Deck 3: Federalism

Question 1

Which of the following statements best describes the history of American federalism?

A) There has always been a clear and noncontroversial allocation of responsibilities between the states and the federal government.
B) Throughout American history,there has been considerable debate about the allocation of responsibilities between the states and the federal government.
C) Debates over the responsibilities allocated to the states and to the federal government first occurred in the 1980s.
D) Debates over the responsibilities allocated to the states and to the federal government ended with the Civil War.
E) Debates over the responsibilities allocated to the states and to the federal government ended immediately after the Great Depression.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A state government's authority to regulate the safety,health,and morals of its citizens is called ______ power.

A) police
B) reserved
C) concurrent
D) supremacy
E) implied

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The United States,Canada,and Switzerland can all be described as ______ systems of government while France can be described as a ______ system of government.

A) unitary;federal
B) federal;unitary
C) unitary;totalitarian
D) totalitarian;federal
E) oligarchic;federal

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following powers do state governments not have?

A) to define private property
B) to develop and enforce criminal codes
C) to license doctors,lawyers,barbers,and plumbers
D) to create marriage and divorce laws
E) to coin their own money

Question 5

The full faith and credit clause of the Constitution

A) requires the national government to accept a state's outstanding debt at the time of ratification.
B) requires the national government to accept the outstanding federal debt accumulated under the Articles of Confederation.
C) requires states to normally honor each other's public acts and legal decisions.
D) requires states,but not the federal government,to run a balanced budget.
E) requires the federal government,but not states,to run a balanced budget.

Question 6

Nations that adopt a federal arrangement tend to have

A) diverse ethnic or language groups.
B) multiparty systems.
C) strong executives.
D) no history of feudalism.
E) a history of totalitarianism.

Question 7

The federal system can be best defined as

A) a system of government where member nations meet in a multinational conference.
B) a system of government in which power is divided between a national government and lower levels of government.
C) a system in which the power of the central government is funded through taxation of the local government.
D) the sharing of legislative powers between an upper and lower house.
E) a system where governmental authority is divided into separate branches and each branch is given some power over the other branches.

Question 8

What was the "Southern Manifesto"?

A) the declaration of secession by the Confederate states in 1860
B) the protest against the enforced passage of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868
C) the statement issued by southern congressmen in 1956 that said states were not bound to obey Supreme Court decisions outlawing racial segregation
D) the statement preceding the migration of white southerners to the Republican Party in 1968
E) the act of Congress that officially ended the Civil War in 1865

Question 9

In a federal system,governmental responsibilities are

A) the sole responsibility of the federal government.
B) under the complete authority of state governments.
C) shared by both state and federal authorities.
D) provided by local government agencies.
E) carried out by private corporations and religious organizations.

Question 10

The ______ clause of the Constitution requires that states should normally recognize the laws,acts,and judicial decisions of other states.

A) supremacy
B) full faith and credit
C) concurrent power
D) double jeopardy
E) take care

Question 11

Chartering a bank is a ______ power,because both federal and state governments have the authority to do it.

A) necessary
B) police
C) concurrent
D) reserve
E) sovereign

Question 12

Which constitutional clause has been central in debates over gay and lesbian marriage?

A) the full faith and credit clause
B) the necessary and proper clause
C) the privileges and immunities clause
D) the interstate commerce clause
E) the establishment clause

Question 13

What constitutional clause affirms that national laws and treaties,made under the authority of the Constitution,are the supreme law of the land?

A) the full faith and credit clause
B) the necessary and proper clause
C) the republican government clause
D) the supremacy clause
E) the establishment clause

Question 14

When both state and national governments possess a certain level of authority,it is called a(n)

A) implied power.
B) reserved power.
C) expressed power.
D) concurrent power.
E) police power.

Question 15

The Tenth Amendment of the U.S.Constitution addresses

A) civil rights.
B) reserved powers.
C) implied powers.
D) concurrent powers.
E) home rule.

Question 16

What is the purpose of the Tenth Amendment?

A) to offer each state constitution the same level of protection provided by the federal constitution
B) to limit the powers of the central government by establishing reserved powers for states and individuals
C) to grant citizens of each state access to the federal court system
D) to protect freedom of speech
E) to establish the electoral college

Question 17

The fact that lawyers must be licensed by the state of California is an example of

A) reserved power.
B) concurrent power.
C) police power.
D) expressed power.
E) implied power.

Question 18

Which is the best example of a concurrent power under the federal constitution?

A) the power to declare war
B) the power to coin money
C) the power to regulate commercial activity
D) the power to impeach federal officials
E) the power to tax imports and exports

Question 19

Which of the following is the best example of a unitary system of government?

A) The federal government sets education policies for all schools.
B) The federal government establishes general guidelines for schools but leaves most specific policy decisions up to local school boards.
C) The federal government makes funding for schools dependent on test scores but allows local school boards the freedom to determine how to best prepare students for the tests.
D) The federal government provides parents with vouchers for private schools,and local governments have no role to play in education policy.
E) The federal government provides no funding for schools and leaves education policy entirely up to local school boards.

Question 20

The specific powers granted to the national government in Article I,Section 8,of the Constitution are called the

A) implied powers.
B) expressed powers.
C) sovereign powers.
D) executive powers.
E) absolute powers.

Question 21

If a state grants a city the ability to govern its own local affairs,this delegation of power is known as

A) home rule.
B) dual federalism.
C) ostracism.
D) separation of powers.
E) city governance.

Question 22

During the era of dual federalism,what was the primary goal of the federal government's domestic policies?

A) to promote competition between the states
B) to assist the development of commercial activity within and between the states
C) to protect citizens from the abuses of state governments
D) to keep the states from going to war with each other
E) to provide educational opportunities to all citizens

Question 23

Why did local governments become administratively important in the early years of the Republic?

A) They became important because the Constitution instructed them to implement all federal laws.
B) They became important because the Constitution instructed them to implement all state laws.
C) They became important because states lacked the administrative capability to implement laws and relied,therefore,on local governments.
D) They became important because Congress passed many laws that emphasized the role of local government in implementing federal laws.
E) They became important because the Supreme Court ruled that only local governments had the authority to implement laws under the Constitution.

Question 24

According to the text,when was the era of dual federalism?

A) from the ratification of the Constitution until the end of the Civil War
B) from the ratification of the Constitution until the New Deal
C) from the Civil War until World War II
D) from the New Deal until the 1960s
E) from the 1970s until 1992

Question 25

The Constitution says which of the following things about relationships between states?

A) No state may ever enter into a contract or agreement with another state.
B) No state shall enter into a contract or agreement with another state without the approval of Congress.
C) States may have treaties with either states or Indian reservations with the approval of Congress.
D) The Senate controls all interstate relationships.
E) No state shall enter into a contract or agreement with another state without the approval of the president.

Question 26

Under the traditional system of American federalism,

A) most of the fundamental governing in the United States was done by state governments.
B) most of the fundamental governing in the United States was done by the federal government.
C) most of the fundamental governing in the United States was done by local governments.
D) most of the fundamental governing in the United States was done by both federal and local governments.
E) government played almost no role in the United States.

Question 27

The source of an implied power under the Constitution is the ______ clause.

A) full faith and credit
B) comity
C) necessary and proper
D) commerce
E) supremacy

Question 28

When Alaska passed a law in the 1970s that gave state residents preference over nonresidents in obtaining work on oil pipelines,this law violated the

A) interstate commerce clause.
B) full faith and credit clause.
C) privileges and immunities clause.
D) takings clause.
E) necessary and proper clause.

Question 29

Which clauses of the Constitution involve the relationships among various states?

A) the full faith and credit clause and the privileges and immunities clause
B) the full faith and credit clause and the federalism clause
C) the privileges and immunities clause and the federalism clause
D) the establishment clause and the full faith and credit clause
E) the establishment clause and the privileges and immunities clause.

Question 30

Which of the following was not a function of government most commonly performed by state governments during the era of dual federalism?

A) commercial laws
B) education
C) patents and copyrights
D) insurance laws
E) water and mineral laws

Question 31

Federal laws concerning crime mostly deal with

A) terrorism.
B) the District of Columbia and other federal territories.
C) drug trafficking and organized crime.
D) international crime.
E) crimes against children.

Question 32

The privileges and immunities clause of Article IV is also referred to as the

A) Bill of Rights.
B) federalism clause.
C) vesting clause.
D) comity clause.
E) dual sovereignty clause.

Question 33

Which statement best describes American federalism since the 1930s?

A) There has been no change in the strength of the federal government since the 1930s.
B) Although the federal government has grown significantly more powerful since the 1930s,the basic framework of American federalism has not been altered and state governments remain important.
C) Although the state governments have grown significantly more powerful since the 1930s,the basic framework of American federalism has not been altered and the federal government remains important.
D) The growing power of the federal government since the 1930s has fundamentally altered American federalism by rendering state governments obsolete.
E) The growing power of state governments since the 1930s has fundamentally altered American federalism by rendering the federal government obsolete.

Question 34

How did the traditional system of dual federalism establish a "commercial republic"?

A) The federal government passed laws forbidding any regulation of capitalism.
B) The function of the federal government was to promote and assist commerce.
C) Dual federalism established property-holding requirements for federal officeholders.
D) The federal government was originally designed to regulate and control the marketplace.
E) The federal government sold many natural resources from publicly owned lands.

Question 35

Which of the following statements best describes the discussion of local government found in the Constitution?

A) Local government has no status in the Constitution.
B) Local governments are constitutionally required to turn over all of the local taxes collected from residents to state governments.
C) Local governments are given the authority to ignore federal laws that their citizens do not agree with.
D) Local governments have the power to establish local banks.
E) Local governments have the power to raise and maintain militias.

Question 36

What is the main purpose behind the privileges and immunities clause of Article IV?

A) It prevents states from discriminating against nonresidents.
B) It compels each state to recognize the laws of other states.
C) It requires all states to provide a uniform standard of benefits and entitlement.
D) It states that the Bill of Rights applies to the actions of state governments as well as the national government.
E) It prevents states from coining their own money.

Question 37

The legality of interracial marriages prior to 1967 is an example of

A) how states have always been forced to recognize marriages performed in other states.
B) states' power to ignore the full faith and credit clause if it is against their strong public policy interests.
C) the fact that only the federal government has the power to recognize marriages.
D) the strict limits of the necessary and proper clause.
E) the power of the privileges and immunities clause.

Question 38

Which of the following has not been an important contractual topic between states?

A) the distribution of river water
B) state passport requirements
C) interstate transportation
D) environmental regulations
E) border disputes

Question 39

Which level of government writes the majority of criminal laws?

A) the national government
B) the state governments
C) the local governments
D) the special districts
E) the county boards of supervisors

Question 40

How has the full faith and credit clause been applied in cases of gay adoption?

A) The courts have ruled that the full faith and credit clause requires states to accept adoption decisions by other states.
B) The courts have ruled that the full faith and credit clause does not require states to accept adoption decisions by other states.
C) The courts have never ruled on the applicability of the full faith and credit clause in a case of gay adoption.
D) The courts have ruled that the full faith and credit clause applies only to marriages and not to adoptions.
E) The courts have ruled that the full faith and credit clause makes gay adoption illegal in every state.

Question 41

Which clause of the Constitution has been critical in allowing the growth of national power?

A) the commerce clause
B) the full faith and credit clause
C) the comity clause
D) the Tenth Amendment
E) the establishment clause

Question 42

What was one effect of dual federalism during the early Republic?

A) The national government was spared the task of making difficult policy decisions,such as the regulation of slavery,because the states did it themselves.
B) The national government was unable to raise sufficient amounts of money through taxes and tariffs.
C) The number of federal criminal laws expanded rapidly,while state criminal laws decreased.
D) The national government was able to significantly expand civil rights for blacks in the South.
E) The strength and size of the military grew dramatically.

Question 43

Which constitutional amendment has been used to restrict the scope of authority by the federal government over the states?

A) First
B) Fifth
C) Eighth
D) Tenth
E) Fourteenth

Question 44

Why were attempts by Congress to regulate child labor and factory conditions in local workplaces struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional in the late nineteenth century?

A) Regulating local workplaces was seen to be inconsistent with the full faith and privileges clause of the Constitution.
B) Regulating local workplaces was seen to violate the Twenty-seventh Amendment to the Constitution.
C) Regulating local workplaces was seen to violate the comity clause of the Constitution.
D) Regulating local workplaces was beyond the scope of the understanding of interstate commerce at the time and was,therefore,seen to be an unconstitutional exercise of police power by the federal government.
E) Regulating local workplaces was seen to violate the strongly held value of regulated federalism.

Question 45

Gibbons v.Ogden (1824)was important because

A) it fully developed the concept of judicial review.
B) it fully developed the concept of dual citizenship.
C) it established the supremacy of the national government in all matters affecting interstate commerce.
D) it determined that the forced relocation of the Five Civilized Tribes to Oklahoma was unconstitutional.
E) it determined that the Bill of Rights applied to state governments as well as to the federal government.

Question 46

What was a major reason that the slogan "states' rights" became tarnished in the 1950s and 1960s?

A) It had been used to advocate for a series of "home rule" policies that cost thousands of people their jobs.
B) It had been used by southern opponents of the civil rights movement to support racial segregation.
C) It had been used by religious organizations to increase federal spending on faith-based initiatives.
D) It had been used by antiwar activists to protest against increases in military spending.
E) It had been used by supporters of the civil rights movement to oppose racial segregation.

Question 47

Which of the following statements about the structure of American federalism is true?

A) It has contributed to the longevity of the U.S.government by allowing many divisive policy decisions throughout American history to be made by states.
B) It has contributed to the longevity of the U.S.government by forcing every state to develop in exactly the same way.
C) It has contributed to the longevity of the U.S.government by not allowing states to make divisive policy decisions at any point in American history.
D) It caused the Civil War to be fought decades before it would have been under a unitary system.
E) It has had almost no effect on the stability and functioning of U.S.government.

Question 48

Why have many states objected to international trade agreements in recent years?

A) States are usually required by international trade agreements to pay steep taxes and high fees to international organizations such as the World Trade Organization.
B) States are always forced to negotiate international trade agreements with other countries on their own,without the help of the federal government.
C) States are only allowed by the Constitution to formulate international trade agreements with countries that are part of NATO.
D) States have no voice in the process of formulating international trade agreements even when the agreements significantly limit their sovereignty.
E) International trade agreements typically violate the privileges and immunities clause of the Constitution.

Question 49

Which statement best describes the Supreme Court's trend in interpreting federalism since the mid-1990s?

A) The Court has slowly granted the national government more power over the states.
B) The Court has limited the power of the national government over the state governments.
C) The Court has repeatedly declined to hear federalism cases,arguing that they are a political question.
D) The Court has granted the states more access to sue the national government in federal courts.
E) The Court has dramatically limited the ability of states to sue the national government in federal courts.

Question 50

Who wrote the Supreme Court opinions in both McCulloch v.Maryland and Gibbons v.Ogden?

A) Alexander Hamilton
B) James Madison
C) John Marshall
D) Roger Taney
E) Andrew Jackson

Question 51

The power of Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations,among the several states,and with Indian tribes is found in ______ of the Constitution.

A) Article I
B) the Preamble
C) the Tenth Amendment
D) the Second Amendment
E) the First Amendment

Question 52

The constitutional idea of states' rights was strongest during which historical period?

A) the years immediately preceding the Civil War
B) Reconstruction
C) the 1910s
D) the Great Depression
E) the 1960s

Question 53

Which of the following economic policies was the national government allowed to implement during the nineteenth century?

A) establishing a series of national banks
B) regulating the health and safety of the workplace
C) regulating the use of child labor
D) preventing the production of impure goods
E) prohibiting fraud

Question 54

During most of the nineteenth century,Congress used it powers to ______ commerce.

A) regulate
B) facilitate
C) limit
D) corrupt
E) prohibit

Question 55

Those seeking to restrain the powers of the national government look to what part of the Constitution?

A) the commerce clause
B) the states' rights clause
C) the First Amendment
D) the Tenth Amendment
E) the due process clause

Question 56

How did business "have its cake and eat it,too" during the seventy years immediately following the Civil War?

A) Entrepreneurs enjoyed the benefits of national policies facilitating commerce while also being protected by the courts from policies regulating commerce.
B) Entrepreneurs were given formula grants from the federal government that they did not have to pay back.
C) Entrepreneurs were given project grants from the federal government that they did not have to pay back.
D) Entrepreneurs were exempted from taxation under the privileges and immunities clause while also being protected from regulation by the full faith and credit clause.
E) Entrepreneurs were guaranteed to make profits by the federal government while not being required to pay any taxes to state governments.

Question 57

In ______,the Supreme Court reinterpreted the commerce clause,changing it from a check on national power to a source of national power.

A) 1865
B) 1915
C) 1937
D) 1973
E) 1981

Question 58

What was the overall importance of the Supreme Court case McCulloch v.Maryland?

A) The Court interpreted the delegated powers of Congress broadly,creating the potential for increased national powers.
B) The Court gave a very restricted definition of Congress's delegated powers,in keeping with the era of dual federalism.
C) The Court announced that dual federalism did not conform to the framers' design.
D) The Supreme Court declared that all national banks were unconstitutional.
E) The Court forced all states to open at least one branch of the national bank.

Question 59

______ describes the strategy of delegating a policy program to a lower level of government.

A) Home rule
B) Redistribution
C) Devolution
D) Preemption
E) Incorporation

Question 60

What has been the main problem posed for U.S.states by international trade agreements?

A) These agreements cause confusion when each state interprets them differently.
B) These agreements have led to intense competition between individual states.
C) These agreements often limit the regulatory authority of states.
D) The Constitution grants each state a veto over these agreements,but Congress has used its implied powers to usurp these vetoes.
E) These agreements usually require states to spend a great deal of money but offer little return on their investment.

Question 61

Which of the following Supreme Court cases limited federal power?

A) United States v.Lopez and Printz v.United States
B) Gibbons v.Ogden and McCulloch v.Maryland
C) Gibbons v.Ogden and Brown v.Board of Education
D) McCulloch v.Maryland and Brown v.Board of Education
E) Gibbons v.Ogden and Roe v.Wade

Question 62

Congressional grants paid for ______ percent of the development of an interstate highway after World War II.

A) 10
B) 25
C) 50
D) 90
E) 100

Question 63

If the federal government forced the state of New York to implement tougher water pollution regulations than the state legislature has passed,it would be referred to as

A) home rule.
B) preemption.
C) a use of the police power.
D) a project grant.
E) states' rights.

Question 64

Which event was most influential in the rise of a more active national government?

A) the War of 1812
B) the Civil War
C) World War I
D) the Great Depression
E) the Cold War

Question 65

Which of the following statements about federal grants-in-aid is false?

A) Spending on federal grants-in-aid has increased dramatically since 1990.
B) The federal grants-in-aid authorized during the 1960s announced national purposes much more strongly than did earlier grants.
C) One of the most expensive federal grants-in-aid programs is Medicaid.
D) During the 1960s,the number of categorical grants increased significantly.
E) Spending on federal grants-in-aid has decreased dramatically since 1970.

Question 66

Why was the Supreme Court case United States v.Lopez important?

A) It was the first time since the New Deal that the Supreme Court limited the power of Congress outlined under the commerce clause.
B) It was the first time that the Court had used the Tenth Amendment to limit the power of Congress.
C) The Court found that citizens could not bring racial discrimination suits against state governments.
D) The Court found the line-item veto unconstitutional.
E) The Court gave a broad interpretation of the commerce clause that expanded the power of the federal government over the states.

Question 67

A federal grant for states to afford increasing health care facilities would be an example of a(n)

A) categorical grant.
B) formula grant.
C) block grant.
D) unfunded mandate.
E) general revenue grant.

Question 68

During the Great Depression,a camp of unemployed individuals who had lost their homes was referred to as a

A) Hooverville.
B) Roosevelt Town.
C) supply-side shanty.
D) capitalism camp.
E) depression dump.

Question 69

Which president was the first to promote New Federalism?

A) Abraham Lincoln
B) Franklin Roosevelt
C) Dwight Eisenhower
D) Lyndon Johnson
E) Richard Nixon

Question 70

Federal officials seeking to give state government more authority are most likely to support

A) unfunded mandates.
B) preemption.
C) block grants.
D) categorical grants.
E) project grants.

Question 71

A ______ grant requires state and local governments to submit proposals to the federal government and compete for funding.

A) Pell
B) formula
C) project
D) federal
E) contest

Question 72

How have states attempted to have their interests taken into consideration when the federal government negotiates an international trade agreement?

A) States have created formal committees on international trade that serve as a point of contact between the state,Congress,and the U.S.trade representative.
B) States have attempted to amend the Constitution through a national constitutional convention.
C) States have passed taxes on the federal government that must be paid by Congress every time an international trade agreement is reached.
D) States have refused to abide by the privileges and immunities clause whenever a trade agreement that hurts their interests is reached.
E) States have created special courts that have the authority to strike down parts of the international trade agreement that is harmful to the state's economic interests.

Question 73

When the national government appropriates money to the states but simultaneously demands the authority to dictate its distribution,this money is identified as

A) a grant-in-aid.
B) an unfunded mandate.
C) interstate commerce.
D) a devolution.
E) revenue sharing.

Question 74

Disapproval of unfunded mandates is most common among those who want

A) to reduce the power of the federal government.
B) to increase the scope of federal regulations.
C) to exercise a strong principle of preemption.
D) to return to the days of national supremacy.
E) to eliminate the principle of home rule.

Question 75

Which president presided over the New Deal?

A) Herbert Hoover
B) Franklin Roosevelt
C) Dwight Eisenhower
D) Woodrow Wilson
E) Lyndon Johnson

Question 76

The principle of ______ gives the federal government the power to override any state or local law in one particular area of policy.

A) cooperative federalism
B) grant-in-aid
C) preemption
D) dual federalism
E) home rule

Question 77

When the federal government sets environmental standards that every state must follow,it is an example of

A) cooperative federalism.
B) dual federalism.
C) regulated federalism.
D) "marble cake" federalism.
E) home rule.

Question 78

If the federal government compels state governments to obey costly regulations but does not reimburse those costs,it is called a(n)

A) grant-in-aid.
B) preemption.
C) unfunded mandate.
D) block grant.
E) general revenue sharing.

Question 79

When the national government funds a project that is actually implemented by the states,it is an example of

A) dual federalism.
B) national supremacy.
C) cooperative federalism.
D) home rule.
E) states' rights.

Question 80

The term marble cake federalism is meant to refer to what development?

A) budgeting being conducted with a "dessert first" mentality
B) intergovernmental cooperation blurring the lines between different layers of government
C) the federal government bribing the states with various gifts in order to convince them to follow national standards
D) federalism becoming hard and tasteless
E) the confusion that emerged during the 1960s about which layer of government is actually responsible for regulating the national economy