POLS 206: Chapter 3 Quiz Questions
Which of the following Supreme Court decisions stated that the federal income tax was
unconstitutional?
(a) McCulloch v. Maryland
(b) Hammer v. Dagenhart
(c) Lochner v. New York
(d) Pollock v. Farmer's Loan and Trust Co. - Pollock v. Farmer's Loan and Trust Co.
What is the most common form of federal aid that state and local governments get?
(a) unfunded mandates
(b) no national government
(c) block grants
(d) categorical grants - categorical grants
Which of the following is a disadvantage of federalism?
(a) State governments often choose to ignore or impede federal laws
(b) Nationwide prejudices can be enshrined in law
(c) Programs and policies are often duplicated at different levels of government
(d) Determining penalties for violations of federal crime statutes can be difficult. -
Programs and policies are often duplicated at different levels of government
What event halted the conservative trend toward devolution that began in the early
1990s?
(a) the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
(b) the election of President Obama
(c) welfare reform under President Clinton
(d) Hurricane Katrina - the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
When Congress pressured the states to raise the drinking age from 18 to 21, which
strategy did they use?
(a) categorical grants
(b) no national government influence
(c) block grants
(d) unfunded mandates - unfunded mandates
, Which is an accurate statement describing the growth of the U.S. government?
(a) Conservatives have consistently opposed the expansion of government power at the
federal level
(b) State governments have maintained their power against an expanding federal
government
(c) Despite a changing world, the needs and rights of the citizenry have largely stayed
constant
(d) Liberals have favored intervention by the federal government to fix problems that the
states have not - Liberals have favored intervention by the federal government to fix
problems that the states have not
The U.S. government has never had to take over the functions of a state or local
government because of the federal system created by the Constitution
(a) true
(b) false - false
What is meant by the devolution of power in the United States
(a) the appointment and confirmation of lower officials by the president and Congress
(b) the lapse of government power when unused for a certain period of time
(c) the declaration by a state that a federal law is void within its borders
(d) the transfer of powers from federal to state governments - the transfer of powers
from federal to state governments
Which congressional strategy could be considered "coercive federalism"?
(a) block grants
(b) no national government influence
(c) categorical grants
(d) devolution - categorical grants
What was the significance of the Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) decision?
(a) It gave preference to state power
(b) It set precedent for the Court to rule in economic matters
(c) It broadened the necessary and proper clause
(d) It allowed the federal government to regulate businesses - It allowed the federal
government to regulate businesses
Today, all of the states have a legal drinking age of 21. How did this happen
(a) Congress passed a Constitutional Amendment setting the national drinking age
(b) The federal government withheld funding for state highways until the states raised
the drinking age to twenty-one
Which of the following Supreme Court decisions stated that the federal income tax was
unconstitutional?
(a) McCulloch v. Maryland
(b) Hammer v. Dagenhart
(c) Lochner v. New York
(d) Pollock v. Farmer's Loan and Trust Co. - Pollock v. Farmer's Loan and Trust Co.
What is the most common form of federal aid that state and local governments get?
(a) unfunded mandates
(b) no national government
(c) block grants
(d) categorical grants - categorical grants
Which of the following is a disadvantage of federalism?
(a) State governments often choose to ignore or impede federal laws
(b) Nationwide prejudices can be enshrined in law
(c) Programs and policies are often duplicated at different levels of government
(d) Determining penalties for violations of federal crime statutes can be difficult. -
Programs and policies are often duplicated at different levels of government
What event halted the conservative trend toward devolution that began in the early
1990s?
(a) the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
(b) the election of President Obama
(c) welfare reform under President Clinton
(d) Hurricane Katrina - the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
When Congress pressured the states to raise the drinking age from 18 to 21, which
strategy did they use?
(a) categorical grants
(b) no national government influence
(c) block grants
(d) unfunded mandates - unfunded mandates
, Which is an accurate statement describing the growth of the U.S. government?
(a) Conservatives have consistently opposed the expansion of government power at the
federal level
(b) State governments have maintained their power against an expanding federal
government
(c) Despite a changing world, the needs and rights of the citizenry have largely stayed
constant
(d) Liberals have favored intervention by the federal government to fix problems that the
states have not - Liberals have favored intervention by the federal government to fix
problems that the states have not
The U.S. government has never had to take over the functions of a state or local
government because of the federal system created by the Constitution
(a) true
(b) false - false
What is meant by the devolution of power in the United States
(a) the appointment and confirmation of lower officials by the president and Congress
(b) the lapse of government power when unused for a certain period of time
(c) the declaration by a state that a federal law is void within its borders
(d) the transfer of powers from federal to state governments - the transfer of powers
from federal to state governments
Which congressional strategy could be considered "coercive federalism"?
(a) block grants
(b) no national government influence
(c) categorical grants
(d) devolution - categorical grants
What was the significance of the Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) decision?
(a) It gave preference to state power
(b) It set precedent for the Court to rule in economic matters
(c) It broadened the necessary and proper clause
(d) It allowed the federal government to regulate businesses - It allowed the federal
government to regulate businesses
Today, all of the states have a legal drinking age of 21. How did this happen
(a) Congress passed a Constitutional Amendment setting the national drinking age
(b) The federal government withheld funding for state highways until the states raised
the drinking age to twenty-one
