Deck 3: The Federal System

Question 1

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 1

D

Question 2

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.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

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

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which one of the following best explains the role of the delegated taxing authority of Congress?

A)It is approved by the Supreme Court.
B)It is used to obtain revenue and regulate certain behaviors.
C)It is used only to regulate behavior.
D)It has rarely been used to regulate behavior.
E)Congress believes the power to tax is for raising revenue only.

Question 5

The Supreme Court has determined that charging out-of-state students who attend a state college or university higher tuition than in-state students does not violate the Constitution's

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 6

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 7

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 interpretation for Congress.
D)limited Congress in the application of implied powers.
E)limited the ability of states to enter into treaties with foreign nations.

Question 8

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 independently of the national government.
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 remaining powers for a strong executive branch of government.

Question 9

The Constitution gives two basic powers to the national government: implied and delegated.Delegated powers are:

A)expressly stated or enumerated in the Constitution.
B)not written but developed over time.
C)not written but developed over time as a means of carrying out expressed power.
D)stated by the president.
E)not subject to interpretation by the Supreme Court.

Question 10

Which one of the following is true of federalism?

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 are completely absent of power.

Question 11

Which clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment have become especially important sources of restrictions on the states during the past half century?

A)due process and protection of quality of life clauses
B)equal protection and necessary and proper clauses
C)due process and equal protection clauses
D)interstate rendition and equal protection clauses
E)necessary and proper and full faith and credit clauses

Question 12

In a unitary government, the central government

A)has ultimate legal authority over citizens.
B)delegates its power to unified local governments.
C)is subject to reclamation of local governments.
D)is subject to a veto power from local governments.
E)can reclaim the powers granted to the local governments only if the local governments consent.

Question 13

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.

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 10th Amendment.
E)the power to regulate interstate commerce.

Question 15

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 decision.
E)subject to veto or approval from the national government.

Question 16

In the case of Gonzalez v.Raich, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal ban on marijuana was constitutional.What was Justice Stevens's main reason for the Court's decision?

A)Marijuana is harmful to minors.
B)Marijuana belongs in a special class of activities that Congress can regulate based on interstate commerce powers.
C)Federalism doesn't apply to drug cases.
D)States cannot regulate drugs.
E)The government has no interest in regulating illegal narcotics.

Question 17

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 18

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 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 federal system of government gives the:

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

Question 21

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

A)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 for only for specific purposes; block grants can be used for broad, general purposes.

Question 22

Following the theory of New Federalism, President Reagan

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

Question 23

Which one of the following statements regarding a block grant is TRUE?

A)It is the same as a grant-in-aid.
B)It goes only to municipalities.
C)It is given for a specific purpose that leaves little discretionary authority over the expenditure of funds.
D)Block grant spending has become a decreasing part of federal aid.
E)The national government no longer gives block grants to the states.

Question 24

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

Question 25

In Granholm v.Heald, the U.S.Supreme Court ruled that

A)the commerce clause prohibits states from enacting laws intended to prohibit the sale of wine across state lines.
B)states could not legalize the use of medicinal marijuana in contradiction of federal law.
C)the federal government lacked the authority to regulate firearms under the interstate commerce clause.
D)the federal government had the authority to restrict the sale of tobacco to minors.
E)the national government lacked the constitutional authority to construct a bank.

Question 26

Local government revenue is primarily collected from

A)corporate tax.
B)real property tax.
C)personal income tax.
D)excise taxes.
E)sales taxes.

Question 27

The Supreme Court refuses to get involved in issues involving the guarantee clause because 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 28

National supremacy refers to

A)the national government's ability to tax.
B)state governments' ability to subjugate the national government when policies conflict with the Constitution, constitutional acts of Congress, or national treaties.
C)states not passing laws or establishing policies that conflict with the Constitution, constitutional Acts of Congress, or national treaties.
D)the national government's role in exercising Constitutional mandates concerning state governments' responsibilities for citizens' health, welfare, safety.
E)the United States' status as a global military and economic superpower.

Question 29

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

Question 30

In 1938, the Roosevelt administration passed legislation that imposed federal regulation in all but

A)labor management relations.
B)stock and commodity relations.
C)women's equality in the work force.
D)child labor regulation.
E)minimum wage regulations.

Question 31

The Supreme Court's future decisions in the area of federalism are likely to depend mostly upon:

A)the kinds of individuals who are appointed to the Court.
B)the amount of money Congress appropriates to the Court in its budget.
C)whether the commerce clause remains in the Constitution.
D)the preferences of voters in national elections.
E)whether the nation reverts to a unitary or confederacy system.

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

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 14th Amendment.

Question 34

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 35

In the 1985 case of Garcia v.San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Supreme Court gave its approval to what model of the federal system?

A)new federalism
B)competitive
C)cooperative
D)centralized
E)New Deal

Question 36

Which one of the following is true of the U.S.Supreme Court's decision in the case 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 37

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

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 enhance control of state and local policy by the national government
E)dissatisfaction with state and local government actions

Question 39

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 40

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

Question 41

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

Question 42

The U.S.government never suspended the writ of habeas corpus.

Question 43

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

Question 44

An interstate compact is usually negotiated by the states' Supreme Courts.

Question 45

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

Question 46

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

Question 47

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

Question 48

In the case of a dispute between two or more states the Supreme Court has original
jurisdiction.

Question 49

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

Question 50

Discuss limitations on both the national government and on the states' government in terms of the pros and cons of the federal system.

Question 51

Explain the ways in which the Supreme Court can influence the balance of power between the national government and the states in the federal system.

Question 52

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

Question 53

Many of the Supreme Court's recent decisions in the area of federalism have been decided by 9-0 votes.

Question 54

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

Question 55

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

Question 56

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

Question 57

Which specific events and Supreme Court decisions have been most important in the development of the federal system? Explain.

Question 58

The federal government does not have the right to intervene in a state with regard to a case of domestic violence, such as rioting.

Question 59

Describe the division of powers established between the national and state governments under American federalism.In what ways is this division reflective of the concerns of the framers?

Question 60

If one state enacts legislation that allows same-sex marriages, a different state can enact legislation refusing to acknowledge same-sex marriages.

Question 61

In what ways do you foresee the balance of power between the national government and the states changing in the future? What factors are likely to influence the balance of power?