question

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?

answer

the supremacy clause

question

the federal system can be best defined as

answer

a system of government in which power is divided between a national government and lower levels of government

question

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

answer

home rule

question

the united states, canada, and switzerland can all be described as ____ while france can be described as a ____ system of government

answer

federal; unitary

question

______ Powers exist when both state and national governments possess a certain level of authority

answer

concurrent

question

The full faith and credit clause of the Constitution requires

answer

states to honor each other's public acts and legal decisions

question

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

answer

police

question

Nations that adopt a federal arrangement tend to have

answer

diverse ethnic or language groups.

question

Why did local governments become administratively important in the early years of the Republic?

answer

They became important because states lacked the administrative capability to implement laws and relied, therefore, on local governments.

question

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

answer

necessary and proper

question

What is the main purpose behind the privileges and immunities clause of Article IV?

answer

it prevents states from discriminating against nonresidents.

question

In ________, the Supreme Court reinterpreted the commerce clause, changing it from a check on national power to a source of national power.

answer

1937

question

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

answer

The justices interpreted the delegated powers of Congress broadly, creating the potential for increased national powers.

question

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) was important because it

answer

established the supremacy of the national government in all matters affecting interstate commerce.

question

Which of the following was NOT a function of government most commonly performed by state governments during the era of dual federalism?

answer

patents and copyrights

question

Which statement best describes American federalism since the 1930s?

answer

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.

question

Which event was most influential in the rise of a more active national government?

answer

the Great Depression

question

"Marble cake federalism" is associated with

answer

intergovernmental cooperation blurring the lines between different layers of government.

question

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

answer

redistributive programs

question

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

answer

reduce the power of the federal government.

question

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

answer

There is a need for greater accountability in how the funds are actually spent by the states.

question

Which of the following statements about federal grants-in-aid is FALSE?

answer

Spending on federal grants-in-aid has decreased dramatically since 1970.

question

One argument for a strong federal government is its role in ensuring ________ across states. liberty

answer

equality

question

________ federalism is evidenced when federal officials establish environmental standards that every state must follow.

answer

regulated

question

Which of the following statements about American federalism is true?

answer

Liberals tend to prioritize social equality as a value.

question

When did civil rights become part of the U.S. Constitution?

answer

Civil rights were incorporated with the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment.

question

The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees

answer

African American men the right to vote.

question

What did the Thirteenth Amendment accomplish?

answer

It abolished slavery

question

What was the Supreme Court's response to the Civil Rights Act of 1875?

answer

The justices declared the act unconstitutional because it protected against acts of private discrimination, not state discrimination.

question

The ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

answer

established the separate but equal rule.

question

During World War II, ________ forced federal officials to address discriminatory hiring practices by threatening massive labor marches on Washington, D.C.

answer

A. Philip Randolph

question

Women were guaranteed the right to vote with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, which was ratified in ________.

answer

1920

question

Legally enforced segregation in public schools is a form of ________ discrimination.

answer

de jure

question

Ten years after Brown v. Board of Education (1954), ________ percent of black children in the Deep South attended school with white children.

answer

1

question

In the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Congress vastly expanded the role of the executive branch and the credibility of court orders by

answer

requiring that federal grants-in-aid to state and local governments for education be withheld from any school system practicing racial segregation.

question

________ was the setting for a major racial confrontation concerning school busing in the 1970s.

answer

Boston

question

In a case of workplace discrimination, which government institution would most likely handle the complaint?

answer

the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

question

In Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857), the justices determined that

answer

slaves were not citizens of the United States and African Americans had no due process rights under the U.S. Constitution. Correct Response : both b and c

question

The constitutional authority of Congress to forbid discrimination in employment is based on the

answer

power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce.

question

Which of the following is true of Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?

answer

The justices outlawed de jure segregation.

question

Which of the following best describes the federal courts' trend toward school desegregation in the 1990s?

answer

The courts decreased the federal supervision of local school desegregation.

question

Which of the following did the President's Commission on Civil Rights NOT discuss in its report, To Secure These Rights?

answer

the consequences of affirmative action in university admissions on African Americans

question

The Supreme Court's decisions on school desegregation policies since 1991 generally suggest that the Court will

answer

be willing to end desegregation plans even when predominantly minority schools continue to lag significantly behind white suburban schools.

question

At what level of scrutiny do federal judges review cases involving gender discrimination?

answer

intermediate scrutiny

question

The rights of disabled individuals to both access public businesses and not be discriminated against in employment are guaranteed by

answer

the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

question

In Lawrence v. Texas (2003), the Supreme Court justices

answer

struck down a state law criminalizing homosexual conduct.

question

Title IX of the 1972 Education Act has had its greatest effect on ________.

answer

university athletic programs

question

Which of the following statements about gender equality is FALSE?

answer

The percentage of female representatives in state legislatures has declined over the last 20 years.

question

Under what conditions can a plaintiff successfully bring a sexual harassment charge?

answer

The plaintiff does not need to prove either economic or psychological harm.

question

In Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), the Supreme Court justices ruled that

answer

quotas and separate admissions standards for minorities were unconstitutional but affirmative action could be used.

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