3
American Federalism
Multiple–Choice Questions
1. The __________ party favored a strong national government.
a. Anti-Federalist
b. Federalist
c. Libertarian
d. Whig
Topic: Introduction
Learning Objective: Introduction
Page Reference: 72
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
2. Prior to the ratiication of the Constitution, the 13 states were
governed by the Articles of __________.
a. Confederation
b. Federalism
c. Independence
d. Unity
Topic: Deining Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.1: Interpret the deinitions of
federalism, and assess the advantages and disadvantages of the
American system of federalism.
Page Reference: 76
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Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
3. In a(n) __________ system, local and regional governments derive
authority from the national government.
a. unitary
b. bicameral
c. constitutional
d. federal
Topic: Deining Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.1: Interpret the deinitions of
federalism, and assess the advantages and disadvantages of the
American system of federalism.
Page Reference: 76
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
4. What are the two types of powers given to the national
government under the United States Constitution?
a. delegated; implied
b. express; suggested
c. implied; explicit
d. suggested; explicit
Topic: The Constitutional Structure of American Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.2: Diferentiate the powers the
Constitution provides to national and state governments.
Page Reference: 81
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
5. Which type of federalism is being practiced when a state is
forced to operate a program without funding from the U. S.
government?
a. new
b. cooperative
c. coercive
d. competitive
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Topic: Deining Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.1: Interpret the deinitions of
federalism, and assess the advantages and disadvantages of the
American system of federalism.
Page Reference: 76
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
6. A federal program in which states compete with each other to
secure grants for education funding is an example of __________.
a. restrictive federalism
b. competitive federalism
c. new federalism
d. layer-cake federalism
Topic: Deining Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.1: Interpret the deinitions of
federalism, and assess the advantages and disadvantages of the
American system of federalism.
Page Reference: 76
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Moderate
7. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution establishes that federal law is
__________ in conlicts between federal and state law.
a. irrelevant
b. persuasive authority
c. secondary
d. supreme
Topic: The Constitutional Structure of American Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.2: Diferentiate the powers the
Constitution provides to national and state governments.
Page Reference: 82
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
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8. The __________ Amendment says that says that those powers not
given to the federal government are reserved for the states.
a. First
b. Eighth
c. Tenth
d. Fourteenth
Topic: Introduction
Learning Objective: Introduction
Page Reference: 72
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
9. __________ powers are shared by the federal and state
governments.
a. Concurrent
b. Constitutional
c. Federal
d. Uniied
Topic: The Constitutional Structure of American Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.2: Diferentiate the powers the
Constitution provides to national and state governments.
Page Reference: 83
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
10. In the 1980s, states raised the minimum drinking age to 21.
What role did the federal government play in bringing this
about?
a. Congress required states to raise the drinking age as a
condition for receiving federal highway funding.
b. The president issued an executive order requiring states to
raise the drinking age.
c. The Supreme Court issued a decision invalidating state laws
that allowed drinking by people under 21.
d. Congress made raising the drinking age an eligibility
requirement for a competitive grant program.
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Topic: The Constitutional Structure of American Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.2: Diferentiate the powers the
Constitution provides to national and state governments.
Page Reference: 83
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
11. A __________ grant is a large grant to a state by the federal
government with only general spending guidelines.
a. block
b. business
c. commerce
d. federal
Topic: The National Budget as a Tool of Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.4: Analyze the budget as a tool of
federalism, and evaluate its impact on state and local
governments.
Page Reference: 92
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
12. Which of the following countries has a unitary government?
a. Australia
b. Canada
c. United States
d. France
Topic: Deining Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.1: Interpret the deinitions of
federalism, and assess the advantages and disadvantages of the
American system of federalism.
Page Reference: 76
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
13. What was the irst major Supreme Court decision to deine the
relationship between the federal and state governments?
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a. Barron v. Baltimore
b. Dred Scott v. Sanford
c. Gibbons v. Ogden
d. McCulloch v. Maryland
Topic: The National Courts and Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.3: Assess the role of the national
courts in deining the relationship between the national and
state governments, and evaluate the positions of decentralists
and centralists.
Page Reference: 87
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
14. Decentralists justify their position on the basis of __________.
a. the Tenth Amendment
b. The Federalist
c. Article I of the Constitution
d. the Supreme Court’s decision in Gibbons v. Ogden
Topic: The National Courts and Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.3: Assess the role of the national
courts in deining the relationship between the national and
state governments, and evaluate the positions of decentralists
and centralists.
Page Reference: 91
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
15. Which of the following statements best characterizes
Americans’ attitudes toward government aid to the poor?
a. Aid to the poor should be the responsibility of state
governments, not the federal government.
b. Aid to the poor should be the responsibility of private
charities, not the government.
c. Government should help the less fortunate, but the less
fortunate should also help themselves.
d. The federal government should be much more aggressive in
helping the poor.
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Topic: Deining Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.1: Interpret the deinitions of
federalism, and assess the advantages and disadvantages of the
American system of federalism.
Page Reference: 77
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
16. The __________ Mandates Reform Act of 1995 prevents Congress
from passing costly federal programs without a debate about
how to fund them.
a. Cost
b. Commercial
c. Saving
d. Unfunded
Topic: The National Budget as a Tool of Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.4: Analyze the budget as a tool of
federalism, and evaluate its impact on state and local
governments.
Page Reference: 95
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
17. Which type of federalism focuses on the national government’s
strong voice in shaping state action?
a. dual
b. competitive
c. new
d. coercive
Topic: Deining Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.1: Interpret the deinitions of
federalism, and assess the advantages and disadvantages of the
American system of federalism.
Page Reference: 76
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
61
Diiculty Level: Moderate
18. In the United States, the relationship between a state and its
local governments is best characterized as a(n) __________
system.
a. unitary
b. federal
c. restrictive
d. cooperative
Topic: Deining Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.1: Interpret the deinitions of
federalism, and assess the advantages and disadvantages of the
American system of federalism.
Page Reference: 76
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Diicult
19. Which of the following is a limitation on states’ taxing authority?
a. It cannot unduly burden commerce within a state.
b. It cannot unduly burden commerce among the states.
c. It cannot exceed a federal tax on the same goods or services.
d. It must be used to fund public services.
Topic: The Constitutional Structure of American Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.2: Diferentiate the powers the
Constitution provides to national and state governments.
Page Reference: 83
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
20. __________ grants typically allocate federal dollars based upon
population.
a. Block
b. Formula
c. Commerce
d. Uniied
Topic: The National Budget as a Tool of Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.4: Analyze the budget as a tool of
federalism, and evaluate its impact on state and local
governments.
Page Reference: 92
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
21. A grant to a university medical school to support cancer
research is an example of a(n) __________ grant.
a. project
b. lexible
c. academic
d. categorical
Topic: The National Budget as a Tool of Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.4: Analyze the budget as a tool of
federalism, and evaluate its impact on state and local
governments.
Page Reference: 92
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
22. What position would a centralist be most likely to take on the
restrictive immigration laws in Arizona and Alabama?
a. A centralist would support these laws, based on the principle
that each state should be able to create its own immigration
policy.
b. A centralist would oppose these laws, based on a preference
for a consistent national policy over varying state policies.
c. A centralist would support Arizona’s law, but oppose
Alabama’s.
d. A centralist would oppose both policies on the grounds that
government should not be involved in immigration issues.
Topic: Introduction; The National Courts and Federalism
Learning Objective: Introduction; LO 3.3: Assess the role of
the national courts in deining the relationship between the
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national and state governments, and evaluate the positions of
decentralists and centralists.
Page Reference: 89, 90
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
23. What are reserve powers?
a. powers speciically delegated to the national government by
the Constitution
b. powers speciically delegated to state governments by the
Constitution
c. powers not speciically delegated to the national government
by the Constitution
d. powers not speciically delegated to state governments by the
Constitution
Topic: The Constitutional Structure of American Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.2: Diferentiate the powers the
Constitution provides to national and state governments.
Page Reference: 83
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
24. Before the __________, citizens saw the national government as a
distant, even foreign, entity.
a. Revolutionary War
b. Civil War
c. First World War
d. Second World War
Topic: The Politics of Federalism
Learning Objective: LO 3.5: Evaluate the current relationship
between the national and state governments and the future
challenges for federalism
Page Reference: 97
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Easy
25. The power to __________ and __________ includes the right to
place conditions on the receipt of federal money.