Deck 3: Federalism

Question 1

Powers held jointly by the national and state governments are called

A) cooperative powers.
B) statutory powers.
C) reserved powers.
D) concurrent powers.
E) inherent powers.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In a unitary system of government, ultimate government authority is located

A) at the state or provincial level.
B) at the local or municipal level.
C) at the regional level.
D) at the national or central level.
E) Options A and B are true.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

All are true of concurrent powers except

A) concurrent powers are generally not listed specifically in the Constitution.
B) concurrent powers are expressly written in the Constitution.
C) concurrent powers include the power to borrow funds, pass laws, and levy taxes.
D) concurrent powers of states are generally limited to state borders.
E) concurrent powers include the power to establish courts and charter banks.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a defense of federalism?

A) Political experimentation at the state level can be used to see if policies are workable.
B) The government is in closer contact with the people because of the role given to state governments.
C) It allows for differences among the regions of the country.
D) The national government has all the power so states play a small role.
E) It is a better system for the United States than a unitary system because of the size of the United States

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT true about the European Union (EU)?

A) The EU is a confederation of twenty-seven countries.
B) The EU is a federation of twenty-seven countries.
C) Seventeen of the EU countries have adopted a common currency-the euro.
D) EU countries like Greece, Portugal, and Ireland have had financial difficulties of late.
E) The European Central Bank is prohibited from bailing out member countries in difficulty.

Question 6

All of the following are true except

A) in unitary systems, the power is held by the central government.
B) in confederal systems, the power is held by the subdivisional units or states.
C) in federal systems, the power is held jointly by the national government and the subdivisional units or states.
D) in federal systems the power is held by the national government.
E) Options A, B, and C are true.

Question 7

Which government system is used most in the world today?

A) Unitary system
B) Confederate system
C) Federal system
D) Bicameral system
E) None of the above is true.

Question 8

The expressed or enumerated powers include the ability of the federal government to

A) coin money, set standards for weights and measures, and determine rules for citizenship.
B) declare war and establish post offices.
C) increase the number of federal courts.
D) set up the national central banking system.
E) Options A and B are true.

Question 9

Constitutional powers can be classified as

A) powers of the national government.
B) powers of the states.
C) prohibited powers.
D) Options A, B, and C are true.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 10

The Defense of Marriage Act

A) was passed by Congress in anticipation of states legalizing same-sex marriage.
B) allows states to ignore same-sex marriages performed in other states.
C) directs federal agencies not to recognize same-sex marriages, even if some states do.
D) was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
E) Options A, B, and C are true.

Question 11

The Greek financial crisis has its roots in

A) overspending by previous Greek government officials.
B) excessive borrowing by previous Greek government officials.
C) the inability of Greece to devalue its currency.
D) the inability of Greece to be able to borrow from the European Central bank.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 12

The clause in the Constitution that grants Congress the power to do whatever is necessary to execute its enumerated or expressed powers is called

A) the elastic or necessary and proper clause.
B) the supremacy clause.
C) the concurrent clause.
D) the reserved powers clause.
E) due process clause.

Question 13

The police power is

A) the authority to legislate for the health, welfare, safety, and morals of the people.
B) reserved for the federal government to fight terrorism.
C) delegated to the states to make laws not prohibited by the national or state constitutions.
D) the power of local police to stop drivers suspected of being illegal immigrants.
E) Options A and C are true.

Question 14

In a federal political system, authority is

A) always vested in a bicameral legislature.
B) divided between the central government and regional or sub-divisional governments.
C) bestowed upon the central government, with no power being granted to the regional governments.
D) concentrated in a unicameral legislature within a strong central government.
E) exercised by the national government only insofar as these powers are granted by the states.

Question 15

Which two sets of powers do state governments have?

A) Enumerated and expressed powers
B) Reserved and concurrent powers
C) Direct and inherent powers
D) Expressed and implied
E) None of the above is true.

Question 16

All of the following are true except

A) several states including Massachusetts, Iowa, and New Hampshire have legalized same-sex marriage.
B) several states including California, Pennsylvania, and Maine have legalized same-sex marriage.
C) public opinion polls suggest that Americans who accept same-sex marriages now outnumber those who do not.
D) the national government has traditionally left marriage laws to the states.
E) states who refuse to recognize same-sex marriages are open to legal challenges in the courts due to the fact that some state recognize the unions.

Question 17

Inherent powers derive from the fact that the United States is

A) a democratic republic.
B) a confederation formed by state governments.
C) a sovereign power among nations.
D) a federal system.
E) explicitly entitled by the Constitution to annex new territory.

Question 18

All of the following are true of a confederation or confederate political system, except

A) a confederation is a league of independent states.
B) in a confederation, a central government handles only matters delegated to it by the member states.
C) the United States was a confederation.
D) a confederation gives most of the power to the member states.
E) a confederate system is the same thing as a federal system.

Question 19

States may not

A) license marriages.
B) pass laws regulating contracts.
C) make laws on divorce.
D) make treaties with foreign nations.
E) impose taxes on income.

Question 20

The necessary and proper clause of the Constitution was first used by the Supreme Court in what case to develop the concept of implied powers?

A) Marbury v. Madison
B) McCulloch v. Maryland
C) Madison v. Jefferson
D) Gibbons v. Ogden
E) California v. Miller.

Question 21

All of the following are true about the case of McCulloch v. Maryland except that

A) the case dealt with the issue of implied powers of the federal government.
B) one issue was whether the federal government could create a national bank.
C) the decision allowed the federal government to grow and expand.
D) the decision upheld the right of the federal government to use the necessary and proper clause.
E) the Supreme Court ruled the national government could only use its express powers.

Question 22

In the early years of the nation's history, most of the disputes over the boundaries of national versus state power involved

A) different interpretations of the inherent powers of the national government.
B) the role of the national government in mediating disputes between the states.
C) the ability of the states to enter into international treaties.
D) the enforcement of the Bill of Rights.
E) the necessary and proper clause and the powers of the national government to regulate interstate commerce.

Question 23

The section of the Constitution in which Congress is given the authority to regulate trade among the states and with foreign countries is called the

A) oversight clause.
B) commerce clause.
C) supremacy clause.
D) necessary and proper clause.
E) interstate compact clause.

Question 24

An agreement between two or more states is

A) shared governance.
B) an interstate compact.
C) an intrastate treaty.
D) a cooperative agreement.
E) unconstitutional.

Question 25

The national government cannot create a national divorce law system because

A) certain powers are reserved for the states.
B) the Constitution prohibits a number of powers to the national government.
C) regulation of marriage is explicitly reserved for state government in the Constitution.
D) Options A and B are true.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 26

The Civil War amendments

A) abolished slavery.
B) sought to guarantee equal rights under state laws.
C) gave the right to vote to African Americans.
D) defined who was a citizen of the United States.
E) All the above are true.

Question 27

State cannot use their reserved or concurrent powers to thwart national policies due to the

A) Bill of Rights.
B) supremacy clause.
C) necessary and proper clause.
D) elastic clause.
E) unitary system of government.

Question 28

In their dealings with each other, each state is required to do all of the following except

A) give full faith and credit to other states' official acts.
B) extend to citizens of other states the privileges and immunities of its own citizens.
C) return persons fleeing from justice back to the state that requests them.
D) Options A and C are true.
E) refrain from making agreements that do not include all fifty states.

Question 29

Outcomes of the Civil War included

A) a dramatic increase in the federal budget.
B) the implementation of the first income tax on citizens.
C) the end of slavery.
D) new amendments to the Constitution that allowed African American males the right to vote.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 30

All of the following are true of the New Deal except that

A) new federal laws regulating economic activity were introduced.
B) new federal laws were struck down by the Supreme Court because they regulated intrastate commerce, not interstate commerce.
C) the Supreme Court's actions caused Roosevelt to propose legislation that would allow him to choose more justices for the Court.
D) almost one-half of the labor force was unemployed.
E) the commerce clause became an important tool for justifying the economic regulation of the country.

Question 31

As a result of the Civil War crisis, the Supreme Court

A) was drastically reduced in influence.
B) voted exclusively against the Civil War.
C) gained additional power, along with the state governments.
D) ruled that the initial plan of Congress to reconstruct the South was unconstitutional.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 32

The controversy that led to the Civil War was

A) the dispute over states' rights and national supremacy.
B) interstate commerce.
C) the application of the Bill of Rights to the states.
D) taxation.
E) the admission of Texas into the union.

Question 33

After early rulings by the Supreme Court increased the power of the national government, states sought a shift back to states' rights due to

A) increasing divisions between the North and the South over the slavery issue.
B) conflict over Congressional passage of a tariff on trade in 1828.
C) concern over expanding power by the federal government in the regulation of commerce.
D) conflict over the role of the national government and that of the states.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 34

Examples of vertical checks and balances include

A) the reserved powers of the states.
B) administration of many national programs and policies by the states.
C) the requirement that Constitutional amendments be ratified by the states.
D) the power of the national government to shape state policies by federal grant program requirements.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 35

The doctrine of dual federalism meant

A) an increase in the powers of the national government.
B) that the states and the federal government should each exercise authority as co-equal sovereign powers.
C) continued wartime expansion of the North's powers.
D) allowing the national government to regulate state actions affecting African Americans.
E) allowing the state and national governments to interfere in each other's areas of influence.

Question 36

In the case of Gibbons v. Ogden

A) the national government lost the power to regulate intrastate commerce.
B) state governments won the right to control navigation in interstate waters.
C) the power to regulate interstate commerce was determined to be an exclusive national power of the federal government.
D) the ruling provided the national government with decreasing power over economic affairs throughout the land.
E) the Supreme Court found that commerce was defined as the exchange of goods and not navigation or transport of people.

Question 37

The Supreme Court ceased to interfere with national legislation on the economy after

A) Congress impeached the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
B) Roosevelt removed six justices from the Court.
C) Congress voted to expand the Court to twelve justices.
D) Roosevelt named six new justices to the Court.
E) Roosevelt tried but failed to expand the Court by adding six new justices.

Question 38

After the Civil War, the Supreme Court

A) limited the police power to the national government.
B) declared a ban on child labor as unconstitutional.
C) allowed Congress great latitude in regulating commerce.
D) supported a strong central government and reduced state power.
E) tended to oppose dual federalism and supported single federalism.

Question 39

When Congress passed a tariff in 1828, South Carolina tried to nullify it to

A) assert the power of the state governments over the national government.
B) indicate that a state should have the ultimate authority over its citizens.
C) protect slavery.
D) to increase the price of exported and imported goods.
E) Options A and B are true.

Question 40

States may enter into agreements called interstate compacts

A) with congressional approval on major matters.
B) without congressional approval on minor matters.
C) to settle matters in chronic dispute between two or more states.
D) to manage water resources that cross state lines.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 41

Federal mandates are

A) rules for operation in the Supreme Court.
B) requirements attached to state laws to dispense state grants.
C) requirements in federal legislation that force states to comply with federal rules.
D) always accompanied by ample federal funding to cover costs of the mandate.
E) are unconstitutional.

Question 42

Categorical grants are

A) federal grants to states or local governments for specific programs.
B) emergency grants to states for unforeseen circumstances.
C) a very recent form of national government support to school districts.
D) unconstitutional because of separation of powers.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 43

In United States v. Lopez (1995), the Supreme Court

A) held that Congress exceeded its constitutional authority.
B) said that Congress, in passing the Gun-Free School Zones Act, attempted to regulate an area that had nothing to do with commerce.
C) placed a limit on national government authority under the commerce clause.
D) All of the above are true.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 44

All are true of federal grants except that they

A) increased significantly during the twentieth century.
B) have been used for education, pollution, and highway construction.
C) have quadrupled in the amount of dollars given by the national government.
D) are given by the states for national projects.
E) have given the national government a much greater role in state government.

Question 45

Formula grants

A) are a form of categorical grant.
B) dispense funds based on variables such as state population and need.
C) were more common than program grants before the 1960s.
D) are unconstitutional.
E) Options A, B, and C are true.

Question 46

Since the mid-1990s, the Supreme Court's decisions on federalism have

A) continued the precedents established by John Marshall in McCulloch v. Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden.
B) provided a broad interpretation of the commerce clause that justifies extensive national involvement in many areas.
C) allowed the federal government to involve itself in areas that are primarily local in character.
D) shown a willingness to allow the federal government to extend its power when it deals with sensitive areas such as gun control and violence against women.
E) been establishing limits on the powers of the national government under the commerce clause.

Question 47

A federal grant that funds a general functional area with fewer restrictions on the states is a

A) matching grant.
B) program grant.
C) federal mandate.
D) block grant.
E) waiver.

Question 48

The United States Supreme Court

A) has the final say on constitutional issues.
B) plays a significant role in determining the line between federal and state powers.
C) has given increased emphasis to state powers under the Tenth Amendment.
D) All of the above are true.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 49

Strings attached to federal grants

A) are called federal mandates.
B) are designed to force states to comply with federal policies.
C) are designed to force states to save money.
D) are called federal rules.
E) Options A and B are true.

Question 50

Since the Great Depression

A) local government spending is greater than central government spending in total dollars.
B) central government spending is greater than local government spending in total dollars.
C) government spending has decreased in both the local and central government sectors.
D) spending has increased faster as a percentage of all government spending at the local level than at the national level.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 51

The federal government supplies

A) an increasing share of state and local government revenues.
B) a decreasing share of the state and local government revenue.
C) revenue to state governments in the form of block and categorical grants.
D) revenue to state governments in the form of federal mandates.
E) Options A and C are true.

Question 52

In regard to federalism,

A) conflicts between states and the federal government have largely subsided.
B) expansion of national authority has typically been an engine of social change.
C) often states' rights are not used to support the status quo.
D) All of the above are true.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 53

In recent years states have faced budget difficulties due to

A) a reduction in state aid from the federal government.
B) a reduction in tax revenue due to the Great Recession.
C) a reduction in property tax revenue due to decreased housing values.
D) an increase in demands for services due to high unemployment.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 54

National authority has traditionally been preferred by

A) liberals.
B) conservatives.
C) libertarians.
D) those who are culturally conservative but economically liberal.
E) the southern states.

Question 55

A federal grant for a specific project or program is called a

A) project grant.
B) block grant.
C) community action grant.
D) basic grant.
E) categorical grant.

Question 56

There are three different models for organizing relations between a central government and local or subdivisional governments. Define all three models and list advantages of each model.

Question 57

Competitive federalism can cause

A) states to compete for business investment.
B) financial pressures as states try respond to demands for services.
C) state revenue shortfalls for essential programs like pension funds.
D) states to cooperate for business investment.
E) Options A, B, and C are true.

Question 58

In recent years, the Supreme Court

A) has given greater weigh to states' rights.
B) struck down the Gun-Free School Zones Act because Congress exceeded its Constitutional authority in relation to the commerce clause.
C) bolstered state government positions in cases where former state employees had filed suit.
D) invalidated provisions of federal law that required state employees to do background checks on prospective handgun purchasers.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 59

In the years after 1968, there was a transfer of power from the national government to the state governments. This transfer of power is called

A) cooperative federalism.
B) revolution.
C) regression.
D) devolution.
E) dual federalism.

Question 60

__________ have traditionally favored state government over federal government.

A) Liberals
B) Conservatives
C) Socialists
D) Southern states
E) Individuals who are culturally conservative but economically liberal

Question 61

Provide examples of vertical checks and balances between federal and state government.

Question 62

Give examples of powers reserved for state governments and provide the Constitutional source of that power.

Question 63

From 1801-1835, the Supreme Court was headed by Chief Justice John Marshall, a Federalist, who advocated a strong central government. Using cases heard by the Supreme Court during that period, show how John Marshall's political belief affected the relationship between states and the federal government.

Question 64

Compare and contrast categorical and block grants. How do federal mandates have an impact on the states when getting grant money and different types of federal grants?

Question 65

Explain how the federal government has gained power at the expense of state governments at different points in American history. Describe the essential elements in some court cases where the states have regained power from the federal government.

Question 66

Explain why liberals have traditionally endorsed national authority.

Question 67

Explain the concept of concurrent powers and provide examples.

Question 68

Provide arguments for and against a federal form of government.

Question 69

Describe the Constitutional issues surrounding the debate on same-sex marriage.