Final answer:
The FBI is an agency within the Department of Justice, NASA is an independent executive agency responsible for space exploration, and the EPA is a regulatory agency dedicated to environmental protection. The correct answer to the student's question is e: respectively, an agency within a cabinet department, an independent agency, and a regulatory agency.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have different positions within the federal government.
The FBI is an agency within a cabinet department, specifically the Department of Justice. The NASA is an independent executive agency, which means it is not part of a cabinet department but it still reports directly to the president. Its primary role is space exploration and technological innovation. Lastly, the EPA is a regulatory agency; it implements and enforces laws pertaining to environmental protection and is not a cabinet department but has significant autonomy to ensure adherence to environmental laws.
Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is option e: respectively, an agency within a cabinet department, an independent agency, and a regulatory agency.