiefs were still left with free rein to appoint whomever they wished
D) The President ignored the law entirely
  • 6. How did presidents circumvent the act to continue partisan dismissals?
A) They abolished the positions entirely
B) They bribed the Civil Service Commission
C) They dismissed officials directly despite the law
D) They waited for the officials' fixed terms to expire
  • 7. How did the Pendleton Act change campaign finance?
A) It forced parties to seek funds from wealthy donors instead of official fees
B) It made federal officials mandatory contributors to campaigns
C) It made political parties rely on tax-payer funding
D) It banned all political campaigning
  • 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) Office of Personnel Management
C) Department of Labor
D) Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • 9. What case led to the scrapping of the Professional and Administrative Careers Examination (PACE)?
A) Cleveland v. Merit Systems
B) Pendleton v. United States
C) Marbury v. Madison
D) Luévano v. Campbell
  • 10. Why was the PACE exam considered discriminatory?
A) It was only available in the French language
B) It was only available to residents of Washington D.C.
C) It required a university degree from an Ivy League school
D) Lower average scores and pass rates for Black and Hispanic test takers
  • 11. Which executive order created the Schedule F classification for policy-making positions?
A) Executive Order 1978
B) Executive Order 13957
C) Executive Order 14003
D) Executive Order 12000
  • 12. Who rescinded Executive Order 13957 in January 2021?
A) Barack Obama
B) Joe Biden
C) Jimmy Carter
D) Donald Trump
  • 13. What happened on January 20, 2025, regarding Schedule F?
A) The Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional
B) The Office of Personnel Management abolished it
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) Abolish the merit system
B) Lower the percentage of merit-based employees
C) Remove all management from the civil service
D) Establish the right of civil servants to unionize
  • 15. How long did most federal officials' protected terms last under the Pendleton Act?
A) Four years
B) Ten years
C) For life
D) One year
  • 16. Which president signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law?
A) Andrew Jackson
B) Rutherford B. Hayes
C) James A. Garfield
D) Chester A. Arthur
  • 17. On what date was the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act signed?
A) December 25, 1885
B) January 16, 1883
C) July 4, 1878
D) January 16, 1881
  • 18. What primary criteria did the Pendleton Act establish for federal positions?
A) Political patronage
B) Merit
C) Campaign financial contributions
D) Party affiliation
  • 19. What term refers to the practice of awarding government jobs to allies for support?
A) Civil service reform
B) Spoils system
C) Recess appointment
D) Merit system
  • 20. Who introduced the first major civil service reform bill during the Civil War?
A) Chester A. Arthur
B) George William Curtis
C) Charles Sumner
D) Roscoe Conkling
  • 21. Which politician led the pro-spoils branch of the Republican Party?
A) Charles Sumner
B) James A. Garfield
C) Rutherford B. Hayes
D) Roscoe Conkling
  • 22. How did Roscoe Conkling derisively refer to reformers?
A) Spoilsmen
B) Political appointees
C) Snivel service reformers
D) Merit bureaucrats
  • 23. According to historian Eric Foner, which group viewed civil service reform as a threat to their economic mobility?
A) The Stalwart Republicans
B) The United States Civil Service Commission
C) Blacks
D) The Democratic Party
  • 24. What primary method did the Pendleton Act introduce for selecting government employees?
A) Presidential nomination
B) Political endorsements
C) Competitive examinations
D) Lottery systems
  • 25. Who introduced the reform legislation in 1880?
A) Rutherford B. Hayes
B) Chester A. Arthur
C) George H. Pendleton
D) James A. Garfield
  • 26. What was the reason given by Garfield's assassin for his action?
A) He was a foreign spy
B) He opposed the Civil Service Commission
C) He did not receive a political appointment
D) Disagreement over the Civil War
  • 27. Which political party won control of the House of Representatives in 1882?
A) Stalwarts
B) Whigs
C) Republicans
D) Democrats
  • 28. Within five years of the act's passage, what portion of federal appointments outside the Postal Service were covered?
A) Half
B) All
C) Three-quarters
D) One-tenth
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