PLSC 1 PSU Exam 1 Questions With 100% Correct Answers.

During which period of time was federal power more centralized, expanded, and solidified more than any other period in American History? - Answer-New Deal Era () If you were to rank Brazil, Canada, and the U.S. in order, from federation giving the most autonomy to subunit governments to the federation having strongest national government, how would they be ordered? - Answer-Canada (Strongest subunit government), U.S., Brazil (strongest national government) In NYC, a single executive is popularly elected and appoints people to head administrative departments. What form of city government is this? - Answer-Mayoral Suppose that Congress was considering a law that would unify pollution regulations across all 50 states. The justification for this would be that pollution is a collective-action problem, so the federal government is in the best position to address it. By contrast, what might be the main advantage of leaving this legislation at the state level? - Answer-State residents could then choose the level of pollution regulation that best suits their residents Suppose the citizens of a tai-city area need public transit to move across city lines. To handle this, they create a new jurisdiction that collects taxes from everyone in the area and operates bus lines throughout the area. How would this new jurisdiction best be described? - Answer-Special district The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offer Community Development grants, which provide states and local governments with funding to address an extensive range of community development needs. These federal grants have a general purpose but provide communities with considerable freedom in how the money is spent. Community Development grants are an example of which type of grant? - Answer-Block grant The cases of Baker v. Carr (1962) and Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) established that all electoral districts of state legislatures and the U.S. House of Representatives must be equal in size by population within state. What was an immediate consequence of these rulings? - Answer-A dramatic increase in cities' representation in Congress and the state legislatures The cases of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) and Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) established what legal precedent? - Answer-That the national government has wide latitude to regulate commercial activity, even within the statesWhat is dual federalism? - Answer-A political system in which each level of government - national and state - is sovereign in its own sphere of policy authority Which best describes federalism as a political system? - Answer-There are multiple levels of government, and each level has independent authority over some important policy areas Which of the following Supreme Court cases represents a centralization of federal power (a strengthening of the national government) as opposed to a decentralization of federal power (a strengthening of state sovereignty and power)? - Answer-Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) Which of the following clauses in the Constitution gives Congress the authority to make whatever laws are "necessary and proper" in order to execute its enumerated powers? - Answer-Elastic clause Which of the following is an example of a ballot initiative? - Answer-A group of citizens proposing a law legalizing marijuana, which the public then votes on in an election Which of the following is an example of intergovernmentalism failure? - Answer-The federal and state governments' response to the damage from Hurricane Katrina Which of the following is the best example of a national-level policy serving as a response to a collective-action dilemma among states? - Answer-Constructing the interstate highway system Which of the following laws gave the United States Department of Justice the power to oversee elections in southern states? - Answer-Voting Rights Act of 1965 Which of the following programs is the best example of intergovernmentalism? - Answer-Enforcing the Clean Air Act, which is the responsibility of both state authorities and the federal Environmental Protection Agency Which of the following systems of government concentrates the most power at the national level? - Answer-Unitary system Which of the following was NOT a provision of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments? - AnswerPowers not specifically delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states.