1.6-1.8 MCQ

Which of the following policies involves more state spending than federal spending?

Education

Which of the following public policy problems is most likely to result from the situation shown in the chart?

Government employees may become responsible for larger bodies of regulation than they can effectively monitor.

Which of the following forms of financial aid from the national government gives the states the broadest discretion in the spending of money?

Block grants

Which of the following is an accurate description of the decision in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) ?

The federal government had the authority to establish a national bank, and Maryland's tax was unconstitutional.

The decision in United States v. Lopez (1995) reflected new ideas about federalism at the time that can be best characterized by which of the following?

A delegation of power from the federal government to state governments, increasing state and local sovereignty

Which of the following best explains how the view of the author of the passage compares with The Federalist 51 regarding separation of powers and checks and balances?

Both the author of the passage and The Federalist 51 assert that the structure of government helps control ambitions among the branches in such a way as to promote effective government.

Which of the following is a consequence of the dynamic competition among branches of government described in the passage?

Effective policy change among governmental levels and branches occurs with little long-term abuse of authority.

In the Constitution as originally ratified in 1788, the provisions regarding which of the following most closely approximate popular, majoritarian democracy?

Election of members of the House of Representatives

Interpretations of this clause have been central to attempts to define the nature of which of the following aspects of the United States political system?

Federalism

The author explains that the powers given to each branch "sometimes appear to swing like a pendulum" from one branch to another. Which of the following best describes how these shifts ensure that constitutional government is functional?

Separation of powers divides responsibilities and authority between branches, which allows each branch to be checked by the other two branches to ensure accountability.

Which of the following is an accurate description of the decision in United States v. Lopez (1995) ?

The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 was struck down as unconstitutional because it exceeded the commerce clause.

Which of the following is true under the system of checks and balances?

The Senate must ratify treaties negotiated by the President before they become law.

The Americans with Disabilities Act, which provides protections for the disabled, is an example of

a federal mandate

The practical effect of this clause has been to

allow the national government to extend its powers beyond those enumerated in the Constitution

States and localities have the most discretion in establishing policy when federal funding is derived from

block grants