Deck 3: The Federal System

Question 1

Although the Constitution gives Congress the expressed power to raise an army and a navy,it does not say how that is to be done.How Congress does this is based on its use of the

A)implied powers clause.
B)executive powers clause.
C)necessary and proper clause.
D)writ of habeas corpus.
E)full faith and credit clause.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following places the greatest limitations on the power of state governments?

A)The Tenth Amendment
B)Block grants
C)The equal protection clause
D)Interstate compacts
E)New federalism

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The powers under the U.S.Constitution that give states authority to pass laws that promote the health,welfare,safety,and morals of their citizens are referred to as

A)concurrent powers.
B)discretionary powers.
C)delegated powers.
D)reserved powers.
E)judicial reviewed powers.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A court order that protects people from arbitrary imprisonment by requiring officials of the government to bring them before a court and state the reasons for detaining them is called a(n)

A)ex post facto law.
B)bill of attainder.
C)writ of mandamus.
D)writ of habeas corpus.
E)writ of certiorari.

Question 5

The framers of the Constitution created a form of government that delegated specific powers to the national government and

A)permitted the states to operate outside the constraints of the U.S.Constitution.
B)reserved the remaining powers for the states.
C)reserved most of the remaining powers for the courts.
D)reserved the powers of taxing and regulating interstate commerce for the states.
E)reserved the remaining powers for a strong executive branch of government.

Question 6

What issue was at stake in the Supreme Court's decision in McCulloch v.Maryland (1819)?

A)The authority of the national government to regulate interstate trade
B)The power of the states to construct a railroad between Maryland and New York
C)The authority of the president to use military force without a formal declaration of war
D)The authority of the Congress to establish a system of national banks
E)The authority of the states to enter into foreign treaties

Question 7

The powers under the U.S.Constitution that can be exercised by both state and national governments are known as

A)concurrent powers.
B)discretionary powers.
C)delegated powers.
D)reserved powers.
E)complementary powers.

Question 8

Which one of the following is an inherent part of any federal system?

A)Power is divided between the executive branch and legislature.
B)Neither the central government nor state governments exercise total power.
C)Power is granted to the central government by state governments.
D)Power is granted to state governments by the central government.
E)National,state,and local governments lack any power.

Question 9

Under the federal system of government used in the United States,

A)state governments have a major role to play in national security.
B)central government has exclusive powers in the area of national security.
C)states have an equal role in national affairs.
D)state governments have the right to declare war.
E)states are permitted to regulate interstate commerce.

Question 10

Under the Articles of Confederation,power was

A)distributed among largely independent states.
B)concentrated in a strong central government.
C)given primarily to the courts.
D)divided equally between the states and the national government.
E)divided equally between three branches of the national government.

Question 11

In the case of Gonzalez v.Raich,the Supreme Court ruled that the federal ban on marijuana was constitutional because

A)marijuana is harmful to minors.
B)the sale of marijuana affects interstate commerce.
C)federalism doesn't apply to drug cases.
D)states cannot regulate drugs.
E)the government has no interest in regulating illegal narcotics.

Question 12

The Supreme Court case McCulloch v.Maryland (1819)

A)set a precedent for a broad interpretation of the implied powers of Congress.
B)set a precedent for expanded state powers in the United States.
C)broadly construed the expressed powers given to Congress.
D)severely limited Congress in the application of implied powers.
E)severely limited the ability of states to enter into treaties with foreign nations.

Question 13

In a confederation,powers of the central government are

A)granted to it by the legislature.
B)concentrated in one supreme national executive.
C)granted to it by the state or provincial governments.
D)granted to it by executive order.
E)subject to veto or approval from the national government.

Question 14

Which delegated power did Congress use as the basis for outlawing racial discrimination in hotels,motels,and restaurants?

A)The power of interstate compacts
B)The power to raise an army and navy
C)The power to tax and spend
D)The reserved powers of the Tenth Amendment
E)The power to regulate interstate commerce

Question 15

The delegated powers in the Constitution are

A)expressly stated or enumerated.
B)not written but developed over time.
C)based primarily on English common law.
D)determined by the president.
E)not subject to interpretation by the Supreme Court.

Question 16

Those who unsuccessfully challenged the practice of charging out-of-state students who attend a state college or university higher tuition than in-state students did so on the basis of the

A)taxing and spending clause.
B)full faith and credit clause.
C)interstate rendition clause.
D)interstate compact clause.
E)privileges and immunities clause.

Question 17

In a unitary government,the central government

A)has ultimate legal authority over citizens.
B)delegates its power to unified local governments.
C)can reclaim powers given to local governments.
D)is subject to a veto power from local governments.
E)is weaker than the state governments.

Question 18

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is an example of the use of

A)interstate compacts.
B)original jurisdiction.
C)the interstate rendition clause.
D)the privileges and immunities clause.
E)due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Question 19

When a person charged with a crime in Wyoming flees to Nevada and the governor of Wyoming asks the governor of Nevada to return the fugitive,the governor of Nevada

A)may return the fugitive.
B)must return the fugitive.
C)must return the fugitive if ordered to do so by the president of the United States.
D)asks the U.S.Supreme Court to resolve the issue.
E)must return the fugitive only to a neighboring state.

Question 20

A businessman from New York is mugged in Florida.He must be afforded the same police services as a Florida resident because of the

A)full faith and credit clause.
B)interstate rendition clause.
C)privileges and immunities clause.
D)original jurisdiction clause.
E)interstate compact clause.

Question 21

An ex post facto law imposes a penalty for performing an act that was legal at the time it was committed.

Question 22

The Supreme Court refuses to get involved in issues involving the guarantee clause because they believe that such questions are

A)guaranteed to the states.
B)political,not judicial questions.
C)those reserved to federal questions.
D)not of significance to Congress.
E)important only to presidents,not Congress or the states.

Question 23

The U.S.Constitution created the world's first federal form of government.

Question 24

Which one of the following statements regarding block grants is TRUE?

A)They are the same as grants-in-aid.
B)They go only to municipalities.
C)They are given for a specific purpose that leaves little discretionary authority over the expenditure of funds.
D)They have become a decreasing part of federal aid.
E)The national government no longer gives block grants to the states.

Question 25

The constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is most likely to hinge on the Supreme Court's interpretation of

A)McCulloch v.Maryland.
B)the privileges and immunities clause.
C)the full faith and credit clause.
D)the commerce clause.
E)the supremacy clause.

Question 26

Following the theory of new federalism,President Reagan

A)increased block grants.
B)gave the national government responsibility for funding all welfare programs.
C)assigned states the responsibility of funding medical aid for the poor.
D)gave increased welfare benefits to all families with dependent children.
E)permitted states to enter into foreign treaties in certain circumstances.

Question 27

In the past decade,approximately what percentage of expenditures by state and local governments has come from federal grants?

A)2 percent
B)7 percent
C)15 percent
D)20 percent
E)30 percent

Question 28

In cases of domestic violence,such as a riot within a state,the national government has the right to intervene

A)only when Congress authorizes the intervention.
B)only when the state's governor requests help.
C)only when the state's legislature requests help.
D)even if there is no request for help from any state authority.
E)only when the Supreme Court approves an interstate compact.

Question 29

The term centralized federalism is often used to describe the relationship between the states and national government that developed during the 1930s.

Question 30

In legal disputes between two or more states,original jurisdiction for hearing cases rests with the

A)Congress.
B)U.S.Federal Courts of Appeal.
C)U.S.Supreme Court.
D)president of the United States.
E)the Federal Interstate Compact Commission.

Question 31

Which one of the following correctly states the difference between a block grant and a grant-in-aid?

A)Grants-in-aid can be spent for any purpose; block grants can be used only for narrow,specific purposes.
B)The national government gives far less in both block grants and grants-in-aid than it used to.
C)Block grants originated during the Civil War; grants-in-aid did not begin until the early 1900s.
D)Block grants are given by the states to the national government; grants-in-aid flow from the national government to the states.
E)A grant-in-aid can be spent only for specific purposes; block grants can be used for broad,general purposes.

Question 32

Federal aid to the states

A)fluctuated tremendously during the Clinton administration.
B)has decreased dramatically since the Bush administration.
C)has decreased since the Reagan administration.
D)has increased since the Reagan administration.
E)has remained relatively stable throughout much of the nation's history.

Question 33

Which of the following best illustrates new federalism?

A)The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
B)Federal laws that prohibit using marijuana,including for medicinal use
C)The 1996 welfare reform legislation
D)The Defense of Marriage Act
E)The due process clause and the equal protection clause

Question 34

The appointment of two Supreme Court justices by a Republican president to take the seats formerly held by Democratic appointees would be most likely to have which of the following effects?

A)Restriction of states' rights
B)Expansion of federal government authority
C)Enhanced use of the commerce clause to justify acts of Congress
D)A shift in power from the national government to the states
E)The elimination of all vestiges of new federalism

Question 35

The Constitution provides only an outline of the American federal system.

Question 36

In a unitary government,the central government has ultimate legal authority over its citizens.

Question 37

What was the largest source of federal tax revenue in 2011?

A)Value-added taxes
B)Payroll taxes
C)Individual income taxes
D)Corporate income taxes
E)Estate taxes

Question 38

Which one of the following is the primary reason for the growth of the grant system?

A)Increases in state and local tax revenues
B)The inability of the national government to address social problems
C)Lack of political accountability among national government leaders
D)To eliminate the national government's influence over state and local policy
E)Dissatisfaction with state and local government actions

Question 39

Which one of the following is true of the U.S.Supreme Court's decision in United States v.Lopez?

A)The Court's ruling expanded the implied powers of the national government.
B)The Court's ruling expanded the powers of the president.
C)The Court's decision declared Prohibition unconstitutional.
D)The Court's decision gave the national government the power to regulate workers' wages.
E)The Court's decision limited the implied powers of the national government to regulate firearms.

Question 40

Which of the following is a central element of cooperative federalism?

A)Federal grants-in-aid
B)Interstate compacts
C)The full faith and credit clause
D)The equal protection clause
E)Bills of attainder

Question 41

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act expanded the scope of the national government's involvement in health care.

Question 42

The guarantee clause refers to the Constitution's "guarantee" of a republican form of government for the states.

Question 43

Under the U.S.Constitution,the powers of the states are referred to as delegated powers.

Question 44

The Supreme Court has always refused to get involved in issues arising under the so-called guarantee clause.

Question 45

The due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment place limits on the states.

Question 46

The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction if there is a dispute between two or more states.

Question 47

The Constitution prohibits states from signing treaties with foreign countries and from participating in interstate compacts with other states.

Question 48

Concurrent powers are those that can be exercised by both the states and the federal government.

Question 49

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 set wage and hour standards for workers engaged in interstate commerce.

Question 50

Cooperative federalism was based on the recognition that not all problems are best solved by concentrating authority in Washington.

Question 51

Federal aid to the states has increased since the end of the Reagan administration.

Question 52

During times of domestic violence,the federal government can intervene only at the invitation of state officials.

Question 53

The full faith and credit clause generally requires the states to honor the final civil rulings of other states.

Question 54

The federal government prohibits issuing writs of habeas corpus.

Question 55

Congress used its spending authority to coerce the states to increase the drinking age to twenty-one.