Ch 3
unitary system
A centralized governmental system in which ultimate governmental authority rests in the hands of the national, or central, government.
block grant
A federal grant that provides funds to a state or local government for a general functional area, such as criminal justice or mental-health programs.
categorical grant
A federal grant to a state or local government for a specific program or project
Which of the following is a requirement in federal legislation that forces state and local governments to comply with certain rules?
A federal mandate
cooperative federalism
A model of federalism in which the states and the national government cooperate in solving problems.
dual federalism
A model of federalism in which the states and the national government each remain supreme within their own spheres. The doctrine looks on nation and state as co-equal sovereign powers. Neither the state government nor the national government should interfere in the other's sphere.
enumerated powers
A power specifically granted to the national government by the Constitution. The first seventeen clauses of Article I, Section 8, specify most of the enumerated powers of Congress.
fiscal federalism
A process by which funds raised through taxation or borrowing by one level of government (usually the national government) are spent by another level (typically state or local governments).
federal mandate
A requirement in federal legislation that forces states and municipalities to comply with certain rules.
confederal system
A system consisting of a league of independent states, in which the central government created by the league has only limited powers over the states.
interstate compact
An agreement between two or more states. Agreements on minor matters are made without congressional consent, but any compact that tends to increase the power of the contracting states relative to other states or relative to the national government generally requires the consent of Congress.
In a federal system, which of the following powers are held jointly by the national and state governments?
Concurrent powers
Which of the following political ideologies traditionally favors state governments over the federal government?
Conservatism
Which of the following terms describes how state governments and the national government work together to solve the nation's problems?
Cooperative
A government program that is funded by the national government but operated and managed by state governments is representative of which of the following?
Cooperative federalism
Which of the following powers would the ability to coin money be classified as?
Enumerated
What is the system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between the national and state governments?
Federal system
The era of dual federalism effectively ended with the election of which president?
Franklin Roosevelt
Which of the following is the best example of a categorical grant?
Grants provided to a state or local government to repair a particular stretch of interstate highway
fiscal
Having to do with government revenues and expenditures.
What requirement does the full faith and credit clause place on the individual states?
It honors the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of other states.
In a federal political system, how is authority distributed?
It is divided between the central government and regional or subdivisional governments.
Which of the following statements best describes the police power of the states?
It is the states' authority to legislate for the protection of the health, welfare, safety, and morals of the people.
What is the purpose of block grants given to state or local governments?
It is to be spent in the way the state or local government decides to spend it.
During the time of the Constitutional Convention, why was federalism a viable compromise to the delegates?
It maintained state traditions while creating a strong national government to handle common problems.
Which of the following chief justices worked to increase the power of the national government and to reduce the power of the states in the early part of the nineteenth century?
John Marshall
Which of the following did President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal include?
Large-scale emergency antipoverty programs
Which of the following metaphors is used to describe dual federalism?
Layer cake federalism
Which of the following metaphors is used to describe cooperative federalism?
Marble cake federalism
concurrent powers
Powers held jointly by the national and state governments
In the Dred Scott case, what did the Supreme Court decide that Congress had no power to do?
Prohibit slavery
Which of the following classes of powers are not given to the federal government by the Constitution, nor reserved to the states?
Reserved powers
The advantages of a federal system of government include which of the following?
State governments are frequently testing grounds for new governmental initiatives.
According to Article IV of the Constitution, which of the following best describes the full faith and credit clause?
States must adhere to civil acts and judicial decisions of other states.
What constitutional clause allows federal laws to take precedent over state laws?
Supremacy clause
What preemptive power is rooted in the Constitution that allows Congress to impose national priorities on states through national legislation?
Supremacy clause
Which of the following does the final provision in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, sometimes known as the elastic clause, state?
That Congress can make laws that are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated powers
Which of the following prevents states from using their powers to thwart or challenge federal policy?
The Supremacy clause
Which of the following political institutions settles conflicts related to power sharing between the states and the national government?
The United States Supreme Court
police power
The authority to legislate for the protection of the health, morals, safety, and welfare of the people. In the United States, most police power is reserved to the states.
In a confederal system of government, the central government has which of the following?
The central government possesses almost no real power.
elastic clause, or necessary and proper clause
The clause in Article I, Section 8, that grants Congress the power to do whatever is necessary to execute its specifically delegated powers.
Which of the following gives Congress the power to regulate trade among the states?
The commerce clause
supremacy clause
The constitutional provision that makes the Constitution and federal laws superior to all conflicting state and local laws.
The commerce clause is the basis for which of the following?
The expansion of federal power, especially in the 20th century
What does the doctrine of dual federalism establish?
The national government and the states have authority over defined and mutually exclusive policy areas.
In a unitary system of government, the ultimate government authority is associated with which of the following levels?
The national or central level
What clause in the Constitution grants Congress the power to take action in order to execute its enumerated or expressed powers?
The necessary and proper clause
Which of the following statements regarding the Gibbons v. Ogden case is true?
The power to regulate interstate commerce was determined to be an exclusive national power of the federal government.
commerce clause
The section of the Constitution in which Congress is given the power to regulate trade among the states and with foreign countries.
In the Constitution, why are reserved powers not clearly defined or established?
The states had all the power when the Constitution was written because of the Articles of Confederation.
devolution
The transfer of powers from a national or central government to a state or local government.
Which of the following statements about most concurrent powers is true?
They are not specifically stated in the Constitution but are implied.
What are federal mandates?
They are requirements in federal legislation that force states to comply with federal rules.
When Congress enacted the Tariff of 1828, why did South Carolina attempt to nullify it?
To assert the power of the state governments over the national government and to indicate that a state should have the ultimate authority over its citizens
Why did the Founding Fathers incorporate the principle of privileges and immunities into the Constitution?
To ensure that state governments would not discriminate against another state's citizens
What was the central constitutional question in the McCulloch v. Maryland case?
Whether or not Congress had the power to establish a national bank
