Name the two main types of committees.

• A. Executive and advisory committees.
• B. Standing committees and special committees.
• C. Financial and strategic committees.
• D. Subcommittees and joint committees.

Answer: (B)

Committees are categorized by how long they exist and what they’re formed to accomplish. The two primary forms are standing committees and special committees. A standing committee is permanent and continues to handle ongoing, routine work defined by the organization’s rules—things like budgets, governance, or policy oversight. A special committee, sometimes called a select or ad hoc committee, is created to address a specific issue or task and is dissolved once its work is finished, such as investigating a particular incident or preparing a targeted report. This distinction matters because it shapes how regularly the group meets, what resources it has, and how its work fits into the broader organizational process. Other options mix different ideas—executive versus advisory describes roles or authority, not the lasting vs. temporary nature; subcommittees are subdivisions within a standing or special committee; and joint or cross-organization committees describe composition, not the fundamental type. Standing and special capture the core structural distinction.