Ch. 3 MC – Flashcard
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Today's effort to scale back the size and activities of the national government and shift responsibilities back to the states has become known as a. devolution. b. anti-federalism. c. reverse-federalism. d. statism. e. repatriation.
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a.
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A system is not federal unless local units of government a. are the official distributors of the national government's resources. b. exist independently and can make decisions independent of the national government. c. answer solely to the national government. d. make decisions in conjunction with national goals and needs. e. are mere administrative subunits of the national government.
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b.
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The text identifies all of the following has having federal systems except a. Canada. b. Australia. c. India. d. Germany. e. Great Britain.
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e.
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William H. Riker, an American political scientist argued that the "main effect" of federalism since the Civil War has been to a. increase ideological conflicts. b. increase the tax burden. c. fuel economic recessions. d. frustrate the efforts of law enforcement. e. perpetuate racism.
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e.
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According to the text, the most "obvious" effect of federalism has been to a. modify ideological conflicts. b. protect the interests of the upper classes. c. facilitate the mobilization of political activity. d. reverse the democratic tendency in the states. e. increase the scope of the president's power.
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c.
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All of the following statements are correct except a. the Constitution does not spell out the powers that the states are to have. b. the delegates at Philadelphia used "federalism" as a synonym for "unitary." c. the Tenth Amendment was added at the insistence of the states. d. the Founders assumed the federal government would have only those powers given to it by the Constitution. e. the Tenth Amendment has rarely had much practical significance.
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b.
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Alexander Hamilton's view of federalism held that a. the federal government and the state governments are equals. b. state governments were superior to the federal government. c. the federal government was superior to the state governments. d. the principle threat to the rights of the people would be the federal government. e. the government was the product of an agreement among the states.
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c.
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The national supremacy view of the newly formed federal government was powerfully defended by Chief Justice a. John Marshall. b. James McCulloch. c. Roger Taney. d. John C. Calhoun. e. James Madison.
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a.
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The landmark case McCulloch v. Maryland determined that a. a state had the power to tax the federal government. b. the federal government had the power to tax a state. c. Congress did not have the power to set up a national bank. d. the "necessary and proper clause" allowed for the creation of a bank. e. the Constitution was established by the states.
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d.
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Although the doctrine of nullification is commonly associated with John C. Calhoun, the notion is plainly evident in a. the Declaration of Independence. b. the Articles of Confederation. c. Madison's notes at the Constitutional Convention. d. the Bill of Rights. e. the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.
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e.
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After the Civil War the debate about the meaning of federalism focused on the ________ clause of the Constitution. a. defense b. tax c. currency d. full faith and credit e. commerce
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e.
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The text suggests that, by the 1940s, Supreme Court rulings concerning the commerce clause a. centered on a rigorous definition of interstate commerce. b. centered on a rigorous definition of intrastate commerce. c. almost always distinguished between interstate and intrastate commerce. d. abandoned hard distinctions between interstate and intrastate commerce. e. consistently struck down federal attempts to regulate commerce.
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d.
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In the 2000 case United States v. Morrison, the Supreme Court refused to connect or extend the scope of the commerce clause to a. school restrictions on guns. b. background checks for gun owners. c. copyright law suits. d. abortion laws. e. violence against women.
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e.
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Which of the following statements regarding state constitutions is incorrect? a. They tend to be far more detailed than the federal Constitution. b. They tend to embody a more expansive view of government responsibilities. c. They tend to embody a more expansive view of individual rights. d. None of the above. e. All of the above.
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d.
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Which procedure allows voters to reject a measure adopted by the legislature? a. Referendum b. Initiative c. Recall d. Roll back e. Addendum
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a.
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Which procedure allows voters to remove an elected official from office? a. Referendum b. Initiative c. Recall d. Roll back e. Addendum
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c.
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The Constitution guarantees the existence of a. cities. b. counties. c. municipal governments. d. townships. e. the states.
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e.
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At first, federal money seemed attractive to state officials because a. there were budget surpluses. b. the federal income tax was a flexible tool of public finance. c. the production and distribution of currency was managed by the federal government. d. it seemed to be "free." e. All of the above.
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e.
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One odd effect of the fair-share formulas used to determine grants for Homeland Security is a. lack of support for major metropolitan areas. b. lack of support for activities and materials related to public safety. c. a skew in funding toward states and cities with low populations. d. confusion of material for personal and public safety. e. a reduction in the number of public safety workers.
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c.
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During the 1960s, federal grant programs were increasingly devised on the basis of _________ needs. a. local b. state c. national d. regional e. A and B
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c.
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In 1960, over 40 percent of all federal grants to state and local government went to a. Education. b. Medicaid. c. Income Security. d. transportation and highways. e. community and regional development.
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d.
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As of 2006, the largest percentage of federal grant money goes toward a. Education. b. Medicaid. c. Income Security. d. transportation and highways. e. community and regional development.
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b.
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The requirement that a state or locality match federal money is most common with a. categorical grants. b. land grants. c. share-pay loans. d. block grants. e. revenue sharing.
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a.
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The Law Enforcement Assistance Act is an example of a a. categorical grant. b. share-pay loan. c. land grant. d. nullification. e. block grant.
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a.
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Block grants and revenue sharing were efforts to a. ensure that state spending was sensitive to federal policies and goals. b. reverse trends by allowing states and localities freedom to spend money as they wished. c. increase the dependency of state governments on federal money. d. accelerate states spending in areas long ignored by Congress. e. increase "strings" on money given to state and local officials.
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b.
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Which of the following has (have) grown fastest in recent years? a. Categorical grants b. Block grants c. Revenue sharing d. All have grown at about the same rates e. None have actually grown
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a.
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30. Which of the following is (are) not among the coalition that prefers categorical grants to block grants and revenue sharing? a. Congress b. The federal bureaucracy c. Organized labor d. Liberal interest groups e. State and local officials
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e.
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The intense debate over the manner in which the federal government distributes funds and awards contracts has been precipitated by a. the reemergence of the Tenth Amendment in Supreme Court jurisprudence. b. the lack of two party competition in a handful of states. c. reductions in discretionary spending. d. a shift in population to the South, Southwest and Far West. e. popular demand for a balanced federal budget.
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d.
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With the advent of grants based on distributional formulas, the ________ has taken on monumental importance. a. balance of trade b. electoral college c. gross national product d. crime rate e. census
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e.
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Most federal mandates concern a. sexual harassment. b. civil liberties and civil rights. c. civil rights and environmental protection. d. waste management. e. law enforcement.
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c.
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A 2006 study found that the highest number of unfunded mandates could be found in the area of ________ policy. a. environmental b. education c. health d. transportation e. law enforcement
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a.
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Which of the following statements is correct? a. It is difficult to obtain a waiver from an administrative agency with regard to education. b. There are a high number of unfunded mandates in education policy. c. The government tends to use more mandates in areas where it spends a great deal of money. d. The government tends to use more mandates in areas where it spends less money. e. Environmental protection waivers are fairly easy to obtain.
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d.
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The text suggests the growth of mandates has been fueled by the fact that a. local citizens can use a federal court to change local practices. b. Congress has taken a greater interest in busing, state prisons, and police brutality. c. few courts have an interest in hearing cases related to mandates. d. the Reagan and Bush administrations supported them so enthusiastically. e. none of the above.
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a.
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The conditions attached to grants are by far the most important federal restriction on state action because a. the Tenth Amendment amplifies their effect. b. they can change, depending upon the size of the state. c. they are not subject to review in the courts. d. state officials play a major role in their interpretation. e. the typical state depends for a quarter or more of its budget on federal grants.
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e.
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When the election of 1994 brought Republican majorities in the House and the Senate, the first key issue in the drive to shift important functions back to the states was a. the war on drugs. b. welfare. c. Social Security. d. law enforcement. e. gender discrimination.
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b.
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The text suggests devolution was actually an "old idea" that acquired "new vitality" because a. courts no longer stood in the way of state policies. b. state constitutions were modified in accordance with federal policies. c. governors and mayors supported the effort. d. Congress, rather than the president, was leading the effort. e. Democratic leaders spearheaded the effort.
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d.
