Deck 5: Federalism

Question 1

Since the adoption of the Constitution, the most persistent source of political conflict has been between

A) the President and Congress.
B) the national and state governments.
C) the courts and Congress.
D) local and state governments.
E) the President and the courts.

Answer 1

the national and state governments.

Question 2

A government is not federal unless its state and local units

A) exist independently of the preferences of the national government and make some decisions on their own.
B) have the power to void national laws not in their best interest.
C) are under the direct control of the national government on all matters of policy.
D) obtain approval from the national government for all their policy decisions before implementing them.
E) are governed by appointed officials.

Answer 2

exist independently of the preferences of the national government and make some decisions on their own.

Question 3

Congress has played a major part in preserving federalism by

A) gradually expanding the power of the states beyond what the Constitution allows.
B) placing the national military under the control of state governors when federal troops are located in their states.
C) authorizing the U.S. Treasury to insure any debts acquired by state governments.
D) remaining responsive to local constituencies through the election process.
E) decreasing the size of the federal bureaucracy.

Answer 3

remaining responsive to local constituencies through the election process.

Question 4

Although the central government has acquired more power over the years, the states have managed to maintain a large role in governing through

A) taxing the income of federal employees at a much higher rate.
B) refusing to enforce objectionable federal laws.
C) administering federal programs.
D) refusing to raise the salaries of members of Congress unless certain laws are repealed.
E) selective enforcement of criminal law.

Question 5

Some critics have attacked federalism for

A) making the states largely irrelevant to the governing process.
B) moving the U.S. government in the direction of socialism.
C) preventing progress and protecting powerful local interests.
D) undermining democratic government.
E) discouraging political participation.

Question 6

The existence of independent state and local governments has resulted in

A) different political groups pursuing different political purposes and coming to power in different places.
B) few innovative policies being generated outside Washington, D.C.
C) the decay of moral values in society.
D) the creation of a powerful business elite that controls most decisions today.
E) a uniformity in the enforcement of federal criminal law.

Question 7

There are over __________ elected officials in this county.

A) 10,000
B) 80,000
C) 100,000
D) 200,000
E) 500,000

Question 8

The alliance among the states that existed from 1776 to 1787 was a

A) unitary system.
B) federal system.
C) confederation.
D) binary system.
E) plutocracy.

Question 9

The authority left to the states under the Tenth Amendment amounts to

A) control over everything except the military and foreign affairs.
B) all powers that are necessary and proper.
C) all powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution or prohibited by it to the states.
D) only the powers specifically granted to them by Congress in legislation.
E) control over taxation.

Question 10

Hamilton's view of the new government generally was rejected by

A) Thomas Jefferson.
B) George Washington.
C) John Marshall.
D) John Adams.
E) Benjamin Franklin.

Question 11

James Madison's view of federalism is notable because

A) he was the most ardent champion of states' rights.
B) he was the most ardent supporter of a strong national government.
C) he first supported states' rights and then a strong national government.
D) he first favored a strong national government and then states' rights.
E) he was neutral on the topic.

Question 12

In his interpretation of national and state powers, John Marshall was most akin to

A) Thomas Jefferson.
B) Alexander Hamilton.
C) Patrick Henry.
D) Richard Henry Lee.
E) Andrew Jackson.

Question 13

The Supreme Court case that established national supremacy was

A) McCulloch v. Maryland.
B) Marbury v. Madison.
C) United States v. Virginia.
D) Brown v. Maryland.
E) Hubbard v. Morse.

Question 14

The Supreme Court, in McCulloch v. Maryland, decided in 1819 that

A) states could not legally secede from the Union.
B) Congress had only the powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution.
C) Congress could not make a law in the same area where a state law already existed.
D) Congress could exercise certain powers, even though they were not specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
E) the judicial branch had the power of judicial review.

Question 15

The decision in McCulloch v. Maryland rested largely on the premise that the government

A) was established by the states.
B) was established by the people.
C) was created when the Declaration of Independence was signed.
D) was effectively in operation when the Constitution was signed.
E) was illegal.

Question 16

The Civil War led to expansion of the power of the

A) state legislatures.
B) national government.
C) local governments.
D) governors.
E) judiciary.

Question 17

Nullification first appeared in the discourse of American politics when a federal law attempted to regulate

A) commerce.
B) religion.
C) slavery.
D) speech.
E) trade.

Question 18

The doctrine of dual federalism grew out of a debate on the subject of

A) commerce.
B) banking.
C) manufacturing.
D) welfare.
E) slavery.

Question 19

The text suggests that the doctrine of dual federalism is

A) more important than ever.
B) almost extinct.
C) the deciding factor in commerce cases.
D) a factor in the southeastern United States.
E) supported by eight of the nine current justices on the Court.

Question 20

In 1995 the Court appeared to reverse field, limiting the power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce in a case involving a ban on

A) contraceptives.
B) particular medicinal products.
C) specific brands of gasoline.
D) handguns.
E) loudspeakers.

Question 21

The people have made it clear that police and schools should be

A) under local control.
B) under state control.
C) under federal control.
D) privatized.
E) a joint venture between public and private ownership.

Question 22

The first federal grants to the states began

A) in the early 1930s.
B) in the late 1800s.
C) before the Constitution was adopted.
D) in the early 1800s.
E) in the mid 1800s.

Question 23

Under the grants-in-aid system,

A) states would run the programs and the national government would pay the bills.
B) the national government would run the programs and the states would pay the bills.
C) states and the national government would run programs jointly.
D) states and the national government would both provide money for programs.
E) states and the national government would prioritize local needs.

Question 24

The purpose of the intergovernmental lobby is to

A) get more federal money for states and localities with fewer strings attached.
B) pressure Congress to end grant programs and shift the money to private industry.
C) enable city governments to bypass state rules in the quest for federal money.
D) help Congress to oversee how state governments spend federal money.
E) enhance communication between state and federal bureaucracies.

Question 25

A federal grant designed for a specific purpose defined by a federal law is called a

A) categorical grant.
B) land grant.
C) block grant.
D) revenue-sharing grant.
E) matching-card grant.

Question 26

The federal government shifted toward block grants because local governments complained that

A) too little federal money was available to them.
B) the purpose of most grants was too narrow to adapt to local needs.
C) the president interfered too frequently in local matters.
D) they had to spend the federal money too quickly without adequate preparation.
E) the money was rarely provided in a timely fashion.

Question 27

If you were a governor or mayor, you most likely would favor

A) block grants.
B) general matching grants.
C) categorical grants.
D) community-development block grants.
E) matching-card grants.

Question 28

Federal laws requiring states and cities to take certain actions whether or not they receive federal aid are called

A) conditions of aid.
B) intergovernmental grants.
C) categorical actions.
D) mandates.
E) federal activism.

Question 29

Members of Congress can raise a procedural point of order if an unfunded mandate

A) is not supported by one-half the House of Representatives.
B) is criticized by the president.
C) is reviewed by a congressional committee.
D) is not formally announced by the CBO.
E) would cost states and cities more than $50 million.

Question 30

In recent years, most mandates have concerned

A) civil rights and environmental protection.
B) highways and transportation.
C) education.
D) social welfare.
E) healthcare.

Question 31

The text suggests that the relationship between federal funds and the growth rate of regions is

A) unclear.
B) slight.
C) considerable.
D) negative.
E) constantly in flux.

Question 32

Distributional formulas have created

A) rivalry among the states.
B) a fair way to allocate federal funds to the states.
C) a way for Congress to get a return on its money from the states.
D) a vast pool of unused money by the states.
E) proportionate funding.

Question 33

Beginning in the ____, changes in American politics shifted politicians' orientation toward favoring Washington's needs over local needs.

A) 2000s
B) 1960s
C) 1930s
D) 1980s
E) 1950s

Question 34

After the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act passed in 2010, a group of state attorneys general filed legal challenges. They claimed the new law is unconstitutional because it

A) requires people to purchase a particular product.
B) requires people to use government-sponsored doctors.
C) creates a national healthcare system.
D) gives more power to the national government.
E) gives unfunded mandates to states.

Question 35

When Richard Nixon suggested that many federal grants be given to the states with no strings attached, many state officials objected because

A) the grants were not large enough to begin with.
B) the strings increased their local power.
C) the strings were unrelated to the interests of their region.
D) the northeastern states dominated the allocation process.
E) there were no methods of assessment for the distributional formulas.

Question 36

The relationship between the national and state governments has been the single most persistent source of political conflict in American politics.

Question 37

A political system can be classified as federalism even when the local units are not independent of the federal government.

Question 38

Progress can be easily impeded under a federal system.

Question 39

Today, many states are pioneering new policies in welfare reform, school improvement, and environmental regulation.

Question 40

The Framers were clear about how the federal system was supposed to work.

Question 41

The Constitution clearly allocated power to the national and state governments.

Question 42

Elastic language refers to constitutional clauses that clearly specify the powers of the government.

Question 43

McCulloch v. Maryland interpreted the necessary and proper clause to limit the power of the national government.

Question 44

The Civil War led to enlargement of the powers of the national government.

Question 45

John C. Calhoun was the first to develop the theory of nullification.

Question 46

The Court has recently struck down a law that attempted to ban handguns on the basis of regulation of interstate commerce.

Question 47

The Court has recently allowed the victims of rape or domestic violence to sue their abusers in federal court.

Question 48

Even though the people have made it clear that they want local control over the police and schools, federal regulations have reduced local control of these services.

Question 49

Federal grants to the states began in the early 1900s.

Question 50

Congress began slowing the number of grant-in-aid programs during the 1960s owing to the cost of the Vietnam War.

Question 51

Under the grants-in-aid system, governors could reap the political benefits of new programs in their states while denouncing the wasteful federal government.

Question 52

Until the 1960s, most federal grants-in-aid were designed to serve federal purposes.

Question 53

Matching requirements are most common with categorical grants.

Question 54

In theory, block grants were supposed to give the sates and cities considerable freedom in deciding how to spend money.

Question 55

Most state and local officials welcomed the 1973 federal law that forbade discrimination against disabled people in any program receiving federal aid.

Question 56

President Clinton signed the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

Question 57

Unfunded mandates have been significantly curtailed through use of the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act of 1995.

Question 58

The allocation of block grants can depend on such things as personal income in an area and housing quality.

Question 59

It is not uncommon for the director of the Census to be roundly denounced by big-city mayors.

Question 60

Even the presidents who have said that they believe in state authority have done little to improve it.

Question 61

The states funded most of the interstate highway program.

Question 62

President Clinton signed into law the Real ID Act, in effect creating a national identity card.

Question 63

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act represented a significant reversal in federal policy.

Question 64

Discuss the views of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson as they relate to federalism.

Question 65

Identify some specific cases where the Court has recently asserted limits to the congressional exercise of the commerce power.

Question 66

Explain the difference between categorical and block grants, and describe the view that state officials have of such aid.