Under the best administrative conditions, 'authority' becomes a problem of:

• A. Responsibility and leadership
• B. The scientific issuance of orders
• C. The determination of the relative worth of existing rules and regulations
• D. Constructive criticism

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how authority functions in good administrative conditions: it is meaningful only when those who hold power also carry responsibility and demonstrate leadership. Authority gains strength when it is tied to accountability (responsibility) and the ability to guide and motivate others toward shared goals (leadership). If there is no responsibility, authority can become arbitrary; if there is leadership without authority, power lacks direction and impact. So the core issue under optimal conditions is the pairing of authority with both responsibility and leadership.

The other options describe aspects that can accompany authority but don’t capture what authority centers on when conditions are ideal: issuing orders in a purely mechanical, scientific way ignores the human and ethical dimensions; evaluating the relative worth of existing rules is more about policy assessment than the essence of authority; constructive criticism is a valuable tool for improvement but not the fundamental problem authority addresses.