Deck 3: Texas in the Federal System

Question 1

Governors and state officials would tend to favor which type of federal funding, since it provides flexibility in terms of how the funds can be used?

A) matching grants
B) earmark grants
C) block grants
D) project grants

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Federalism is often used in countries that have

A) one dominant ethno-religious group.
B) small populations.
C) a small territory.
D) ethnic or cultural divisions.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The Social Security Act of 1935 created which of the following for eligible participants?

A) unemployment insurance
B) mortgage assistance programs
C) universal health care for all Americans
D) federally sponsored grants and loans for college tuition

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Dual federalism is also known as

A) layer-cake federalism.
B) cooperative federalism.
C) coercive federalism.
D) marble cake federalism.

Question 5

Under the New Deal, federalism is frequently described as

A) New Federalism.
B) coercive federalism.
C) cooperative federalism.
D) dual federalism.

Question 6

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the Tenth Amendment?

A) The federal courts have frequently used this amendment to invalidate national government actions.
B) It does not clearly distinguish which powers belong to the states and which powers belong to the federal government.
C) The federal courts used this amendment to allow the national government to commandeer state agencies to the service of the federal government.
D) According to the Tenth Amendment, if a power is not directly granted to the national government, it is given only to the people.

Question 7

In his landmark cases, Chief Justice John Marshall generally

A) supported the authority of the federal government over that of state governments.
B) enhanced the power of state governments over that of the federal government.
C) maintained that the powers of the state and federal governments were identical and inseparable.
D) reduced the power of the federal government while also reducing the power of the state governments.

Question 8

Which 1869 Supreme Court case resolved the debate over whether states can secede from the Union?

A) Texas v. White
B) Texas v. Marshall
C) Texas v. Chase
D) Texas v. Perry

Question 9

During the Nullification Crisis of 1833, South Carolina tried to assert the right to veto (or nullify)

A) national legislation passed by Congress.
B) actions taken by the North Carolina and Georgia militias.
C) Supreme Court rulings.
D) presidential cabinet appointments.

Question 10

In the case of Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), the Supreme Court decided that

A) states retained full authority to regulate commerce within their own borders and among their immediate neighbors.
B) the federal government had authority to regulate only international commerce, not interstate commerce.
C) the federal government had authority to regulate only interstate commerce, not international commerce.
D) the federal government's authority to regulate international and interstate commerce bestowed on it some power to regulate intrastate commerce.

Question 11

During the New Deal period, in the Supreme Court a 1942 case (Wickard v. Filburn), it was argued that

A) Congress had improperly used the interstate commerce clause.
B) Congress had no authority to regulate commerce.
C) the regulatory power of the national government under the interstate commerce clause was so broad that there seemed no boundaries on national power.
D) Roscoe Filburn was right and he was to be paid $117.11 by the federal government.

Question 12

The understanding that the national government and state governments are both sovereign within their sphere of influence is called

A) cooperative federalism.
B) dual federalism.
C) creative federalism.
D) New Federalism.

Question 13

A system of government in which power is divided between a central government and regional governments is known as

A) federalism.
B) unitarianism.
C) confederation.
D) separation of powers.

Question 14

Which of the following requires state governments to spend their own money to meet standards imposed on them by the federal government?

A) categorical grants
B) block grants
C) program grants
D) unfunded mandates

Question 15

During which president's administration did the federal government's power, especially with regard to the economy, increase the most?

A) Theodore Roosevelt
B) Woodrow Wilson
C) Andrew Jackson
D) Franklin Roosevelt

Question 16

A defining characteristic of federalism is that

A) rather than being held exclusively or primarily by one body, governing authority is divided at different levels between several bodies.
B) the federal government wields ultimate authority in all matters.
C) state governments can nullify the exercise of unpopular federal laws within their own states' boundaries.
D) state governments exist primarily to enact laws established by the national government.

Question 17

According to the Tenth Amendment, any powers not delegated to the national government by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states,

A) can be claimed by the national government as necessary.
B) belong exclusively to the people.
C) belong exclusively to the states.
D) belong to either the people or the state.

Question 18

The use of block grants, allowing states considerable leeway in how federal money is spent, was championed by President ________ under the name New Federalism.

A) McKinley
B) Wilson
C) Hoover
D) Nixon

Question 19

The U.S. Constitution created a system of government where both the federal and state governments are sovereign. This means that both the federal and state governments derive their power from

A) the people, through their state constitutions.
B) the Constitution.
C) the divine creator.
D) electoral consent.

Question 20

The 1819 McCulloch v. Maryland case ________ the powers of the federal government.

A) expanded
B) regulated
C) reduced
D) did not impact

Question 21

As federal regulations became more intrusive, forcing states to change their policies in order to meet national goals, some people began calling our system a ________ federalism.

A) sovereign
B) dual
C) progressive
D) coercive

Question 22

Under dual federalism, the national and state governments regularly cooperate and share responsibilities.

Question 23

Texas is among several states that have decided to take what action in response to the Affordable Care Act?

A) agree to expand access to Medicaid
B) refuse to expand access to Medicaid
C) create state health insurance exchanges
D) automatically enroll all residents in a state-run insurance program.

Question 24

Which court case in 2013 struck down the formula for determining the states covered under the Section 5 preclearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

A) Rick Perry et al. v. Holder
B) Shelby County v. Holder
C) Reynolds v. Simms
D) Texas v. Holder

Question 25

In which 1989 court case did the Texas Supreme Court unanimously declare that the huge disparities between rich and poor school districts were unacceptable and order changes in the financing of Texas's public schools?

A) Edgewood v. Kirby
B) Harris v. Perry
C) Carroll v. SAISD
D) Rodriguez v. Edgewood

Question 26

The Nullification Crisis of 1833 was caused by South Carolina's attempt to ignore key provisions of the New Deal.

Question 27

Cooperative federalism is also known as marble cake federalism.

Question 28

Preemption prevents states from taking certain actions that are reserved for the national government.

Question 29

Under the concept known as independent state grounds, states can

A) grant their citizens more rights than those provided in the U.S. Constitution.
B) restrict some constitutional protections in limited circumstances.
C) states can nullify components of federal law that conflict with their state constitutions.
D) determine how they want to implement Supreme Court decisions.

Question 30

Although James Madison personally did not believe that the Tenth Amendment was necessary, he urged that it be adopted.

Question 31

Attorney General Ken Paxton joined with 15 other states in filing an amicus brief in the Supreme Court supporting which policy created by President Donald Trump?

A) the travel ban
B) modifying the Affordable Care Act
C) ending DACA
D) aluminum and steel tariffs

Question 32

According to Section 33 of the Texas Bill of Rights (Article 1 of the Texas Constitution), Texans are guaranteed the right to use and access public beaches. This is not a right that is protected under the U.S. Constitution. Which concept allows Texas to grant its citizens more rights than those listed in the U.S. Constitution?

A) Articles of Incorporation
B) independent state grounds
C) Articles of Confederation
D) states' rights

Question 33

New Federalism often used categorical grants to help states fund programs.

Question 34

According to the supremacy clause, found in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution,

A) in a conflict between federal and state laws, federal laws take precedence and will override state laws.
B) in the federal system established by the Constitution, the true source of sovereignty is Congress.
C) federal laws will be supreme in the national sphere, and state laws will be supreme in local affairs.
D) as a sovereign institution, the state government only needs to obey the limits that it establishes for itself.

Question 35

Many of the political conflicts in the nation have been fought over the proper roles of states versus the national government.

Question 36

The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prevents state governments from imposing cruel and unusual punishments.

Question 37

Local governments are the creation of the states.

Question 38

Unfunded mandates requiring states to meet federal guidelines without financial support are associated with coercive federalism.

Question 39

As the attorney general of Texas, Gregory Wayne Abbott followed what strategy to challenge coercive federalism?

A) running for federal office
B) exercising judicial review
C) filing lawsuits against the federal government
D) calling for a constitutional convention

Question 40

States maintained their right to seceded from the United States under dual federalism.

Question 41

Describe the Supreme Court's position on federalism from the founding of the republic to the present day. What landmark cases have been most influential in shaping federal-state relations? Has the Supreme Court's position changed frequently, or has its stance been generally consistent, despite a few unique periods?

Question 42

Describe several ways in which the American federal system contains or limits political or policy choices that Texas might otherwise make.

Question 43

Explain the changing patterns in the relationship between the U.S. national government and the states?

Question 44

Describe the character of federal-state relations today. How much influence does the federal government wield over the states? What tools can it use to coerce state compliance with federal measures? What means do states have to resist federal initiatives?

Question 45

Texas sued the Obama administration 46 times.

Question 46

The Fifteenth Amendment protects the rights of citizens to vote regardless of race or color.

Question 47

Identify and describe the ways that the Constitution divides power between federal and state governments.

Question 48

Under the Tenth Amendment, the federal government is the only level of government that can regulate elections.