Deck 4: Federalism and the U.S.Constitution

Question 1

The fewer chambers a legislature has,the ______.

A) harder it is to achieve consensus on public policy
B) less democratic it is
C) more representative it is of the people as a whole
D) more weight it gives to elite opinion
E) slower it is to react to crises

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Legislative supremacy ______.

A) is an alternative system to judicial review
B) grew more important after the Civil War
C) was never seriously considered by the founders
D) is provided for in Article I of the Constitution
E) is practiced by most democratic countries

Answer 2

A

Question 3

All of the following comparisons between the House and the Senate are true EXCEPT this one:

A) Only House members have always been chosen by the public.
B) Senators have longer terms than members of the House.
C) Senators must be citizens for longer before being elected than members of the House.
D) Senate terms are staggered, whereas all House members are elected at the same time.
E) The House of Representatives was modeled after the British House of Lords, whereas the Senate was modeled after the House of Commons.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

All of the following comparisons between the president and senators are true EXCEPT this one:

A) Senators have always been chosen by direct election.
B) The minimum age to be president is older than the minimum age to be a senator.
C) Presidents cannot be naturalized citizens.
D) Presidents have shorter terms than senators.
E) Presidents can be impeached.

Question 5

Aspects of the system of checks and balances include all of the following EXCEPT this:

A) Presidents can veto legislation.
B) Presidents can force Congress to adjourn.
C) Congress can impeach the president.
D) The Supreme Court can declare acts of Congress or of the president to be unconstitutional.
E) Congress can impeach members of the judiciary.

Question 6

Article III of the Constitution ______.

A) defines a ten-year term for federal judges
B) forbids Congress from adjusting the structure and organization of federal courts
C) creates the Supreme Court and all other federal courts
D) creates the Supreme Court but allows Congress to establish lower courts
E) spells out, in detail, the structure and organization of the federal judiciary

Question 7

The power of the Supreme Court to declare acts unconstitutional ______.

A) is explicitly spelled out in the Constitution
B) is no longer recognized today
C) was argued by Hamilton to be consistent with the Constitution
D) is subject to presidential veto
E) is allowed only in situations that concern the First Amendment

Question 8

The Constitution spells out ______.

A) the founders' views of the philosophically best government
B) the official rules for who gets what, when, and how in American politics
C) a government designed to maximize the power of the wealthy
D) the justification for the Revolution
E) the most extreme example of popular sovereignty ever created

Question 9

The founders intended the people to have influence over public policy through the ______.

A) House of Representatives
B) House of Representatives and the Senate
C) House of Representatives, the Senate, and the president
D) president
E) Senate

Question 10

The founders hoped that the Senate would be ______ the House of Representatives.

A) more responsive to the public than
B) more stable than
C) more accessible to the people than
D) less aristocratic than
E) similar in every way to

Question 11

In Federalist No.78,Hamilton argued that the judiciary would be the least threatening branch of government because ______.

A) judges are naturally peaceful
B) its members can be impeached
C) it does not control the military or the budget of the nation
D) it has no power that cannot be restricted by Congress
E) its functions are totally passive

Question 12

The founders created the ______ as an intermediate body to elect the president.

A) House of Representatives
B) Senate
C) Electoral College
D) Council of Governors
E) Federal Election Commission

Question 13

In the United States,______.

A) the legislative and executive branches have gradually come to share all institutional powers
B) legislative powers include the ability to initiate and implement laws in a completely autonomous fashion
C) the Constitution gives the president the explicit ability to declare a state of emergency
D) legislative, executive, and judicial powers are handled by separate institutions
E) the judiciary takes precedence over the legislative and executive branches by design

Question 14

In a parliamentary system,the ______ is the dominant branch of government.

A) legislature
B) executive
C) judiciary
D) bureaucracy
E) military

Question 15

The major difference between a republic and a democracy is that ______.

A) popular sovereignty is important only in a democracy
B) majority tyranny is more of a danger in a republic
C) republics are less stable than democracies
D) in a republic, elected individuals, rather than citizens themselves, have the direct power to make most governmental decisions
E) democracies require a unicameral legislature

Question 16

All of the following comparisons between the American presidential and parliamentary systems are true EXCEPT this one:

A) Parliament chooses the head of the executive branch, whereas Congress normally does not.
B) A prime minister can call new elections, whereas the president cannot.
C) A prime minister is usually the leader of the majority party or party with the most seats in Parliament, whereas the president may be a member of the minority party.
D) The prime minister is a member of Parliament, whereas the president cannot be a member of Congress.
E) The prime minister is not chosen directly by the people, whereas the president is chosen by the people via a "one person, one vote" system.

Question 17

An advantage of the unicameral legislature over the bicameral legislature is that ______.

A) many more interests can be represented in it
B) it is much more responsive to public opinion
C) it can represent different levels of a federal government
D) it divides the power of government more than a bicameral legislature
E) it creates a slower, more deliberative legislative process

Question 18

The constitutional safeguard that places legislative,executive,and judicial powers in different hands is called ______.

A) separation of powers
B) checks and balances
C) fusion of powers
D) federalism
E) bicameralism

Question 19

The founders were concerned the Supreme Court would become ______.

A) dominated by political concerns
B) too weak to protect itself from state courts
C) dependent on the president
D) too busy to carry out all of its duties
E) isolated from public opinion

Question 20

The powers of the president include all of the following EXCEPT this:

A) The president is commander in chief of the armed forces.
B) The president appoints, with confirmation by the Senate, members of the judiciary.
C) The president negotiates treaties.
D) The president can call Congress into session under extraordinary circumstances.
E) The president can declare war.

Question 21

The New Deal increased the scope of both national and state powers by ______.

A) restricting the involvement of the government in business and the economy
B) redefining the purpose of American government to include solving nationwide economic and social problems
C) giving the states more control over how federal powers are carried out
D) increasing the importance of balancing the federal budget
E) increasing the power of Congress at the expense of the president

Question 22

Although the states have the authority to set the minimum drinking age,the United States has a national legal alcohol consumption age of twenty-one because ______.

A) state compacts have led to a uniform drinking age
B) the federal government threatened to withhold highway funds from any state that didn't have a drinking age of twenty-one
C) all states are now sensitive to the consequences of underage drinking
D) prohibition groups have lobbied successfully for a higher drinking age in all states
E) the international standard for the legal drinking age is twenty-one

Question 23

Two trends evident in the development of American federalism throughout history are the ______.

A) expansion of American government in general and the gradual strengthening of the federal government
B) simultaneous growth of the nullification movement and federal desire for financial resources
C) increases in state power and fiscal resources at the expense of the federal government
D) development of the property tax and the need for states to provide resources to the national government
E) legalization of the income tax and devolution

Question 24

The Supreme Court has interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment to ______.

A) allow women to have the right to vote
B) strike down Prohibition
C) strike down racial segregation in the states
D) limit the power of the federal government in relation to the states
E) require the states to permit eighteen-year-olds to vote

Question 25

Both the states and the national government may exercise all of the following powers EXCEPT this one:

A) borrowing and spending money for the general welfare
B) levying import or export taxes on goods
C) establishing highways
D) taking private property for public purposes
E) chartering and regulating banks and charter corporations

Question 26

Cooperative federalism is a theory that ______.

A) was an accurate depiction of American federalism during the eighteenth century
B) defines state and national powers as interdependent, requiring the cooperation of each other to get things done
C) defines state and federal governments as essentially separate from each other and carrying out their functions independently
D) reflects the formal distribution of powers by the Constitution
E) is modeled after a layer cake

Question 27

Federalism in the United States ______.

A) is a system badly in need of repair
B) was a compromise for how power should be distributed between the national and state governments
C) provides for strong state and local power compared to federal power
D) has outlived its usefulness as a framework for American politics
E) grants the federal government a dominant position over the states in all areas except education

Question 28

Although the Constitution provides for both national and state powers,______.

A) state powers decreased so dramatically by the 1990s that states were little more than federal administrative units
B) the state governments have ignored that division of powers at their whim
C) the precise wording of the Constitution has made division of powers between the two levels practically impossible
D) states dominated American politics throughout the twentieth century
E) the balance between state and national powers has shifted considerably since 1787

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT a consequence of federalism?

A) It creates greater flexibility at local levels of government.
B) It leads to increased access to government for citizens.
C) It creates a tendency for states to engage in "smokestack chasing."
D) It creates a tendency for states to cut social benefits to better compete with each other.
E) It creates a more uniform environment for business activity across the country.

Question 30

The congressional abilities specifically listed in Article I,Section 8,are called the ______.

A) concurrent powers
B) elastic powers
C) enumerated powers
D) supreme powers
E) necessary and proper powers

Question 31

The necessary and proper clause ______.

A) states that it is necessary and proper for Congress to have sufficient reasons to impeach the president
B) states that the authorities must have a necessary and proper reason for search and seizure of private property
C) is used by Congress to justify the exercise of powers not mentioned in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution
D) states that it is necessary and proper for the president to have sufficient reasons to begin a war
E) is used by the Supreme Court as justification for the power of judicial review

Question 32

The Supreme Court has interpreted the ______ clause of the Constitution so broadly that there are very few restrictions on what Congress can do.

A) necessary and proper
B) national supremacy
C) full faith and credit
D) commerce
E) establishment

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of federalism?

A) It fosters "the race to the bottom."
B) It fosters a tendency toward "smokestack chasing."
C) It enables the states to serve as policy laboratories.
D) It permits local prejudices to find their way into state and local laws.
E) It creates interest groups to "shop" for governments favorable to their interests.

Question 34

The rulings of the Supreme Court under John Marshall contributed to enhancement of ______.

A) the power of the federal government
B) the role of states in the American political system
C) the reach of the doctrine of nullification
D) the participation of women in American politics
E) the power of the presidency

Question 35

McCulloch v.Maryland increased the power of the federal government by ______.

A) interpreting the commerce clause of the Constitution very broadly
B) interpreting the necessary and proper clause of the Constitution very broadly
C) outlawing slavery in the territories
D) interpreting the federal police power very broadly
E) establishing that the states did not have the power to secede from the union

Question 36

In McCulloch v.Maryland (1819),the Supreme Court held that ______.

A) it could declare acts of Congress to be unconstitutional
B) state-chartered banks were immune from federal regulation
C) the federal government had the implied power to create a national bank
D) states had the ability to restrict interstate commerce within their jurisdictions
E) Congress was not allowed to outlaw slavery in U.S. territories

Question 37

The New Deal increased the power of the federal government in regard to ______.

A) business and the economy
B) the war-making power
C) education
D) civil rights
E) civil liberties

Question 38

In Federalist No.51,James Madison predicted that no single branch of government would become too powerful and oppress citizens because ______.

A) a foreign country would be welcomed to intervene and restore American democracy
B) the ethics of American political leaders would prevent power grabs
C) the people would revolt and establish a monarchy
D) the other two branches would curb the possibly oppressive advances of each branch
E) citizens would turn to a populist counterelite to defend their rights

Question 39

Gibbons v.Ogden increased the power of the national government by interpreting very broadly the ______.

A) federal police power
B) congressional power to declare war
C) commerce clause of the Constitution
D) necessary and proper clause of the Constitution
E) none of the above

Question 40

The theory that defines the state and national governments as essentially separate from each other and carrying out independent functions is ______.

A) cooperative federalism
B) dual federalism
C) separation-of-powers federalism
D) federalism
E) independent federalism

Question 41

Federal funds provided to states for a broad purpose and unrestricted by detailed requirements are called ______.

A) categorical grants
B) limited grants
C) self-improvement grants
D) block grants

Question 42

The founders intended the people to have influence over public policy through the House of Commons.

Question 43

What is the key difference between categorical grants and block grants?

A) Categorical grants lack any true congressional oversight, and block grants require a lot of congressional oversight.
B) Categorical grants are reflective of the dual-federalism era, and block grants reflect the operative federalism era.
C) Block grants provide states with more leverage and power over how to spend grants-in-aid than do categorical grants.
D) State discretion is minimal for block grants and extensive for categorical grants.
E) Block grants can be spent on any policy issue, no matter what Congress allocated the money for.

Question 44

Political scientists today see federalism as ______.

A) a partnership between the national and state governments in which the state governments are the dominant partners
B) a bitter rivalry in which each level of government struggles to gain supremacy
C) a partnership between the national and state governments in which the federal government is the dominant partner
D) consisting of two totally separate levels of power that have little to do with each other
E) having evolved to the point at which the state governments really do not matter

Question 45

The ways that the national government tries to influence the states include ______.

A) no influence combined with no funding on an issue
B) categorical grants
C) block grants
D) unfunded mandates
E) all of the above

Question 46

The amendment process for the Constitution ______.

A) has changed over the years to make the process more difficult
B) was designed to allow growth and change but not to be too easy
C) does not permit amendments to be made that would restrict fundamental liberties
D) was supposed to be quick and simple
E) has been used too often for many Democrats' taste

Question 47

The trend of Supreme Court's rulings in favor of devolution ended ______.

A) when the membership of the court became more liberal
B) following the attacks of September 11, 2001
C) when the membership of the Supreme Court became more conservative
D) when Barack Obama became president
E) when George W. Bush became president

Question 48

In a parliamentary system,the legislature selects and removes the executive.

Question 49

The founders hoped that the Senate would be more stable than the House of Representatives.

Question 50

One reason for the growth of the national government's power and influence has been ______.

A) the trend among democratic countries to become more unitary
B) heightened expectations and demands placed on the federal government
C) an increase in popular apathy
D) the failure of the states to provide adequate opportunities for interest group participation
E) the gradual expansion of the national share of the property tax

Question 51

The federal government has been able to use categorical grants to coerce states into doing what it wants most of the time because ______.

A) citizens want the federal government to force recalcitrant states to accept the grants
B) the Supreme Court has ruled that states cannot turn down this money
C) states are not required to spend their own funds to complete the project if they reject the categorical grant
D) states fear that if they don't accept all categorical grants they will not be offered any more
E) states have become financially dependent on this aid

Question 52

Congress has been reluctant to use block grants to achieve policy goals because ______.

A) they allow states to pursue their own goals rather than the federal government's goals
B) they are too expensive
C) they are too time consuming to write
D) state politicians dislike them as much as unfunded mandates
E) states rarely accept them due to the restrictions written into such grants

Question 53

The most important effect of changing the rules by which political decisions are made is that such changes ______.

A) can affect who is advantaged and who is disadvantaged
B) confuse the public
C) make decisions inconsistent with each other
D) always help the wealthy
E) always reduce justice in the system

Question 54

The fewer chambers a legislature has,the less representative it is of the people as a whole.

Question 55

Liberals differ from conservatives in that the former are more likely to ______.

A) prefer to change the Constitution through formal amendment
B) be suspicious of change
C) believe in strict construction of the Constitution
D) be hostile to altering the Constitution through judicial interpretation
E) see the Constitution as a living document that can be continually altered by judicial interpretation

Question 56

Federal orders that require states to operate and pay for programs created at the national level are called ______.

A) block grants
B) unfunded mandates
C) categorical grants
D) delegated orders
E) hortatory appeals

Question 57

The initiative,referendum,and recall are methods used ______.

A) by Congress to replace executive officials
B) by the president to launch new policy initiatives
C) in some state governments to allow citizens to participate more directly in government
D) by the Supreme Court to respond to writs of certiorari
E) by the states to resist encroachment on their powers by the national government

Question 58

The founders created the Electoral College as an intermediate body to elect the president.

Question 59

The Constitution has been amended through the formal amendment process and through ______.

A) state nullification
B) presidential interpretation
C) judicial review
D) passage of laws by Congress
E) the passage of initiatives

Question 60

The text concludes that the current status of federalism ______.

A) is dominated by conservative efforts toward devolution
B) is characterized by a contradictory mix of rhetoric about moving power back to the states and new national initiatives
C) is characterized by rhetoric about new national initiatives while more power is being devolved to the states
D) involves a consensus that the national government has grown too strong
E) involves a consensus that the national government must become stronger in the face of so many challenges to the nation's welfare

Question 61

Explain how the concept of federalism has changed since the days of Marbury v.Madison.

Question 62

Compare and contrast unicameral and bicameral legislatures.What are the advantages and disadvantages of a unicameral legislature? Why did the founders choose a bicameral legislature?

Question 63

A ______ is a bill passed by a state legislature and submitted to voters for approval.

Question 64

The supremacy clause of the Constitution states that if a state law and a federal law conflict,the ______ law will be followed.

Question 65

Federal funds provided to states for a broad purpose and unrestricted by detailed requirements are called ______.

Question 66

Federal orders that require states to operate and pay for programs created at the national level are called ______.

Question 67

The congressional abilities specifically listed in Article I,Section 8,are called the enumerated powers.

Question 68

The Constitution has been amended through the formal amendment process and through ______.

Question 69

The theory that defines the state and national governments as essentially separate from each other and carrying out independent functions is ______.

Question 70

Citizens can directly engage in the legislative process in some states by the use of the ______ or the ______ and can remove elected officials from office before the end of their terms by use of the ______.

Question 71

Discuss the logic behind the separation of powers as given by Montesquieu.According to James Madison,why would having different branches of government hold power protect against tyranny?

Question 72

The Supreme Court has interpreted the ______ clause of the Constitution so broadly that there are very few restrictions on what Congress can do.

Question 73

The principle that states that national laws will be followed if state laws conflict with them is found in the ______ clause.

Question 74

The New Deal increased the power of the federal government in regard to ______.

Question 75

Compare and contrast the models of dual and cooperative federalism.

Question 76

According to the text,twenty-three states now have medical marijuana use laws.The text also mentioned different points of view that pertained to whether or not it was legal to use marijuana for medical purposes in the United States.Is it illegal or not? Explain your answer.

Question 77

Compare and contrast presidential and parliamentary systems.

Question 78

In Federalist No.78,Hamilton argued that the judiciary would be the least threatening branch of government.

Question 79

In a parliamentary system,the executive is the dominant branch of government.

Question 80

The constitutional safeguard that places legislative,executive,and judicial powers in different hands is called separation of church and state.