Deck 3: Federalism

Question 1

The constitutional basis for the implied powers of the national government is found in Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the U.S. Constitution and is often called the _____.

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

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true of a special district?

A) It includes general-purpose local governments such as counties, cities, and townships.
B) It is generally concerned with a specific issue such as solid waste disposal, mass transportation, or fire protection.
C) It usually receives administrative and financial support from the federal government.
D) It tends to have more restrictions than other local governments as to how much debt it can incur.
E) It is the least common type of governmental unit in the United States.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is true of the Articles of Confederation?

A) They enumerated the powers to be exercised by Congress.
B) They did not allow the United States to own the Northwest Territory.
C) They created a federal system, an alternative to a confederal system.
D) They did not allow for a sufficiently strong central government.
E) They specified the constitutional basis for the implied powers of the national government.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The individual American states are _____.

A) bicameral systems
B) confederal systems
C) unitary systems
D) monarchies
E) dictatorships

Question 5

Which of the following is true of Canadian federalism?

A) The lower levels of the Canadian government are called provinces.
B) The Canadian Constitution allows the central government to veto any provincial legislation.
C) In Canada, the powers of the national government are limited to those listed in the Constitution.
D) In Canada, residual powers rest with the lower levels of the government or the people.
E) The Canadian Constitution designates the national language of Canada as Spanish .

Question 6

Which of the following countries has a federal system today?

A) China
B) North Korea
C) India
D) Afghanistan
E) New Zealand

Question 7

Identify a true statement about special districts.

A) They include general-purpose local governments such as counties, cities, and townships.
B) They are generally concerned with broad national issues.
C) They enjoy substantial administrative and financial independence.
D) They tend to have more restrictions than other local governments.
E) They are the least common type of governmental unit in the United States.

Question 8

The term _____ refers to the national, or central, government of the United States.

A) supranational government
B) caretaker government
C) federal government
D) subnational government
E) apex government

Question 9

The state of Talothiopa has an independent governmental unit that has been created specifically to finance large building projects. Compared to other local governments, this unit enjoys substantial administrative independence and has fewer restrictions as to how much debt it can incur. This governmental unit, which is the most common type of governmental unit in the United States, is most likely an example of a(n) _____.

A) confederal system
B) unitary system
C) special district
D) absolute monarch
E) aristocratic government

Question 10

Which of the following is a difference between Canadian and American federalism?

A) Unlike the American federal government, residual powers in the Canadian federal government rest with the lower levels of the government.
B) Unlike the American federal government, the lower levels of the Canadian government are sovereign.
C) Unlike the American federal government, the Canadian national government was strengthened by the Great Depression of the 1930s.
D) Unlike the American federal government, the lower levels of the Canadian government are called states.
E) Unlike the American federal government, the powers of the lower levels of the Canadian government are limited by the Canadian Constitution.

Question 11

Identify a true statement about a unitary system of government.

A) The state governments are financially independent of the national government.
B) Sovereign states are joined together by a central government that has only limited powers over them.
C) There is a system of shared sovereignty between two levels of government.
D) State governments work as separate units under the national government.
E) Any subnational government is a "creature of the national government."

Question 12

Which of the following is an inherent power exercised by the national government?

A) The power to regulate immigration
B) The power to impose taxes on exports
C) The power to print paper currency
D) The power to regulate interstate commerce
E) The power to coin money

Question 13

Which of the following countries follows a unitary system of government?

A) India
B) Brazil
C) Canada
D) Mexico
E) Israel

Question 14

Which of the following is an expressed power of the national government?

A) Printing paper currency such as dollar bills
B) Regulating commerce among the states
C) Making treaties with other countries
D) Regulating immigration
E) Acquiring new territory

Question 15

Which of the following is true of a federal system of government?

A) It ensures that national powers are not expanded at the expense of the states.
B) It makes it easy to coordinate government policies at the national, state, and local levels.
C) It inhibits the representation of political and regional subcultures in laws.
D) It vests unlimited power in the central government to oversee activities of all state governments.
E) It hinders business transactions because of red tape created by regulations at all levels of governmental.

Question 16

Identify a true statement about federalism.

A) The framers of the Constitution chose to create a federal system because a federal government is free from conflicts associated with division of power.
B) The presence of uniform state laws in a federal system enables smooth business transactions across state borders.
C) The actual workings of the federal form of government have depended, to a great extent, on the historical application of the broad principles outlined in the Constitution.
D) The expressly designated powers of governmental authorities can be altered without changing the fundamental nature of federalism.
E) In a federal system, the national government has unlimited powers, whereas the subnational governments' powers are vaguely defined.

Question 17

Government powers in a(n) _____ are divided between a central government and regional, or subnational, governments.

A) anarchic system
B) federal system
C) totalitarian system
D) unitary system
E) lateral system

Question 18

Which of the following is implied when it is said that city and county governmental units are "creatures of state government"?

A) It means that the local governments are given all-pervading powers by the U.S. Constitution.
B) It means that the state governments can both give powers to and take powers from local governments.
C) It means that the state governments are part of a confederal system.
D) It means that the local governments are created by a special statute of the national government.
E) It means that the local governments are part of a confederal system.

Question 19

Which of the following is a characteristic of a confederal system?

A) It is a system in which a subnational government is a "creature of the national government."
B) It is joined together by a central government that has unlimited powers over it.
C) It is a system in which the Constitution vests all powers in the national government.
D) It has a system of shared sovereignty where the powers are divided between a central and regional government.
E) It has a national government that exists and operates only at the direction of subnational governments.

Question 20

Which of the following is an advantage of federalism in the United States?

A) State governments can print their own money.
B) State governments can overturn federal laws with which they disagree.
C) State governments can act as "laboratories" for public-policy experimentation.
D) State governments can deny federally guaranteed civil rights and liberties.
E) State governments can choose to resist military intervention even during times of emergency.

Question 21

Which of the following is a characteristic of concurrent powers?

A) They are held exclusively by the national government.
B) They apply only within the geographic area of the state to which they are granted.
C) They include functions that the Constitution delegates exclusively to the national government.
D) They allow states to levy taxes on goods being imported from other states and countries.
E) They allow the U.S. national government to impose taxes on exported goods.

Question 22

Otlavis and Ferdland are two southern states in the country of Blendland that share a common border. They share water from Lake Clarly, and therefore, sign an agreement pledging the protection of the lake and its premises in order to sustainably use its water. In this scenario, which of the following types of agreements is signed by the two states?

A) A preemptive agreement
B) An interstate compact
C) A federal mandate
D) A block contract
E) An unfunded mandate

Question 23

Identify a true statement about dual federalism.

A) It assumes that state and national governments are more or less equals.
B) It emphasizes overlap of functions between the state and national governments.
C) It states that only the national government holds sovereign powers over all matters.
D) It involves allocation of taxes collected by one level of government to another level.
E) It assumes that all branches of the government are complementary to each other.

Question 24

Identify an action that is prohibited to the national government by the U.S. Constitution.

A) Admitting new states
B) Establishing post offices
C) Raising and supporting the military
D) Regulating interstate commerce
E) Passing laws that restrain freedom of speech

Question 25

Which of the following is true of the model of dual federalism?

A) It involves allocation of taxes collected by one level of government to another level.
B) It assumes that the national government is superior to the state government.
C) It assumes that each level of government has separate and distinct functions and responsibilities.
D) It emphasizes overlapping functions of the state and national governments.
E) It involves a sovereign national government and dependent state governments.

Question 26

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) provided a challenge to the Constitution's _____.

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

Question 27

Which of the following illustrates concurrent powers exercised by a state government?

A) The state of Uknia signing a peace treaty with its hostile neighboring state
B) The state of Hutsen regulating trade and commerce with other states in the country
C) The state of Ryeland printing currency notes to be used concurrently with the national currency
D) The state of Gillibert levying income tax on all its employed citizens
E) The state of Yolka establishing post offices in its municipalities

Question 28

Which of the following is true of the Supreme Court case of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?

A) It involved the full faith and credit clause on the issue of the legitimacy of gay marriage in the state of Maryland.
B) It involved the question of taxes imposed by the federal government on the bank of Maryland.
C) It involved both the necessary and proper clause and the supremacy clause.
D) It dealt with the issue of whether the national government had the exclusive power to regulate commerce involving more than one state.
E) It dealt with the issue of how the commerce clause should be defined.

Question 29

In June 2015, in _____, the Supreme Court found laws against same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional throughout the entire United States.

A) United States v. Windsor
B) Obergefell v. Hodges
C) Marbury v. Madison
D) Gibbons v. Ogden
E) McCulloch v. Maryland

Question 30

Most of the powers prohibited to the national government are listed in _____ to the U.S. Constitution.

A) Article I, Section 8 and in the last four amendments
B) Article I, Section 9 and in the first eight amendments
C) the Ninth Amendment
D) the Preamble and the First Amendment
E) the Tenth Amendment

Question 31

Which of the following is true of the supremacy clause that appears in Article VI, Clause 2, of the U.S. Constitution?

A) It establishes Congress as the supreme branch of the national government.
B) It ensures that the states retain ultimate governmental power.
C) It gives sovereign powers to local governments who function at their own discretion.
D) It outlines the powers of the Supreme Court as the ultimate arbitrator of the Constitution.
E) It makes the Constitution and federal laws superior to all conflicting state and local laws.

Question 32

Which of the following became an implication of the commerce clause that was upheld by the Supreme Court headed by John Marshall in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)?

A) The national government has repeatedly justified its regulation of almost all areas of economic activity.
B) Both the national and state governments have equal powers that cannot be curtailed by the other.
C) The trade between a state and its immediate neighbors has been left to the former's discretion.
D) Both the national and state governments work as separate units.
E) The state governments determines the power of the national government.

Question 33

Which of the following is true of the Defense of Marriage Act?

A) It allowed state governments to ignore same-sex marriages performed in other states.
B) It stated that America's federal government should allow same-sex couples to get married.
C) It allowed state governments to provide medical and social benefits to couples in same-sex marriages.
D) It stated that the national government is required to accept state-authorized same-sex marriages.
E) It stated that every state is required to treat a relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage.

Question 34

Which of the following is a concurrent power?

A) The power to regulate interstate commerce
B) The power to conduct foreign relations
C) The power to charter banks and corporations
D) The power to establish post offices
E) The power to coin money

Question 35

Under which of the following circumstances is the Tenth Amendment resurrected?

A) In the event of the failure of the Ninth Amendment to decide the extent of the states' rights
B) In the event of widespread support for increased regulation by the national government
C) In the event of increased support for states' rights
D) In the event of failure of the Supreme Court in granting greater rights to the national government
E) In the event of the failure of the Second Amendment

Question 36

Which of the following rights was given to the national government by the "Civil War amendments" to the Constitution?

A) The power to impair obligations of contracts
B) The power to grant titles of nobility
C) The power to regulate interstate commerce
D) The power to abolish state laws that allowed slavery
E) The power to conduct the direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote

Question 37

Which of the following is true of the Civil War (1861-1865)?

A) It has contributed to the decrease in power of the national government.
B) It did not grant black men the right to vote and own and operate businesses.
C) It occurred because of the states' increased desire for regulating interstate commerce.
D) It was a dispute over states' rights versus national supremacy.
E) It was largely provoked by the issue of nuclear deals.

Question 38

Which of the following powers is denied by the Constitution to the states?

A) The power to regulate intrastate commerce
B) The power to conduct elections
C) The power to establish local governments
D) The power to enter into treaties with other countries
E) The power to ratify amendments made to the Constitution

Question 39

An example of the inherent power of the U.S. government is the acquisition of the _____, which was necessary to secure support for ratification of the Constitution in several states, including Maryland.

A) colonies on the Atlantic seaboard
B) Northwest Territory
C) Pacific Islands
D) Caribbean islands
E) southern states

Question 40

Which of the following is true of the Supreme Court case of Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)?

A) It involved the issue of whether the national government had the exclusive power to regulate commerce involving more than one state.
B) It was adjudged in favor of Aaron Ogden, whose right to operate a ferry from New York to New Jersey was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
C) It involved the full faith and credit clause by which the U.S. government was required to honor the judicial proceedings of the state of New York.
D) It involved the validity of the license of Aaron Ogden to operate steamboats in New York waters.
E) It involved the issue of whether local governments could function independent of state or national governments.

Question 41

Which of the following is true of picket-fence federalism?

A) Picket-fence federalism involves only the state government in decision making and implementation of policies.
B) In picket-fence federalism, the judicial system is the horizontal support board.
C) In picket-fence federalism, the policy area is the vertical picket on the fence.
D) Picket-fence federalism involves only the national government policy implementation.
E) Picket-fence federalism involves the allocation of taxes collected by one level of government to another level.

Question 42

The new federalism involved a shift from state-centered federalism to nation-centered federalism.

Question 43

Which of the following illustrates preemption as mentioned in the U.S. Constitution?

A) The central government of Podjun vesting the entire duty of charting, implementing, and executing welfare policies to its local governments
B) The central government in Frosbern giving its state governments more power and discretion over welfare programs
C) The states of Girublia and Bokwost signing an interstate agreement to protect forest reserves that fall in shared boundary
D) The state of Hulton foreseeing potential conflicts with the federal government and thus withdrawing itself from the federal union of Jengren
E) The central legislative body of Korolumbia deciding to make collection of taxes the exclusive right of the national government

Question 44

The national government allotted funds to the state of Vermont to improve its transport infrastructure. These funds can be classified as a _____.

A) categorical grant
B) block grant
C) payout grant
D) caucus grant
E) filibuster grant

Question 45

The national government of Tarpiland requires that in order for its states to welcome foreign investment in setting upautomobile factories, they must comply with acceptable emission levels for greenhouse gases. Which of the following refers to this condition put forward by Tarpiland toward its states?

A) Federal preemption
B) A federal mandate
C) A continuing resolution
D) An interstate compact
E) Veto power

Question 46

One of the major goals of the new federalism was to:

A) administer specific policies and programs at all levels of government-national, state, and local.
B) increase cooperation between the federal and the state governments to solve various national issues.
C) return to the states certain powers that had been exercised by the national government since the 1930s.
D) enable businesses to move to jurisdictions that offered a competitive advantage.
E) grant state governments the power to counter national policies that did not serve their best interests.

Question 47

Which of the following is true of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal legislation?

A) It grew out of the desire to solve the issues created by apartheid in the United States.
B) It involved many government regulation, spending, and public-assistance programs.
C) It ushered in an era of competitive federalism where the states competed for businesses and citizens.
D) It gave states more discretion and let them function as separate units from the national units.
E) It marked the beginning of an era of state supremacy in which the states decided the powers of the federal government.

Question 48

In 2012, in Arizona v. United States , the Supreme Court allowed Arizona to check the immigration status of individuals arrested for reasons other than immigration status.

Question 49

Which of the following is an example of the new federalism?

A) The welfare reform legislation of 1996
B) The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990
C) The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993
D) The Affordable Care Act of 2010
E) Johnson's Great Society Legislation of 1963

Question 50

Which of the following illustrates the concept of fiscal federalism?

A) The national government of Nilkoma buying company shares and investing them in nation-building projects
B) The national government of Paplis borrowing funds from neighboring countries to finance its national policies
C) The national government of Yokojima delegating its states to carry out population control policies and allocating a portion of taxes collected to them
D) The national government of Gegvant creating a pooled-resources fund in order to raise money to carry out its day-to-day government functioning activities
E) The nation of Gargantua withdrawing from the economic union of which it has been a member for more than five decades

Question 51

Requirements that apply to all federal grants are known as _____.

A) preemptive requirements
B) anticyclical requirements
C) procyclical requirements
D) cross-cutting requirements
E) picket-fence requirements

Question 52

The existence of national and subnational governmental units by itself makes a system federal.

Question 53

When Americans talk of the federal government, they are referring to the federal system of government, which is made up of both the national government and the state governments.

Question 54

Which of the following illustrates the concept of devolution?

A) The federal government of Nosterdim handing over the right to appoint governors to its state governments
B) The nation of Debster withdrawing from the economic union of which it has been a member for more than five decades
C) The government of Pokolistan stepping in and denying the right to vote for certain special case citizens in its state of Jumsta
D) The states of Kinlo and Vovlin signing a joint agreement to protect water resources shared jointly by them
E) The national government of Grentia getting dissolved as a result of a constitutional amendment

Question 55

The state of Junis wants to revamp its infrastructural facilities of bridges and underwater tunnels. Consequently, it invites highly competent international infrastructure development companies to pitch in with their bids. In order to attract them, Junis lowers its tax rates below the national taxation levels imposed on foreign investors. This scenario illustrates the model of _____.

A) cooperative federalism
B) fiscal federalism
C) dual federalism
D) competitive federalism
E) picket-fence federalism

Question 56

Which of the following is a characteristic of picket-fence federalism?

A) Federal and state governments maintain diverse and sovereign powers.
B) Specific policies and programs are administered by all levels of government.
C) Powerful states are given increased power to decide how they should spend government revenues.
D) State and local governments compete for businesses and citizens.
E) Levels of government act as the vertical picket on the fence.

Question 57

The power to maintain a state militia is given by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Question 58

The government of Aurelia has been exercising the power to conduct elections for almost a century now. The new government in power, however, decides to hand over the rights to conduct elections to the state governments in the country in order to ensure better representation and participation. This scenario illustrates the concept of _____.

A) new federalism
B) cooperative federalism
C) competitive federalism
D) horizontal federalism
E) picket-fence federalism

Question 59

In the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder case, the Supreme Court held that:

A) the methods used to determine whether a state or local government should be subject to preclearance were obsolete.
B) it was unconstitutional for any state to alter the voting procedures or district boundaries under any circumstance.
C) the national government is not allowed to sue state and local governments after new procedures or district boundaries are put in place.
D) when taxes are collected by one level of government, they must always be spent by another level.
E) whenever Congress passes a law that preempts a certain area, the states are obligated to comply with the requirements of that law.

Question 60

Which of the following illustrates picket-fence federalism?

A) The central government of Sisliboa vesting the entire duty of charting, implementing, and executing welfare policies to its local governments
B) The central government of Funjiba creating, implementing, and executing its national education policy all by itself
C) The national government of Girinal outsourcing its policy implementation duties to qualified expatriates living in the country
D) The national government of Hunsland budgeting and charting a welfare policy and its state and local governments executing it
E) The central government of Ikiba outsourcing its policy implementation activities to policy institutes outside the country

Question 61

The United States Supreme Court never took up the question of whether the Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA) violated the _________ until 2013.

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

Question 62

In a _________, the subnational bodies exercise only those powers that are delegated to them by a strong central government.

A) plutocratic system
B) unitary system
C) confederal system
D) federal system

Question 63

The great issue that provoked the Civil War (1861-1865) was the future of _________.

A) slavery
B) education
C) religion
D) immigration

Question 64

Competitive federalism involves _________.

A) administering specific policies at all levels of government
B) imposing higher income taxes on individuals
C) restricting the influx of foreign investment
D) offering tax advantages to businesses

Question 65

In a recession, the actions of the federal government are normally _________.

A) preemptive
B) underfunded
C) procyclical
D) anticyclical

Question 66

Discuss the Marbury v. Madison case.

Question 67

The principle of _________, an important part of the checks and balances in the American system of government, was clearly enunciated by Chief Justice John Marshall in Marbury v. Madison.

A) picket-fence federalism.
B) division of powers.
C) police powers of the states.
D) judicial review.

Question 68

Discuss how the issue of same-sex marriage has made the constitutional mandate of the full faith and credit clause difficult to follow. What actions has the federal government taken in this regard?

Question 69

The taxes collected by the national government of Elantio, an Asian country, are allocated to its states for providing public welfare services. This scenario exemplifies the concept of _________.

A) fiscal federalism
B) preemption
C) secession
D) competitive federalism

Question 70

Explain the concept of competitive federalism and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of competition among the states.

Question 71

An example of _________ is a law that requires states to provide persons with disabilities with access to public buildings.

A) a federal mandate
B) preclearance
C) an interstate compact
D) judicial review

Question 72

Briefly discuss the history of federal grants in the United States.

Question 73

Explain cooperative federalism and the New Deal legislation.

Question 74

In one of the models of federalism, state and local governments contend for businesses and citizens. Political scientist Thomas R. Dye calls this model of federalism _________.

A) cooperative federalism
B) fiscal federalism
C) competitive federalism
D) picket-fence federalism

Question 75

In Marbury v. Madison , Chief Justice John Marshall clearly enunciated the _________, under which the courts can determine that laws or executive actions are unconstitutional.

A) necessary and proper clause
B) theory of divine rights
C. supremacy clause
D) principle of judicial review