Deck 7: Political Institutions: State and Local Government

Question 1

What is Article 4 of the Constitution concerned with?

A) State boundaries
B) Prohibition
C) Slavery
D) Full faith and credit
E) Guaranteeing a republican form of government

Answer 1

A,D,E
Explanation: As a point of interest, the nation's capital, Washington DC, became a reality only because Virginia and Maryland voluntarily gave up some of their territory to form the district.

Question 2

What are "concurrent powers"?

A) Ones divided between the president and Congress
B) Ones shared by the House and Senate
C) Ones shared by the president and the Supreme Court
D) Ones shared by Congress and the Supreme Court
E) Ones shared by states and national authorities

Answer 2

E
Explanation: In such cases, the Constitution has not designated one level of government as primarily responsible.

Question 3

Which level of government has "reserved powers"?

A) state
B) county
C) township
D) city
E) federal

Answer 3

A
Explanation: All powers are reserved to the states unless delegated to the federal government.

Question 4

What issues were affected by Supreme Court decisions connected with the concept of "dual federalism"?

A) Regulation of child labor
B) Minimum wage regulation
C) Working hours
D) Safety conditions
E) Working conditions

Question 5

What happened to federal aid to state and local government in the 1980s?

A) It fell by 25 percent
B) It rose by 25 percent
C) It fell by 15 percent
D) It rose by 15 percent
E) It remained static

Question 6

In what year was federal aid for needy families devolved to the states?

A) 1990
B) 1994
C) 1996
D) 1980
E) 1963

Question 7

Why did the first Obama administration rescue leading financial institutions?

A) Because many government officials had stakes in them
B) To prevent decline into another Great Depression
C) Because he was afraid of offending leading bankers
D) Because Congress compelled him to do so
E) Because the Senate leaders instructed him to do so

Question 8

Why are state legislators' jobs not well sought after?

A) Low prestige
B) High travelling costs
C) Low salaries
D) Disruption to family life
E) Forced neglect of members' businesses

Question 9

What powers do state governors have which a president lacks?

A) Freedom to make appointments
B) Line-item veto powers
C) Power to appoint departmental heads
D) Power to dismiss the state legislature
E) Control over the state budget

Question 10

What are "propositions"?

A) House proposals
B) Senate proposals
C) Referenda
D) Presidential proposals
E) Legal restraints

Question 11

Which of the following terms describe units of local government?

A) Electoral districts
B) State regions
C) Counties
D) Parishes
E) Boroughs

Question 12

What differences exist between cities, towns, and villages?

A) Cities usually have large populations
B) None
C) Villages hold reserve powers
D) Towns are larger than cities
E) Villages are the prime units of local government

Question 13

What percentage of local government funding comes from the federal government?

A) 10 percent
B) 20 percent
C) 30 percent
D) 40 percent
E) 50 percent

Question 14

Which president was a self-declared "compassionate conservative"?

A) Barak Obama
B) Donald Trump
C) George Bush, Sr.
D) Bill Clinton
E) George W. Bush

Question 15

Compare and contrast the structure of state and federal governments.

Question 16

What are some arguments for and against the election of judges?

Question 17

What is federalism and how has American federalism changed over time? Compare and contrast Democrat and Republican approaches to Federalism.

Question 18

What are states' rights? What steps have Congress and the Supreme Court taken that arguably infringe upon states' rights?