About this quiz
50 questions covering every section of the note.
This Lok Sewa practice set has 50 multiple-choice questions (Subject: Public Management · For: Kharidar, Nayab Subba, Section Officer · Level: Easy). Take the quiz above first; after that, use the study list below to revise every question with its correct answer and a short explanation.
Study list: all 50 questions with answers and explanations
Organisation as a system of consciously coordinated activities was defined by:
- A) Chester Barnard ✔
- B) Henri Fayol
- C) F. W. Taylor
- D) Max Weber
Why: Chester Barnard, in 'The Functions of the Executive' (1938), defined organisation as a system of consciously coordinated activities of two or more persons.
Organisation that grows naturally from social relations is:
- A) Formal
- B) Informal ✔
- C) Line
- D) Matrix
Why: Informal organisation grows naturally from friendships and shared interests among staff, outside the official chart.
Unofficial communication in an organisation is called:
- A) Grapevine ✔
- B) Scalar chain
- C) Memo
- D) Circular
Why: The grapevine is informal, unofficial communication; it is fast but may spread rumours.
In which structure does authority flow directly from top to bottom?
- A) Line ✔
- B) Functional
- C) Matrix
- D) Committee
Why: In line organisation, authority flows in a straight line from top to bottom, as in the army.
Most government offices follow which structure?
- A) Line and staff ✔
- B) Pure functional
- C) Matrix only
- D) Informal
Why: Most government offices use line and staff: line officers decide and command, while staff experts (legal, accounts, planning) advise.
Functional organisation was proposed by:
- A) F. W. Taylor ✔
- B) Henri Fayol
- C) Elton Mayo
- D) Peter Drucker
Why: F. W. Taylor proposed functional organisation (functional foremanship), with different specialists supervising different parts of work.
Which structure breaks the principle of unity of command?
- A) Line
- B) Functional ✔
- C) Line and staff
- D) Committee
Why: Functional organisation breaks unity of command, because a worker takes orders from several specialist foremen.
In a matrix structure, staff report to:
- A) Only one boss
- B) A functional head and a project head ✔
- C) No one
- D) The public
Why: In a matrix, staff report to two bosses: their functional (department) head and the project head.
The number of subordinates a manager can supervise effectively is called:
- A) Span of control ✔
- B) Scalar chain
- C) Hierarchy
- D) Delegation
Why: Span of control is the number of subordinates one manager can supervise effectively.
A narrow span of control creates a:
- A) Flat structure
- B) Tall structure ✔
- C) Matrix structure
- D) Virtual structure
Why: A narrow span (few subordinates each) needs more levels of managers, creating a tall structure.
Who studied span of control mathematically?
- A) V. A. Graicunas ✔
- B) Luther Gulick
- C) Herbert Simon
- D) Woodrow Wilson
Why: V. A. Graicunas showed mathematically that relationships grow very fast as the number of subordinates increases.
Keeping decision-making authority at the top is called:
- A) Decentralisation
- B) Centralisation ✔
- C) Delegation
- D) Departmentation
Why: Centralisation means keeping decision-making authority at the top level.
Nepal's federal system is an example of:
- A) Centralisation
- B) Decentralisation ✔
- C) Monopoly
- D) Bureaucracy only
Why: Federalism transfers power to provinces and local levels, so it is decentralisation.
In delegation, which cannot be delegated?
- A) Authority
- B) Duty
- C) Responsibility (accountability) ✔
- D) Tasks
Why: Authority can be delegated, but final responsibility (accountability) stays with the manager who delegates.
Which is NOT an element of delegation?
- A) Assignment of duty
- B) Grant of authority
- C) Creation of accountability
- D) Recruitment of staff ✔
Why: The elements of delegation are assigning duty, granting authority and creating accountability. Recruitment is a separate HR function.
"Authority should match responsibility" is the principle of:
- A) Parity of authority and responsibility ✔
- B) Unity of command
- C) Span of control
- D) Esprit de corps
Why: Parity of authority and responsibility: a person given a task must also get enough authority to do it.
A procurement committee is an example of:
- A) Committee organisation ✔
- B) Line organisation
- C) Informal group
- D) Matrix
Why: A procurement committee is a group that decides together, so it is committee organisation.
A diagram of positions and lines of authority is a(n):
- A) Organisation chart ✔
- B) Gantt chart
- C) Pie chart
- D) Flow diagram of cash
Why: An organisation chart shows positions, departments and lines of authority.
The scalar principle means:
- A) A clear chain of authority from top to bottom ✔
- B) Equal pay for all
- C) Many bosses
- D) No rules
Why: The scalar principle means a clear chain of authority from the top to the bottom (the scalar chain).
One benefit of delegation is that it:
- A) Increases the manager's workload
- B) Speeds up decisions ✔
- C) Removes accountability
- D) Stops training
Why: Delegation lets decisions be made closer to the work, so they are faster.
Luther Gulick's four bases of organisation are known as:
- A) The 4 Ps: purpose, process, persons and place ✔
- B) POSDCORB
- C) SWOT
- D) PERT
Why: Gulick's four bases of departmentation are the 4 Ps: purpose, process, persons (clientele) and place.
Grouping offices by geographical area, such as district offices, is departmentation by:
- A) Purpose
- B) Process
- C) Place ✔
- D) Persons
Why: Grouping by area, such as district offices, is departmentation by place.
A ministry created to serve women, children and senior citizens is organised mainly by:
- A) Persons (clientele) ✔
- B) Process
- C) Place
- D) Time
Why: Organising around the people served is departmentation by persons (clientele).
Organising as a process means:
- A) Dividing work, grouping activities, assigning duties and setting authority relations ✔
- B) Only hiring staff
- C) Only budgeting
- D) Only auditing
Why: As a process, organising means dividing work, grouping activities, assigning duties and setting authority relationships.
Organisation as a structure is:
- A) A framework of positions and relationships for common goals ✔
- B) A building
- C) A budget head
- D) A tax
Why: As a structure, organisation is a framework of positions and relationships for achieving common goals.
Formal organisation is shown in the:
- A) Organisation chart ✔
- B) Grapevine
- C) Friendship groups
- D) Rumours
Why: The formal organisation is shown in the organisation chart.
Informal organisation is based on:
- A) Friendship, interests and trust ✔
- B) Rules and positions
- C) Law only
- D) Budget
Why: Informal organisation is based on friendship, common interests and trust among staff.
Line organisation is also called:
- A) Military or scalar organisation ✔
- B) Matrix
- C) Committee
- D) Functional
Why: Line organisation is also called military or scalar organisation.
A key advantage of line organisation is:
- A) Simple and clear authority with unity of command ✔
- B) Expert advice everywhere
- C) Two bosses for each staff
- D) Group decisions
Why: Line organisation is simple, with clear authority and unity of command, so decisions are quick.
In line and staff structure, staff experts:
- A) Advise ✔
- B) Command line managers
- C) Vote in elections
- D) Run courts
Why: Staff experts advise line managers; they do not give orders to line staff.
Legal, accounts and planning specialists in a ministry are examples of:
- A) Staff ✔
- B) Line
- C) Clients
- D) Contractors
Why: Legal, accounts and planning specialists support and advise line officers, so they are staff.
Matrix structure is used mainly in:
- A) Big projects ✔
- B) Small shops
- C) Families
- D) Courts
Why: Matrix structures are used mainly for big projects that need experts from several departments.
A wide span of control creates a:
- A) Flat structure ✔
- B) Tall structure
- C) Matrix
- D) Committee
Why: A wide span (many subordinates each) needs fewer levels, creating a flat structure.
A tall structure has:
- A) Many levels and narrow spans ✔
- B) Few levels
- C) No hierarchy
- D) One manager only
Why: A tall structure has many levels and narrow spans of control.
Division of work leads to:
- A) Specialisation ✔
- B) Confusion always
- C) No responsibility
- D) Centralisation only
Why: Division of work lets each person do a narrow task repeatedly, which leads to specialisation and skill.
Unity of objective means:
- A) Everyone works for common goals ✔
- B) Each person has own goal
- C) No goals
- D) Only the boss has goals
Why: Unity of objective means everyone in the organisation works towards common goals.
Spreading authority to lower levels and local units is:
- A) Decentralisation ✔
- B) Centralisation
- C) Matrix
- D) Line
Why: Decentralisation spreads authority to lower levels and local units.
Delegation reduces the manager's:
- A) Workload ✔
- B) Authority completely
- C) Accountability completely
- D) Salary
Why: Delegation reduces the manager's workload, leaving time for important work.
Delegation speeds up:
- A) Decisions ✔
- B) Delays
- C) Paperwork
- D) Conflict
Why: Delegation speeds up decisions, since they need not all go to the top.
The three elements of delegation are assignment of duty, grant of authority and:
- A) Creation of accountability ✔
- B) Salary increase
- C) Transfer
- D) Retirement
Why: The third element is creation of accountability: the subordinate must answer for the delegated work.
Functional organisation can create confusion because a worker:
- A) Gets orders from several specialists ✔
- B) Has no boss
- C) Has one boss
- D) Works alone
Why: A worker in functional organisation gets orders from several specialists, which can conflict.
F. W. Taylor proposed functional foremanship as part of:
- A) Scientific management ✔
- B) Bureaucracy theory
- C) Human relations theory
- D) Systems theory
Why: Functional foremanship was part of Taylor's scientific management.
Committees are useful for:
- A) Group decisions and advice ✔
- B) Quick one-person decisions
- C) Avoiding all discussion
- D) Secret orders
Why: Committees bring different views together for group decisions and advice.
A disadvantage of committees is that they can be:
- A) Slow and costly ✔
- B) Too fast
- C) Always perfect
- D) Free
Why: Committees can be slow and costly, and responsibility may become unclear.
Graicunas showed that as subordinates increase, relationships:
- A) Grow very rapidly ✔
- B) Decrease
- C) Stay the same
- D) Disappear
Why: Graicunas showed that relationships grow very rapidly (much faster than the number of subordinates).
Grapevine communication is part of:
- A) Informal organisation ✔
- B) Formal organisation
- C) Line structure only
- D) Budget
Why: The grapevine is part of informal organisation.
Departmentation by process groups units by:
- A) Skill or technique used ✔
- B) People served
- C) Geographic area
- D) Time
Why: Departmentation by process groups units by the skill or technique used, such as a typing or IT section.
Departmentation by purpose groups units by:
- A) Main function served ✔
- B) Area
- C) Clients
- D) Shifts
Why: Departmentation by purpose groups units by the main function served, such as health or education ministries.
Departmentation by time means:
- A) Organising work in shifts ✔
- B) Area offices
- C) Client groups
- D) Skills
Why: Departmentation by time organises work in shifts, as in hospitals or the police.
Which principle is broken in a matrix structure?
- A) Unity of command ✔
- B) Division of work
- C) Unity of objective
- D) Specialisation
Why: In a matrix, staff have two bosses, so unity of command is broken.