Question 1

If a local government wants to be more autonomous,what should it do?

Accepted Answer

A)  ask the courts to apply Dillon's rule 
B)  create a council-manager system 
C)  encourage state government to adopt or maintain home rule 
D)  create a special district 
E)  hold a referendum

Question 2

The relationship between state governments and municipal governments under the principle of Dillon's Rule most nearly reflects which constitutional relationship between national and state governments?

Accepted Answer

A)  federalism 
B)  confederation 
C)  intergovernmentalism 
D)  unitary system 
E)  internationalism

Question 3

In education policy,the national and state governments often cooperate or share resources.For example,Congress may mandate certain educational standards,while local governments operate the daily function of schools.What is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

A)  dual federalism 
B)  cooperative federalism 
C)  intergovernmentalism 
D)  cooperationism 
E)  interventionism

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of a negative externality?

Accepted Answer

A)  increased sales of generic food items 
B)  increased water pollution from a factory in another state 
C)  river walks along the Mississippi river 
D)  clean air from new coal technologies 
E)  increased charitable contributions from tax rate changes

Question 5

Which of the following best describes how the Founders decided to deal with the question of national versus state power in the United States Constitution?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Constitution clearly and overwhelmingly gives power to the national government. 
B)  The Constitution clearly and overwhelmingly gives power to the state governments. 
C)  The Constitution says nothing, but the Supreme Court solved the issue in Marbury v. Madison (1803). 
D)  The Constitution declares an explicit mixing of powers between the two bodies. 
E)  The Constitution leaves these questions for future generations to decide.

Question 6

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,which regulates transportation,commercial interaction,and water management in both states,is an example of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a federal task force 
B)  a special district 
C)  regional government 
D)  a business district 
E)  a Department of the Interior

Question 7

Difficulty in coordinating action among the states under the Articles of Confederation led to important problems for regulating the national economy and ensuring national security.This led the framers of the U.S.Constitution to abandon the ____________________ system created by the Articles of Confederation in favor of a ____________________ system under the Constitution.

Accepted Answer

A)  unitary/federal 
B)  federal/unitary 
C)  unitary/confederal 
D)  confederal/federal 
E)  federal/confederal

Question 8

What does the Fourteenth Amendment do?

Accepted Answer

A)  It guarantees women the right to vote. 
B)  It mandates that the United States and each state provide all citizens with equal protection and due process. 
C)  It prohibits the federal government from assuming powers preserved for the states. 
D)  It authorizes the federal government to tax income. 
E)  It prohibits slavery.

Question 9

Which constitutional arrangement most clearly balances the desire to maintain regional autonomy with the need to ensure effective national governance over areas like national security?

Accepted Answer

A)  national system 
B)  unitary system 
C)  confederal system 
D)  federal system 
E)  international system

Question 10

How are state and national elections most similar?

Accepted Answer

A)  In both cases, electoral districts must be drawn to represent populations of equal size. 
B)  In both cases, citizens elect officers like the secretary of state and attorneys general. 
C)  In both cases, citizens vote directly on laws through referendums or ballot initiatives. 
D)  In both cases, citizens vote to recall elected officials 
E)  In both cases, citizens elect representatives who work full-time and year-round.

Question 11

How can the relative levels of taxes impact relationships between states?

Accepted Answer

A)  generate federal government jobs 
B)  increase competition among cities and states 
C)  lower budgets 
D)  decrease public funding 
E)  increase the Supreme Court's power

Question 12

Why was the Civil War an important event in the development of the American political system?

Accepted Answer

A)  It revealed how differently the North and South interpreted the Constitution when it came to the relationship between the states and the federal government. 
B)  The leaders of the Confederacy relied on a view of American federalism that held that the country was created by agreement among sovereign states. 
C)  The leaders of the Union believed the Constitution meant the United States is a sovereign country, and the preamble declared that "the people" had created an indissoluble union. 
D)  Approximately 620,000 Americans died during the war; one out of every 10 able-bodied men in the North and one out of four in the South were killed or injured. 
E)  It settled the issues of secession and slavery, and emphatically shifted the country away from a federal system.

Question 13

Which of the following is a reason why a federation is a stronger form of union than a confederation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Subunit governments retain full sovereignty. 
B)  The national government cannot compel subunit governments to act. 
C)  United action requires voluntary compliance. 
D)  Subunit governments face serious collective-action problems that inhibit them from achieving the common good. 
E)  Subunit governments have constitutionally protected status.

Question 14

Which of the following best describes an example of how the federal government could strengthen federalism?

Accepted Answer

A)  institute a nation-wide speed limit 
B)  institute plans which allow Medicare policies to vary 
C)  make block grants contingent on a specified drinking age 
D)  nationalize state army reserve systems 
E)  implement Supreme Court decisions uniformly

Question 15

Which is true of a state that has home rule as part of its constitution?

Accepted Answer

A)  The federal government is forbidden from interfering with state-level decision making. 
B)  The state government is not bound by international treaties. 
C)  Major cities can make international trade agreements. 
D)  Local governments have wide authority. 
E)  State governments are forbidden from interfering in local decision making.

Question 16

Which of these systems shares power most between state and national units?

Accepted Answer

A)  monarchy 
B)  unitary government 
C)  federalist government 
D)  anarchy 
E)  autarky

Question 17

Which institution has historically played the primary role in refereeing conflicts over the relative scope of federal and state powers under the U.S.	Constitution?

Accepted Answer

A)  the president 
B)  the United States House of Representatives 
C)  the Supreme Court 
D)  the United States Senate 
E)  the National Council of State Legislatures

Question 18

In the United States,the central government is typically charged with creating and enforcing environmental regulations.What is the principal advantage of having central control rather than state control over environmental policy?

Accepted Answer

A)  Central control allows national experts to create policies that most effectively match the diverse needs and circumstances of the states. 
B)  Central control maximizes the ability of ordinary citizens to interact with policy makers. 
C)  Central control allows citizens to have access to institutions of direct democracy, like the ballot initiative, to reform regulations with which they are unsatisfied. 
D)  Central control minimizes the economic impact of environmental policies. 
E)  Central control allows states to avoid problems of coordination and enforcement that might otherwise prevent the effective regulation of environmental quality.

Question 19

Suppose California adopts environmental rules that permit manufacturers to emit more pollutants into the air,which affects air quality in Nevada and other neighboring states.This is an example of a/an ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  intergovernmental transfer 
B)  coordination problem 
C)  optimal response 
D)  unitary system 
E)  negative externality

Question 20

Categorical grants,block grants,and other kinds of intergovernmental financial transfers are most indicative of which set of constitutional arrangements?

Accepted Answer

A)  direct democracy 
B)  representative democracy 
C)  dual federalism 
D)  cooperative federalism 
E)  separation of powers

Exam 3: Federalism