Practice Quizzes

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Garbage Can Model
Q1
What is the primary metaphor used in the Garbage Can Model?
A
Filing Cabinet
B
Garbage Can
C
Assembly Line
D
Round Table
Correct Answer: B
A: Incorrect – filing cabinet implies organization and order.
B: Correct – the model uses a “garbage can” as a metaphor for chaotic, unstructured decision-making.
C: Incorrect – assembly line suggests sequential processing, which contradicts the model.
D: Incorrect – round table implies egalitarian deliberation, not randomness.
Q2
Which of the following is NOT one of the four independent decision streams in the Garbage Can Model?
A
Problems
B
Solutions
C
Political Capital
D
Choice Opportunities
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – problems are a core stream.
B: Incorrect – solutions are a core stream.
C: Correct – political capital is not a formal stream in the model.
D: Incorrect – choice opportunities are one of the four key streams.
Q3
What best characterizes “organized anarchy” in the Garbage Can Model?
A
Systematic delegation of authority
B
Chaos with structured hierarchy
C
High ambiguity, fluid participation, and unclear preferences
D
Consensus-based governance with clear norms
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – systematic delegation implies clarity.
B: Incorrect – structured hierarchy contradicts the model’s assumptions.
C: Correct – “organized anarchy” refers to ambiguous goals, inconsistent participation, and limited understanding.
D: Incorrect – consensus and norms are not emphasized in this model.
Q4
In the Garbage Can Model, “solutions looking for problems” exemplify:
A
Rational choice logic
B
Contingency theory
C
Unused organizational resources
D
The independence of streams
Correct Answer: D
A: Incorrect – rational choice assumes alignment between problem and solution.
B: Incorrect – contingency theory focuses on fit between structure and environment.
C: Incorrect – while solutions can sit unused, this is not the core idea here.
D: Correct – streams are independent and may not align, which allows solutions to exist before problems.
Q5
What is a central reason why participation is “fluid” in organized anarchies?
A
Unionization policies
B
Rotating leadership
C
Competing demands for attention
D
Time zone conflicts
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – union policies are not mentioned in the model.
B: Incorrect – rotating leadership is not central to the fluidity concept.
C: Correct – decision makers shift attention due to multiple obligations.
D: Incorrect – while plausible, the model focuses more broadly on attentional demands.
Q6
According to the model, which outcome is LEAST likely?
A
A solution is applied to a well-understood problem
B
A decision is made without resolving a problem
C
A solution is adopted with no clear problem
D
A problem persists despite multiple decisions
Correct Answer: A
A: Correct – the model suggests such rational matching is rare.
B: Incorrect – this happens frequently in the model.
C: Incorrect – solutions often precede problems.
D: Incorrect – this reflects disconnection in garbage can logic.
Q7
Which of the following best represents a “choice opportunity”?
A
A new policy draft
B
A faculty senate meeting
C
A failed grant proposal
D
A leadership workshop
Correct Answer: B
A: Incorrect – a policy draft is an artifact, not an opportunity for choice.
B: Correct – meetings provide decision-making contexts.
C: Incorrect – outcomes of decisions, not opportunities.
D: Incorrect – educational, not decisional, in focus.
Q8
What distinguishes the Garbage Can Model from rational choice theory?
A
It emphasizes bounded rationality
B
It assumes unlimited computational capacity
C
It prioritizes ethics over efficiency
D
It highlights random convergence of streams
Correct Answer: D
A: Incorrect – bounded rationality is part of Simon’s model but not the same.
B: Incorrect – this is a rational choice assumption.
C: Incorrect – ethical concerns are not central in this model.
D: Correct – the model posits randomness in how decisions happen.
Q9
In an organized anarchy, which of the following is TRUE?
A
Decision-making always follows a plan
B
Stakeholders are aligned in priorities
C
Goals are inconsistent or undefined
D
Outcomes can always be predicted
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – plans rarely govern decisions in this model.
B: Incorrect – priorities are often in conflict.
C: Correct – ambiguous or competing goals are a core feature.
D: Incorrect – outcomes are unpredictable.
Q10
The “historical development” of the Garbage Can Model ironically:
A
Reflected a case of perfectly rational decision-making
B
Proved that anarchy is only theoretical
C
Demonstrated the model in action during a chaotic dean search
D
Was guided by a formal institutional plan
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – the process was explicitly irrational.
B: Incorrect – it was a real-world case.
C: Correct – the chaotic dean search illustrated the model’s tenets.
D: Incorrect – planning was minimal or ineffective.
Q11
What does the “independence of streams” in the Garbage Can Model imply?
A
Streams influence each other in real time
B
Organizational decisions follow logical progression
C
Decisions emerge from random alignment rather than planned integration
D
Problem-solving is always reactive
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – streams are largely uncoordinated.
B: Incorrect – logical progression is a rational model trait.
C: Correct – convergence occurs when independent streams align by chance.
D: Incorrect – reactions imply temporal dependency not emphasized here.
Q12
What is the role of time in the Garbage Can Model?
A
It is irrelevant due to random decision making
B
It determines whether streams converge during a choice opportunity
C
It ensures that all problems are eventually solved
D
It guides the prioritization of goals and alternatives
Correct Answer: B
A: Incorrect – time is crucial for determining stream convergence.
B: Correct – timing affects which streams intersect.
C: Incorrect – problems can persist indefinitely.
D: Incorrect – prioritization is inconsistent in organized anarchies.
Q13
What is a theoretical contribution of the Garbage Can Model?
A
It promotes sequential planning in leadership decision-making
B
It formalizes power hierarchies in governance
C
It offers a non-rational explanation for organizational behavior
D
It eliminates the need for empirical data
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – sequential planning is antithetical to the model.
B: Incorrect – power is not centrally theorized in this model.
C: Correct – the model explains outcomes without assuming rationality.
D: Incorrect – empirical grounding remains essential.
Q14
The stream of “solutions” in the model suggests:
A
Every problem has a ready solution
B
Solutions are only proposed after problem identification
C
Solutions may be stored and mobilized independent of problems
D
Only the most efficient solutions are considered
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – matching is not guaranteed.
B: Incorrect – sequencing is not a requirement.
C: Correct – solutions can exist independently, waiting for problems.
D: Incorrect – efficiency is not a selection criterion.
Q15
The term “organized anarchy” suggests:
A
The absence of any order or predictability
B
A stable bureaucracy with rational decision making
C
An environment with unclear goals and inconsistent participation
D
Hierarchical decision chains
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – the anarchy is “organized” by structural context.
B: Incorrect – this is the rational model.
C: Correct – it’s defined by ambiguity and inconsistency.
D: Incorrect – hierarchies are not emphasized.
Q16
A “choice opportunity” may fail to result in a decision because:
A
The organization lacks authority
B
Not all streams are present at the right time
C
Budgets are already allocated
D
Stakeholder values are fully aligned
Correct Answer: B
A: Incorrect – authority is not the focus.
B: Correct – convergence is necessary for decisions to emerge.
C: Incorrect – budget constraints are not central.
D: Incorrect – alignment makes decisions more likely.
Q17
How does the model portray organizational learning?
A
As a systematic accumulation of best practices
B
As a random, iterative adaptation to shifting inputs
C
As grounded in formal evaluation systems
D
As a fixed process of institutional memory
Correct Answer: B
A: Incorrect – the model downplays systematic accumulation.
B: Correct – randomness and adaptation are emphasized.
C: Incorrect – formal evaluations are not central.
D: Incorrect – institutional memory is more aligned with neo-institutional theory.
Q18
One critique of the Garbage Can Model that led to theoretical evolution was:
A
It failed to account for cost-benefit analysis
B
It ignored the role of individual cognition
C
It exaggerated the disorganized nature of decision making
D
It overemphasized strategic planning
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – economic models do that, not GCM.
B: Incorrect – while true, this is not the core critique.
C: Correct – critics argued it underplayed structure and norms.
D: Incorrect – strategic planning isn’t emphasized at all.
Q19
What complementary theory was proposed to address critiques of the Garbage Can Model?
A
Transaction cost theory
B
Expectancy theory
C
Neo-institutional theory
D
Attribution theory
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – transaction costs are economic, not sociological.
B: Incorrect – this is a motivation theory.
C: Correct – neo-institutional theory brings in norms and rules.
D: Incorrect – attribution theory focuses on individual sensemaking.
Q20
The Garbage Can Model is most useful for studying decision making in contexts that are:
A
Highly bureaucratic
B
Rigidly procedural
C
Ambiguous and fluid
D
Technocratically managed
Correct Answer: C
A: Incorrect – bureaucracy suggests structure and predictability.
B: Incorrect – procedural rigidity counters stream independence.
C: Correct – ambiguity and flux are core assumptions.
D: Incorrect – technocracy assumes rationality.

Application Questions

Application Q1
If solutions in your professional setting arise before problems, what does that imply for your approach to coding policy documents?
Application Q2
How might you identify “streams” in your dissertation’s empirical context (e.g., board meetings, hiring decisions)?
Application Q3
What risks do you see in assuming that decisions reflect organizational goals?
Application Q4
Describe a situation in your professional setting where a problem persisted despite many meetings or task forces. How would the Garbage Can Model help you explain that persistence?
Application Q5
Given that the model avoids causal linearity, how could you present your findings to avoid misleading implications of order or causality?
Application Q6
What would it look like to empirically observe a choice opportunity that fails to produce a decision?
Application Q7
How might the historical origin of the Garbage Can Model influence your dissertation’s theoretical positioning?
Application Q8
In your field, do you believe adding a “fifth stream” of time would enhance the model’s explanatory power? Why or why not?
Application Q9
If solutions in your professional setting arise before problems, what does that imply for your approach to coding policy documents?
Application Q10
What risks do you see in assuming that decisions reflect organizational goals?