Question 1

The difference between a federal system and a confederacy is that

Accepted Answer

A federal system shares power between a central government and its constituent regions, while a confederacy typically features a weaker central authority with stronger regional governments.

Question 2

The Marshall Court's ruling in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)involved

Accepted Answer

The Marshall Court's ruling in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) involved interstate commerce, establishing that the federal government has the power to regulate interstate commerce under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.

Question 3

The Framers of the Constitution held to the belief of English political philosopher Thomas Hobbes that

Accepted Answer

Thomas Hobbes believed that human beings are naturally selfish and prone to conflict, which is why he advocated for a strong central authority to maintain peace and order.

Question 4

Dual federalism is a term used to describe a circumstance in which

Accepted Answer

Dual federalism, often described as "layer cake" federalism, posits that the federal and state governments each have distinct areas of authority with little overlap, and each is supreme within its respective domain.

Question 5

The practical devices placed in the U.S. Constitution to control factions included all of the following except a

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Constitution does not include provisions for a national bank as a means to control factions. The establishment of a national bank was a later development and not a direct measure to control factions as outlined in the Constitution. The other options (A, B, C) are direct measures included in the Constitution to prevent any one faction from gaining too much power.

Question 6

Real financial power moved from the states to the national government by virtue of

Accepted Answer

The Sixteenth Amendment, ratified in 1913, gave Congress the power to levy an income tax, significantly increasing the financial power of the national government.

Question 7

Federalism under the second president Bush was poorly articulated, but actions of his administration and Congressional Republicans

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A because it accurately describes the actions of the Bush administration and Congressional Republicans, which pre-empted state authority over school testing systems and driver's license procedures, obstructed state laws that would permit the medical use of marijuana, imposed burdensome new homeland security requirements, and also imposed expensive Medicaid spending responsibilities on the states.

Question 8

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)enhanced the power of the national government by stating

Accepted Answer

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) is significant because it established the doctrine of implied powers, meaning the Constitution grants the federal government powers not explicitly listed in the document, thereby enhancing the power of the national government.

Question 9

The advantages of federalism include all of the following except that

Accepted Answer

Federalism does not ensure that national programs and priorities are achieved because it divides power between national and state governments, which can sometimes lead to conflicts and inconsistencies in policy implementation across different states.

Question 10

The Great Compromise adopted by the Framers of the Constitution involved

Accepted Answer

The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, resolved a dispute between the larger states, which wanted congressional representation based on population (benefiting them due to their larger populations), and the smaller states, which wanted equal representation for all states regardless of size. The compromise led to the creation of a bicameral legislature, with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate giving equal representation to each state.

Question 11

The Constitutional Convention's debates centered largely on

Accepted Answer

The Constitutional Convention focused significantly on the division of power between large and small states, leading to the Great Compromise, which established a bicameral legislature.

Question 12

The enumerated or delegated powers in the Constitution are those that

Accepted Answer

The enumerated or delegated powers in the Constitution are those powers that are expressly given to the national government. These include powers such as the ability to coin money, regulate commerce, declare war, and conduct foreign affairs.

Question 13

Enumerated powers in the U.S. Constitution are

Accepted Answer

Enumerated powers are specifically listed in the U.S. Constitution as belonging to the national government, such as the power to coin money, regulate interstate and foreign commerce, and declare war.

Question 14

Creative federalism was a term used to describe the

Accepted Answer

Creative federalism is associated with the Great Society programs of Lyndon B. Johnson, which aimed to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.

Question 15

The great majority of countries (more than 90 percent)have a

Accepted Answer

The vast majority of countries around the world operate under a unitary system of government, where the central government holds the primary authority, and any administrative divisions (subnational units) have only the powers that the central government chooses to delegate.

Question 16

State governments can do all of the actions below except

Accepted Answer

State governments in the United States do not have the authority to coin money; this power is reserved for the federal government, as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.

Question 17

The argument for state-centered federalism relies on which of the following sections of the Constitution?

Accepted Answer

The Tenth Amendment reserves powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, to the States respectively, or to the people. This amendment is a cornerstone of state-centered federalism, emphasizing the states' powers and autonomy.

Question 18

The Real ID Act of 2005, which imposed national requirements on how states must validate personal identification when issuing driver's licenses, and the ensuing state opposition to the more strenuous requirements for obtaining a driver's license, is an example of the politics surrounding

Accepted Answer

The Real ID Act of 2005 is an example of federal pre-emption, where the federal government sets regulations that state governments must follow, overriding state laws and standards for issuing driver's licenses.

Question 19

A system of government in which most, if not all, legal powers rests in the central government is referred to as a

Accepted Answer

A unitary system is one in which most or all of the legal powers are held by the central government, distinguishing it from federal systems where powers are divided between central and regional authorities, and from confederacies where power is held primarily at the regional or state level.

Question 20

The elimination of large amounts of categorical grants and merging others into block grants during the Reagan Presidency in the 1980s was an example of

Accepted Answer

The Reagan administration's policy of consolidating categorical grants into block grants and reducing federal oversight was a hallmark of New Federalism, which aimed to return powers to the states.

Quiz 2: Federalism and the States: Sorting Out Roles and Responsibilities