Deck 19: State and Local Government

Question 1

In states with a strong moralistic political culture, voter turnout tends to be

A) very low.
B) low.
C) moderate.
D) high.
E) very high.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to those in a traditionalistic political culture, what is the purpose of government?

A) to leave decision making up to the individual
B) to serve the public good
C) to maintain the status quo
D) to become a socializing agent
E) to provide for those who can't provide for themselves

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What type of law requires national, state, and local governments to conduct policy-making meetings in public?

A) open access
B) open hearing
C) open meeting
D) open forum
E) open disclosure

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The dominant shared views among the people of a community regarding the role of government and who should participate in government are that community's

A) charter.
B) commission.
C) participation in intergovernmental relations.
D) political culture.
E) ballot initiatives.

Question 5

Which late-nineteenth-century political and social movement succeeded in persuading 24 states to adopt some form of direct democracy between 1898 and 1918?

A) the Populist movement
B) the Whig movement
C) the Know-Nothing movement
D) the Progressive movement
E) the "Bull Moose" movement

Question 6

The opportunity granted by state government for citizens to write, adopt, and amend local government charters at the city and county level is known as

A) Dillon's rule.
B) popular referendum.
C) a charter.
D) home rule.
E) a commission.

Question 7

Texas and Alaska raise so much money from taxes on the extraction of natural resources that they do not have to impose individual income taxes. This type of tax is known as a

A) severance tax.
B) consumptive tax.
C) business tax.
D) capital gains tax.
E) regressive tax.

Question 8

How many states constitutionally require balanced yearly budgets?

A) 39
B) 44
C) 46
D) 49
E) all 50 states

Question 9

State law frequently offers ________ fundamental rights than the U.S. Constitution and national law guarantee.

A) different
B) broader
C) equal levels of
D) narrower
E) much narrower

Question 10

What type of ballot measure allows voters to approve or reject a law that is proposed by state officials?

A) popular referendum
B) recall
C) legislative referral
D) initiative
E) legislative referendum

Question 11

All of the following are provisions found in both the U.S. Constitution and in state constitutions EXCEPT

A) an enumeration of fundamental rights.
B) allowances for direct democracy.
C) a division of powers among three branches of government.
D) an impeachment process.
E) a constitutional amendment process.

Question 12

Through which of the following procedures can citizens bypass their elected officials to create and approve laws?

A) popular referendum
B) recall
C) legislative referral
D) initiative
E) legislative referendum

Question 13

Which of the following demographic demands places the LEAST amount of stress on state and local governments?

A) amount of children
B) amount of population in poverty
C) amount of elderly
D) amount of those requiring ESL programming
E) amount of registered voters

Question 14

In 1898, which state was the first to adopt direct democracy procedures?

A) Massachusetts
B) Iowa
C) New Hampshire
D) Minnesota
E) South Dakota

Question 15

In 24 states, by collecting enough signatures in a petition drive, citizens can vote whether to repeal laws that their legislators have already passed. This is known as a(n)

A) popular referendum.
B) recall.
C) legislative referral.
D) initiative.
E) legislative referendum.

Question 16

Which of the following affects the financial resources of a government?

A) diversity of people
B) climate
C) natural resources
D) diversity of political cultures
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 17

In 2012, Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin faced a recall election. What happened?

A) He was the third governor in history to lose a recall election.
B) He became the first governor to survive a recall election.
C) He became the first governor in history to lose a recall election.
D) He resigned before facing a recall election.
E) Like Governor Gray Davis in California in 2003, he survived the recall election.

Question 18

Which of the following provisions is/are contained in the majority of state constitutions but NOT in the U.S. Constitution?

A) allowances for direct democracy
B) a balanced budget requirement
C) election conduct guidelines
D) provisions for local government creation
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 19

In which of the following offices is a recall action most likely to occur?

A) federal
B) state
C) municipal
D) executive
E) Recall actions are common in all of these elected offices.

Question 20

According to Dillon's rule, local governments

A) are independent entities unto themselves.
B) are arms of the national government.
C) derive powers from the will of the people.
D) can draft and approve their charters independently.
E) are creatures of the state that created them.

Question 21

Who is responsible for the implementation of public policy?

A) the executive branch
B) the legislative branch
C) the judicial branch
D) the state legislature
E) the United States Congress

Question 22

In 2010, which state received the largest percentage of federal aid to state and local governments?

A) New York
B) Montana
C) Florida
D) California
E) New Jersey

Question 23

In 2010, the largest percentage of federal grants to state and local governments was for the provision of which of the following services?

A) homeland security
B) Medicaid
C) transportation
D) education
E) community and regional development

Question 24

Besides raising revenue, which of the following is an additional goal of excise taxes?

A) to encourage shoppers to buy products in-state
B) to reduce the need to collect personal income taxes
C) to preserve a scarce product
D) to promote competition among industries
E) to decrease consumption of a product

Question 25

Which item competes with education as the most expensive in state budgets?

A) Medicare
B) Social Security
C) homeland security
D) Medicaid
E) public safety

Question 26

Which of the following provides the largest source of local government revenue?

A) fees and permits
B) licenses and charges
C) corporate taxes and charges
D) excise and severance taxes
E) property taxes

Question 27

In general, how long is the term of office for state senators?

A) two years
B) three years
C) four years
D) five years
E) six years

Question 28

Owing to inflation, operating costs of local government ________ every year.

A) double
B) rise
C) stay level
D) fall
E) fall dramatically

Question 29

Which of the following statements about state legislators is accurate?

A) There is less diversity of gender, ethnicity, and race among state legislators than among federal legislators.
B) There is no correlation between the racial and ethnic diversity of a state and the composition of its legislature.
C) All state legislatures have the same primary function.
D) The majority of state legislators serve on a full-time basis.
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 30

Which state has the largest number of public colleges and universities?

A) California
B) New York
C) Pennsylvania
D) New Jersey
E) Virginia

Question 31

Since 1960, which position has served as the primary training ground for presidents?

A) U.S. senator
B) U.S. congressman
C) vice president
D) state governor
E) state lieutenant governor

Question 32

Besides federal grants-in-aid, which of the following provide the largest source of state revenue?

A) sales taxes
B) fees and charges
C) licenses and permits
D) individual income taxes
E) corporate income taxes

Question 33

In all states but Nebraska the state legislature is

A) appointed by the governor.
B) elected every six years.
C) bicameral.
D) unicameral.
E) based on proportional representation.

Question 34

All of these are considered state operating budget expenses EXCEPT

A) building projects.
B) salaries and benefits.
C) utility bills.
D) office supplies.
E) rent.

Question 35

Which city was the first government in the United States to impose a tax on fossil fuel-generated electricity?

A) Austin, Texas
B) San Francisco, California
C) Seattle, Washington
D) Boulder, Colorado
E) Santa Fe, New Mexico

Question 36

Which of the following makes up the largest proportion of state and local budgets?

A) health and hospitals
B) government administration
C) public welfare
D) highways
E) education

Question 37

The day-to-day costs of government operations are covered by its

A) capital budget.
B) operating budget.
C) essential services.
D) local expenditures.
E) local revenue.

Question 38

All of the following are authorities explicitly granted to the states by the U.S. Constitution EXCEPT

A) conducting national elections.
B) conducting local elections.
C) determining the process of selecting electors for the Electoral College.
D) redrawing House districts after congressional reapportionment.
E) ratifying amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Question 39

Which of the following statements about the collection of sales taxes on Internet and online purchases is NOT correct?

A) States can only require companies that have a physical presence in a state to pay sales tax.
B) Federal requirements on state sales tax have caused many states to lose urgently needed tax revenue.
C) States are vigorously lobbying for changes to federal law so that they can collect taxes on Internet and online purchases.
D) If an Internet vendor is not required to collect sales tax on a purchase, the purchaser is exempt from paying any sales tax.
E) As the volume of Internet sales continues to increase, the amount of state sales tax revenue decreases.

Question 40

Which of the following tends to be the most criticized tax because it increases on an almost annual basis?

A) income tax
B) sales tax
C) property tax
D) business tax
E) excise tax

Question 41

In 2012, how many of the 50 state governors were women?

A) 3
B) 6
C) 8
D) 11
E) 14

Question 42

Most county and township governments are which form of general-purpose government?

A) strong mayor
B) council mayor
C) council-manager
D) commission
E) council of governments

Question 43

Identify and discuss key features of an individualistic political culture.

Question 44

The form of general-purpose government found in a majority of cities is comprised of an elected body with legislative and executive powers and a(n)

A) weak mayor.
B) strong mayor.
C) council-manager.
D) independent commission.
E) council of governments.

Question 45

What type of election is faced by judges who are selected thorough the merit selection process?

A) partisan
B) nonpartisan
C) primary
D) retention
E) They are appointed and do not participate in elections.

Question 46

Appellate courts do all of the following EXCEPT

A) review the legality of trial court decisions.
B) determine guilt in a criminal case.
C) ensure due process through review of lower court decisions.
D) determine whether lower court judges made the right decisions.
E) ensure the fairness of lower court procedures.

Question 47

Self-governing political jurisdictions that are created by states to provide goods and services to densely populated areas are known as

A) municipal governments.
B) general-purpose governments.
C) townships.
D) county governments.
E) commissions.

Question 48

What is a balanced operating budget, and what are some examples of typical expenses?

Question 49

Define and identify important features of a legislative referendum.

Question 50

All of the following are ways that general-purpose governments try to lighten their workload EXCEPT

A) by creating a single-purpose government.
B) by joining a Council of Governments.
C) by consolidating services.
D) through the establishment of collaborative relationships with other local governments.
E) by hiring a council-manager.

Question 51

Identify and discuss key features of a traditionalistic political culture.

Question 52

In states in which judgeships are granted through an electoral process, judges are usually selected through which type of election?

A) partisan
B) retention
C) merit selection
D) nonpartisan
E) primary

Question 53

Define a plural executive system, and explain its impact on gubernatorial authority.

Question 54

Most local school districts are what type of local government structure?

A) single-purpose government
B) commission-administrator government
C) council-mayor government
D) council-executive government
E) township government

Question 55

In a plural executive system, the authority among the elected officials is

A) weakened.
B) specific.
C) shared.
D) specialized.
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 56

In rural areas, public safety, road repairs, and library maintenance are most likely provided by what unit of government?

A) municipal government
B) county government
C) township
D) commission
E) council of governments

Question 57

Explain Dillon's rule, and discuss its key features.

Question 58

Unlike the president, state governors have which of the following tools to help them balance the state budget?

A) ability to draft an executive budget
B) authority to implement programs funded by the state budget
C) the line-item veto to eliminate funding lines in appropriation bills
D) the ability to authorize new taxes to raise revenue
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 59

Which of the following best describes the jurisdiction of state trial courts?

A) appellate
B) mandatory appellate
C) original
D) panel
E) bench

Question 60

What is direct democracy, and how is it used in state and local governments?

Question 61

Compare and contrast district and authority single-purpose governments.

Question 62

Outline and compare the three basic structures of general-purpose local governments.

Question 63

Explain the key features of municipal governments and townships.