Chapter 3: Federalism
Advanced Government
Mr. Faulhaber
MATCHING: Choose the item in the left column that best corresponds with the term provided.
1. Government action in response to an issue a. sunset law
ex. National government passing universal health care b. concurrent power
2. Requirement for government meetings to be open to the public c. full faith and credit
ex. City Council requirement to post their meeting agenda and time when meeting d. public policy
3. Powers directly stated in the Constitution e. reserved power
ex. Congress’ ability to coin money f. expressed powers
4. Clause in Article IV that requires states to accept documents from other states g. necessary and proper
ex. Iowa to recognize a Montana driver’s license h. 16th Amendment
5. Article I Section 8 clause that is the basis for all implied powers i. sunshine laws ex. draft is necessary to “raise an army”
6. Powers shared between governments
ex. Taxing power and power to create laws
7. Name given to state powers granted by the 10th Amendment
ex. Montana raising and lowering its speed limit
8. Allows the national government to tax your income
9. Which of the following statements about the federal system adopted at the Constitutional Convention is most accurate?
a. it had been tried without success in other countries
b. it was adopted as an alternative to a confederate system, in which local governments are granted a specially protected existence
c. it specifically reserved powers not delegated to the United Sates by the U.S. Constitution to the states
d. it guaranteed the dominance of the states for several hundred years
e. it granted supreme authority to neither national nor state government.
10. The Founders did not include in the U.S. Constitution an explicit statement of state powers but added it later in the
a. Fourteenth Amendment
b. Second Amendment
c. Seventh Amendment
d. Tenth Amendment
e. None of these.
11. The reason a statement specific to state powers was not part for the original U.S. Constitution was that
a. it was assumed to be obvious
b. the U.S. Constitution would not have been ratified
c. it was deleted under the Virginia plan
d. New York delegates refused to allow discussion on the matter
e. no such consensus existed at the Constitutional Convention
12. Today’s federalist system in the United States, in which the power of the central government is stronger than ever before, would be most likely to please
a. Alexander Hamilton
b. Richard Henry Lee
c. James Madison
d. Patrick Henry
e. Thomas Jefferson
13. Applying the principles of Thomas Jefferson to current political issues would probably dispose one to
a. favor seven-year terns for presidents
b. favor the decentralization of government power
c. oppose the decentralization of government power
d. oppose seven-year terms for presidents
e. favor a more powerful bureaucracy
14. John Marshall was the first chief justice to greatly enlarge the powers of the
a. president
b. bureaucracy
c. national government
d. states
e. Congress
15. The McCulloch v. Maryland decision established
a. the legality of the slave trade
b. judicial review by the Supreme Court
c. national government supremacy over the states
d. state sovereignty in interstate commerce
e. all of these
16. In McCulloch v. Maryland, had the Supreme Court reached the opposite conclusion on the question of whether a state could tax a national bank, Maryland could legally have
a. established a national bank in each country
b. taxed only the bank’s interstate business
c. imposed no tax whatever
d. taxed the bank into bankruptcy
e. resorted to nullification
17. States cannot declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. In other words, states do not have the right of
a. habeas corpus
b. dual federalism
c. nullification
d. recall
e. local mandate
18. The doctrine of dual federalism grew out of a protracted debate on the subject of
a. manufacturing
b. welfare
c. licensing of commercial fishermen
d. banking
e. commerce
19. Most forms of economic activity are now included under
a. interstate commerce
b. the reserved powers of the states
c. First Amendment freedoms
d. the doctrine of implied powers
e. compact theory
20. The term intergovernmental lobby is used in the text to refer to lobbying activities by
a. state and local officials at the national government
b. federal agencies at statehouses and city halls
c. governmental units with ties to interest groups
d. one branch of the national government at another branch
e. foreign governments in Washington, D.C.
21. A categorical grant is transfer of federal funds designed for
a. the private sector
b. the accomplishment of broad goals
c. specific purposes.
d. programs with matching grants
e. discretionary use by a state
22. A block grant is essentially a
a. grant that benefits a single, local unit (or block)
b. reverse grant-in-aid –money flows from state back to the federal government
c. group of categorical or project grants
d. project grant with tighter restrictions
e. a project grant with less federal support.
23. The difference between a mandate and a condition of aid is that
a. with a mandate the federal government allows the state to do as it pleases if its actions are in accordance with federal law.
b. a mandate applies to a block grant; a condition of aid applies to a categorical grant
c. a mandate applies to a categorical grant; a condition of aid applies to a block grant
d. with a mandate it makes no difference who is paying the costs of a program
e. with a mandate the federal government tells a state government what it must do if it wants grant money.
24. One of the problems the text mentions in connection with administration of the Americans with Disabilities Act is
a. the number of disabled Americans
b. the specificity of the blueprint for administration
c. opposition to mandate which assist specific groups
d. the absence of a clear-cut definition of “equal access.”
e. a lack of public support.
25. The effort to pass on to the states many federal functions has been called _____.
a. evolution
b. third-order devolution
c. devolution
d. entitlement
e. enhancement
26. Most states responded to the Kelo decision by passing laws that____.
a. redefined public purpose
b. set up procedures for voting
c. considerably expanded the scope of the government’s power
d. restricted the power of local governments
e. limited the Supreme Court’s ruling to public housing
27. Madison’s description of federalism in Federalist No. 46 suggests there should be little concern over conflicts between federal and state governments because____.
a. the federal government would clearly be the winner in such conflicts
b. the state government would clearly be the winner in such conflicts
c. such conflicts would occur only on minor issues of importance
d. they are different agents with different powers
e. the judicial branch would settle such disputes
28. Which of the following statements about the federal system adopted at the Constitution Convention is most accurate?
a. It had been tried without success in other countries
b. It was adopted as an alternative to a confederate system, in which local governments are granted a specially protected existence
c. It granted supreme authority to neither national nor state government
d. It specifically reserved powers not to delegate to the United States by the U.S. Constitution to the states
e. It guaranteed the dominance of the states for several hundred years
29. During the battle over slavery, the case for nullification was forcefully presented by____.
a. William Jennings Randolph
b. Robert E. Lee
c. William Graham Sumner
d. John C. Calhoun
e. JEB Stuart
30. The states play a key role in____.
a. social welfare
b. public education
c. health and hospitals
d. managing water supplies
e. All of the above
31. Under the Articles of Confederation____.
a. the Congress had implied powers
b. the states were acknowledged to be sovereign
c. power was concentrated in the hands of the national government
d. only the federal government had the power of taxation
e. the states were subservient to the national government
32. A heterosexual couple that gets married in Virginia moves to Florida. Must Florida accept the couple’s marriage as valid?
a. No, because each state may set its own requirements for marriage.
b. Yes, but Florida may charge an additional fee for authenticating the marriage certificate
c. Yes, because of the privileges and immunity clause
d. Yes, because of the full faith and credit clause
e. It depends upon whether Virginia and Florida have reached a reciprocity agreement
33. According to the writings of the Federalist Papers, which of the following reflects a major reason for the support of a federal system?
a. local governments are best suited to meet the needs of the majority interests of the country
b. local governments will not lose their authority and will be able to care for their citizens
c. the central government would not be able to recognize the needs and interests of local governments
d. there will be a constant clashing of opinions between the interests of the local and central government’s
e. factions would be weakened by the formation of a federal system of government
34. ____ is a political system in which the national government shares power with state governments.
a. Federalism
b. Republicanism
c. Democracy
d. Unitarianism
e. Nationalism
35. The states play a key role in all the following EXCEPT______.
a. social welfare
b. law enforcement
c. roads and highways
d. managing water supplies
e. social security
36. The United States in characterized by cooperative federalism, whereby the national government shares money with the states through grants. Which of the following is most favored by the states?
a. categorical grants, because the states can spend the money on broad categories of projects
b. formula grants, because the states can use a precise equation to determine how to spend the money
c. categorical grants, because they rarely have any strings attached
d. block grants, because they give states considerable freedom in deciding how to spend the money
e. project grants, because the states can compete to build specific projects, such as libraries and airports
37. Which of the following statements best describes the impact of the Tenth Amendment?
a. it has been effective in protecting and expanding the powers of the states
b. it had little impact at first but has been expanded over time to protect state powers
c. it has rarely had much practical significance
d. the Supreme Court has interpreted it consistently over time
e. it has protected the powers of the states, but not those of individual citizens
38. Block grants were designed to remedy a common criticism of categorical grants, namely, ____.
a. the lack of conditions under which such grants were made
b. their discriminatory nature – decisions are too often based upon politics
c. the difficulty of adapting categorical grants to local needs
d. their lack of relevance to problems that were perceived to be “national” in nature
e. their lack of specificity
39. Under a unitary system of government, which of the following political outcomes would be highly unlikely?
a. a group of farmers staging a massive demonstration by parking their trucks at the capital
b. the national government raising taxes
c. terrorists holding a city hostage with the threat of a nuclear detonation
d. the national government sending troops into a region of the country that is threatening to secede
e. senators from a particular region of the country blocking the passage of major civil rights legislation
40. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires states and local governments to provide equal access for the disabled. This is an example of a(n)____.
a. categorical grant
b. block grant
c. revenue sharing
d. mandate
e. administrative regulation
41. The first important function that the new Republican-controlled Congress sought to shift back to the states in 1994 was____.
a. transportation
b. health care
c. education
d. law enforcement
e. welfare
42. A unitary form of government is most likely to appear preferable in the view of
a. school officials who oppose Supreme Court rulings
b. liberal U.S. senators facing conservative state legislatures
c. governors wishing for more control over their states’ budgets
d. mayors seeking funding for urban problems
e. taxpayers seeking relief from federal income taxes
43. For the Founders, federalism was a device to
a. guarantee equality
b. provide efficient local administration
c. encourage citizen participation
d. protect against foreign invasion
e. protect liberty
SHORT ANSWER:
The power of the federal government relative to the power of the states has increased since the ratification of the Constitution.
a. Describe two of the following provisions of the Constitution and explain how each has been used over time to expand federal power.
· The power to tax and spend
· The “necessary and proper” or “elastic” clause
· The commerce clause
b. explain how one of the following has increased the power of the federal government relative to the power of state governments.
· Americans with Disabilities Act
· Civil Rights Act of 1964
· Clean Air Act