Deck 19: State and Local Government

Question 1

How many states constitutionally require balanced yearly budgets?

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

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

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.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

What was the average cost to educate a student in public elementary and secondary schools in 2011?

A) $3,420
B) $5,260
C) $8,110
D) $10,560
E) $14,970

Question 5

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 6

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

Question 7

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 programs
E) amount of registered voters

Question 8

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

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

Question 9

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 10

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 11

Currently, high school graduation rates are about

A) 50%.
B) 60%.
C) 70%.
D) 80%.
E) 90%.

Question 12

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 13

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

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

Question 14

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 15

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 16

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

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

Question 17

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 18

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 19

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 20

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

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

Question 21

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 22

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 23

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 24

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 25

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 propose new taxes to raise revenue
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 26

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

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

Question 27

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

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

Question 28

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 29

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 30

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 31

Who was the first president to have previously been a state governor?

A) George Washington
B) John Adams
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) James Monroe
E) Andrew Jackson

Question 32

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 33

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 34

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 35

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 36

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 37

Of the following presidents, which one has NOT been a governor?

A) Ronald Reagan
B) George W. Bush
C) Bill Clinton
D) Jimmy Carter
E) Barack Obama

Question 38

Since 1960, which of the following prior positions has been the second-most common for presidents?

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

Question 39

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

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

Question 40

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 41

In most states, if a governor is unable to complete his or her term in office, this person takes over as governor:

A) secretary of state.
B) lieutenant governor.
C) treasurer.
D) attorney general.
E) auditor.

Question 42

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) special-purpose governments.
C) townships.
D) county governments.
E) commissions.

Question 43

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

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

Question 44

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 45

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

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

Question 46

Which state has the MOST school districts?

A) New York
B) Florida
C) California
D) Texas
E) Pennsylvania

Question 47

In which type of state court is there the greatest probability of a jury trial?

A) minor trial court
B) major trial court
C) intermediate appeals court
D) court of last resort
E) None of these courts use jury trials.

Question 48

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

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

Question 49

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 50

Which region of the country overall provides for the GREATEST use of direct democracy?

A) West
B) Midwest
C) South
D) Mid-Atlantic
E) Northeast

Question 51

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 52

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 53

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

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

Question 54

In 2014, how many of the 50 state governors were women?

A) 1
B) 5
C) 14
D) 19
E) 27

Question 55

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 56

Which late-nineteenth-century political and social movement succeeded in persuading 25 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 57

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 58

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

A) by creating a special-purpose governments.
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 59

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 60

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) He was impeached and removed from office before the election.

Question 61

Define and identify important features of a legislative referendum.

Question 62

Explain Dillon's rule and discuss its key features.

Question 63

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

Question 64

Explain the key features of municipal governments and townships.

Question 65

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

Question 66

Compare and contrast district and authority special-purpose governments.

Question 67

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

Question 68

Identify and discuss key features of a traditionalistic political culture.

Question 69

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

Question 70

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 71

Identify and discuss key features of an individualistic political culture.