Federal job applications often contain questionnaire items that are so specific that they clearly are intended to privilege some individual applicant known to the framer of the questionnaire. These rigged questions typically address highly specialized content particular to the microcosm of the office issuing the application, for which only a handful of Americans could attest expertise, all of whom are likely known to the hiring staff. For example "explaining the regulatory consequences, at the state level, of improper care of hooved land mammals to non-experts using HTML."
This practice makes a fraud of the competitive hiring process, provides cover for any number of discriminatory practices, and enables unethical buddy-hiring which undermines the overall competence of the Government.