Deck 3: Federalism

Question 1

The Defense of Marriage Act was struck down, in part, by the Supreme Court justices in ________.

A) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
B) McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission
C) National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius
D) Windsor v. United States
E) Bush v. Gore

Answer 1

D

Question 2

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.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

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

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The specific powers granted to Congress in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution are called the ________ powers.

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

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true?

A) By 2015, 38 states have passed defense of marriage acts.
B) By 2015, most states do not permit same-sex marriage.
C) both a and b
D) By 2015, most states allow same-sex marriage.
E) In 2013, the Supreme Court justices upheld the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Question 6

The full faith and credit clause of the Constitution requires

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

Question 7

The Constitution stipulates which of the following 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 8

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 9

________ powers exist when both state and national governments possess a certain level of authority.

A) Implied
B) Reserved
C) Expressed
D) Concurrent
E) Police

Question 10

A definitive role for the states in the American federal republic was preserved by the ________ Amendment.

A) First
B) Fifth
C) Ninth
D) Tenth
E) Sixteenth

Question 11

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 12

________ occurs when a state grants a city the ability to govern its own local affairs.

A) Home rule
B) Dual federalism
C) Ostracism
D) Separation of powers
E) City governance

Question 13

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

Question 14

What clause in the U.S. Constitution 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 15

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 16

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 17

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.

Question 18

Derived from the Tenth Amendment, which powers are not specifically delegated to the national government or denied to the states?

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

Question 19

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

Question 20

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 21

The power of Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among the several states, and with Native American tribes is found in ________ of the U.S. Constitution.

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

Question 22

The source of implied powers under the U.S. Constitution is the ________ clause.

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

Question 23

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

A) The Defense of Marriage Act was passed in 1996.
B) The members of Congress who voted for it wanted to express their support for same-sex marriage.
C) The Act stipulates that the federal government will recognize same-sex marriage.
D) The Act stipulates that states have to recognize same-sex marriage.
E) The Act stipulates that same-sex marriage partners are eligible for Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Question 24

Which clauses of the U.S. Constitution involve the relationships between and among the 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 25

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 26

Interracial marriage was upheld by the Supreme Court justices in ________.

A) 1790
B) 1816
C) 1893
D) 1938
E) 1967

Question 27

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 28

________ is 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 29

Which of the following is the best example of a concurrent power under the U.S. 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 30

The ability to charter banks is an example of a ________ power.

A) reserved
B) concurrent
C) state
D) national
E) police

Question 31

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

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

Question 32

Which clause in the U.S. Constitution has been central in debates over same-sex 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 33

When was the era of dual federalism according to the authors of the text?

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 34

Advocates of limiting the powers of the national government justify their position by the ________ of the U.S. Constitution.

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

Question 35

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 36

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 37

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

A) Local governments are not mentioned 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 with which their citizens disagree.
D) Local governments have the power to establish local banks.
E) Local governments have the power to raise and maintain militias.

Question 38

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 39

When the Alaskan legislature passed a law in the 1970s that gave state residents preference over nonresidents in obtaining work on oil pipelines, this law violated the ________ clause.

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

Question 40

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 between and among 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 41

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 42

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 43

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

Question 45

Which of the following is true about the Southern Manifesto?

A) It was written in 1845.
B) Southern officials declared that their states were not bound by Supreme Court decisions outlawing racial segregation.
C) It argued in favor of national government power.
D) The doctrine of states' rights was declared null and void.
E) The Tenth Amendment was basically rendered useless.

Question 46

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 47

________ articulated the doctrine of nullification before the Civil War.

A) Andrew Jackson
B) John C. Calhoun
C) John Marshall
D) Abraham Lincoln
E) Strom Thurmond

Question 48

By 1932, ________ percent of the labor force in the United States was unemployed.

A) 5
B) 10
C) 15
D) 25
E) 55

Question 49

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 50

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 51

In 1996, ________ carried a copy of the Tenth Amendment in his pocket as he campaigned for the presidency.

A) Bill Clinton
B) Ross Perot
C) Ralph Nader
D) Bob Dole
E) George W. Bush

Question 52

Who wrote the Supreme Court opinions in both McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) and Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)?

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

Question 53

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 54

What was the overall importance of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?

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

Question 55

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) was important because it

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

Question 56

Which clause of the U.S. 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 57

Under the traditional system of American federalism, most of the fundamental governing in the U.S. was done by________

A) state governments
B) the federal government
C) local governments
D) both federal and local governments
E) none of the above

Question 58

Why was United States v. Lopez (1995) 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 59

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 60

Almost 40 percent of all federal criminal statutes passed after the Civil War were enacted between ________.

A) 1890-1901
B) 1917-1931
C) 1941-1949
D) 1970-1998
E) 2001-2006

Question 61

Using block grants to return power to the states was part of ________ during the Nixon (1969-1974) and Reagan (1981-1989) administrations.

A) the New Deal
B) the Great Society
C) New Federalism
D) the New Frontier
E) the Third Way

Question 62

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 political questions.
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 63

Block grants are designed to

A) fund a large number of similar projects.
B) fund urban improvements on a specific city block.
C) give the states considerable discretion in how the money should be spent.
D) fund capital improvements in a specific block of schools.
E) impose strict limits on how state governments can spend money from the federal government.

Question 64

What have many political scientists called laboratories of democracy?

A) the executive agencies of the federal government
B) the states
C) local governments
D) special districts
E) congressional committees

Question 65

Many Americans blamed ________ for their plight during the Great Depression.

A) Woodrow Wilson
B) Warren Harding
C) Calvin Coolidge
D) Herbert Hoover
E) Harry Truman

Question 66

In the 1990s, the Supreme Court's "federalism revolution" was designed to

A) eliminate the control state governments have over local governments.
B) increase the amount of money devoted to project grants.
C) return more power to the states.
D) return more power to the federal government.
E) end the system of federalism in the United States and replace it with a unitary system.

Question 67

The form of federal assistance called ________ provides money to state governments with no strings attached.

A) New Federalism
B) general revenue sharing
C) block grants
D) unfunded mandates
E) categorical grants

Question 68

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 69

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

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

Question 70

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 71

________ was the first president to promote New Federalism.

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

Question 72

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 73

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 74

________ presided over the New Deal.

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

Question 75

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 76

Disapproval of unfunded mandates is most common among those who want to

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

Question 77

"Marble cake federalism" is associated with

A) the increase of political power of local governments over the last two decades.
B) intergovernmental cooperation blurring the lines between different layers of government.
C) federal officials bribing their state counterparts with various gifts in order to convince them to follow national standards.
D) the end of federalism in the United States.
E) the confusion that emerged during the 1960s about which layer of government is actually responsible for regulating the national economy.

Question 78

Economic policies that attempt to benefit the poor by taxing and spending are referred to as ________.

A) redistributive programs
B) unfunded mandates
C) general revenue sharing
D) categorical grants
E) formula grants

Question 79

What is one of the biggest problems with federal block grants?

A) There is a need for greater accountability in how the funds are actually spent by the states.
B) There is a need to be sure that the states are following the precise regulations established by the federal government.
C) There is a need to make sure the grants do not violate the commerce clause of the Constitution.
D) Republican administrations have been unwilling to allow block grants.
E) States have been unwilling to accept any funding from the federal government.

Question 80

The Supreme Court justices determined that the Affordable Care Act was

A) unconstitutional under the First Amendment.
B) constitutional under the commerce clause of Article I.
C) constitutional under Congress's power to tax.
D) constitutional under the Third Amendment.
E) none of the above