Ap gov test #2
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
Based on The Federalist 21, which of the following arguments about government would Hamilton likely agree with?
As a practical matter, the laws of the national government ought to have supremacy over state laws.
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 policies would the states most likely prefer according to the political cartoon?
Block grants
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 actions did President Johnson suggest he would take to address problems in public schools?
Calling on experts to advise the federal government in finding ways to improve public education
Which of the following powers allows both the federal and state governments to make policies involving taxation?
Concurrent powers
The decision of the Supreme Court upheld the principle that
Congress has the power to make laws to carry out its constitutional duties
All of the following are ways that the legislative branch can check the powers of the executive branch EXCEPT:
Congress may pass a law declaring a presidential action unconstitutional.
Which of the following policies involves more state spending than federal spending?
Education
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) required states to implement standards-based education reform in order to receive federal funds. Which of the following criticisms of NCLB is being expressed in the cartoon?
Education resources are being systematically reduced, while education standards are becoming more unreachable.
In 2005, the Utah legislature passed a law that allowed school districts to ignore parts of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), a law passed by Congress in 2001 that supported standards-based education reform. Utah did this despite the fact that it endangered losing $76 million in federal aid to Utah public schools. Which of the following statements best explains why Utah took this action?
Educational policy is not mentioned in the Constitution, which has created debate about the proper role for the national government in educational policy.
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
Unlike the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution does which of the following?
Emphasizes both national sovereignty and federalism.
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
Which of the following constitutional principles best explains why there is variation among states on the use of capital punishment?
Federalism
Which of the following constitutional principles most directly addresses the relationship between the national and state governments?
Federalism
Under the Articles of Confederation, which of the following were true?I. Congress could not tax the states directly.II. The executive branch of government exercised more power than Congress.III. Congress was a unicameral body.IV. States were represented in Congress proportionally according to population.
I and III
The Connecticut (Great) Compromise drafted at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 is significant for which of the following reasons?
It proposed a Senate with equal representation for each state and a House of Representatives with membership established according to the population of each state.
The president cannot veto which of the following?
Joint resolutions that propose constitutional amendments
Which of the following is the best example of a categorical grant?
Money given to states for special education programs
Which of the following actions by the federal government best illustrates the concept of unfunded mandates?
Requiring states and municipalities to provide certain services for their citizens without providing resources to pay for those services
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 functio
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 the most accurate interpretation of the political cartoon
State governments prefer federal funding but do not want federal oversight over how the money is spent.
In McCulloch v. Maryland , the Supreme Court established which of the following principles?
States cannot interfere with or tax the legitimate activities of the federal government.
Which of the following scenarios best exemplifies Madison's argument in The Federalist 46 ?
States passing laws that allow increased legal use of marijuana even though federal law prohibits marijuana
George Washington's Farewell Address, 1796 In what respect does the Constitution address Washington's concern regarding the "spirit of encroachment" expressed in the excerpt?
The Constitution distributes power across national institutions.
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 procedures results in the removal of the President from office?
The House votes for impeachment, and the Senate conducts a trial and reaches a guilty verdict.
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.
Which of the following is an example of the constitutional design of checks and balances?
The Senate rejects a president's nomination for secretary of state.
Of the following, which has been used most to expand the power of the national government?
The commerce clause of the Constitution
Which of the following was the most important effect of replacing the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution of 1787?
The creation of a strong national government
Which of the following debates is most relevant to the excerpt from The Federalist 46 ?
The debate over whether states should cooperate with the federal government's immigration enforcement policies
Which of the following is the best example of a constitutional concept that supports the vision of the United States as a union of states, rather than a union of individual citizens?
The electoral college
Which of the following best defines the constitutional interpretation of federalism?
The federal government and the states have separate but overlapping powers; where these powers conflict the federal government prevails.
In the passage, Hamilton is concerned that under the Articles of Confederation, the federal government does not have sufficient constitutional powers to gain compliance from state governments. Which of the following is a way that the Constitution allows the federal government to address this problem?
The federal government can pass laws that allow it to fine or tax individuals directly.
Which of the following scenarios illustrates a solution for the problem of getting states to comply with federal government policies, as described in the passage?
The federal government can withhold highway funds from states that do not raise the age to drink alcohol to 21.
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.
Which of the following is a correct statement about the federal government's role in interstate commerce?
The federal government's role has been greatly expanded through the interpretation of the interstate commerce clause.
The procedure for formally amending the United States Constitution best illustrates which of the following?
The federal structure of the United States government
In the early part of the twenty-first century, public opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans believed it should be illegal to burn the American flag. As a result, many members of Congress introduced amendments to make it illegal to burn or desecrate the American flag. However, these efforts have been unsuccessful. Which of the following statements best explains why these efforts have been unsuccessful? A
The framers made the amendment process difficult in order to protect individual rights.
Which of the following clauses in the Constitution justifies the "implied powers doctrine" ?
The necessary and proper clause
Which of the following constitutional provisions broadened the power of Congress?
The necessary and proper clause
Which of the following resulted from this Supreme Court decision?
The power of the national government was strengthened.
Which of the following is an example of how separation of powers creates friction between the executive and legislative branches in the policy-making process?
The president threatens to issue an executive order for stricter gun control if Congress continues to refuse to take action.
Which of the following is an example of checks and balances in action in the United States government?
The president vetoes a bill passed by Congress.
By using the phrase "creative federalism," President Johnson is most likely referring to which of the following features of the American system?
The relationship between the federal and state governments evolves over time and flexible enough to permit new forms of interaction.
Which of the following is an example of checks and balances, as established by the Constitution?
The requirement that presidential appointments to the Supreme Court be approved by the Senate
In the 1780s, proponents of the new Constitution cited Shays' Rebellion as an example in support of which of the following criticisms of the national government under the Articles of Confederation?
There was a lack of a national military power to address security concerns.
Concurrent powers have which of the following effects on the United States political system?
They make it possible for the states and the national government to simultaneously exercise influence in the same areas of public policy.
Which of the following is a method by which Congress is likely influencing state policy being depicted in the cartoon?
Unfunded mandates
Many scholars argue that categorical grants-in-aid do which of the following?
Weaken the power of state governors and legislators
The Connecticut (Great) Compromise provided for
a bicameral legislature with one house's composition based upon state population and another's on equal state representation
The Americans with Disabilities Act, which provides protections for the disabled, is an example of
a federal mandate
All of the following are consequences of the federal system in the United States EXCEPT
a strict division of power among levels of government
The practical effect of this clause has been to
allow the national government to extend its powers beyond those enumerated in the Constitution
The legislative process at the national level reflects the intent of the framers of the Constitution to create a legislature that would
be cautious and deliberate
States and localities have the most discretion in establishing policy when federal funding is derived from
block grants
Giving state governments greater discretion in deciding how to achieve the specific goals of welfare reform is an example of
devolution
All of the following were concerns about the Articles of Confederation that led to the calling of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 EXCEPT
dissatisfaction over safeguards of individual rights and liberties
In a federal system of government, political power is primarily
divided between the central government and regional governments
The supremacy clause in the Constitution states that
federal law takes precedence over state law when the laws conflict
The terms "fiscal federalism" and "cooperative federalism" refer to situations in which
federal, state, and local governments work together to complete a project, with the federal government providing much of the project funding
Diversity of public policy throughout the United States is primarily a consequence of
federalism
In contrast to revenue sharing, categorical grants-in-aid provide state and local governments with
funds to administer programs clearly specified by the federal government
As originally ratified, the United States Constitution included provisions designed to
increase the economic powers of the central government
The importance of Shays' Rebellion to the development of the United States Constitution was that it
indicated that a strong, constitutionally designed national government was needed to protect property and maintain order
The framers of the United States Constitution left decisions on voting eligibility to the
individual states
Constitutional checks and balances, especially applied to the president, are designed to
minimize the threat of tyranny from any one branch of government
The reserved powers of the state governments can best be described as those powers
not specifically granted to the national government or denied to the states
Of the following, the most significant difference between the Constitution of 1787 and the Articles of Confederation was that the Constitution
provided for a strong national government with many powers, while the Articles created a weak central government with few independent powers
After a constitutional amendment has been proposed by both houses of Congress, its adoption requires
ratification by three-fourths of the states
The congressional power that has been contested most frequently in the federal courts is the power to
regulate interstate commerce
he Americans with Disabilities Act was widely unpopular with governors and mayors because it
required that states and cities pay for federally mandated construction and remodeling
The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to
reserve powers to the states
When independent regulatory agencies make rules, enforce those rules, and adjudicate disputes arising under those rules, they risk violating the constitutional concept of
separation of powers
The most significant trend in federal-state relations during the 1980s was
shifting the responsibilities and costs for many programs to state governments
The Articles of Confederation implemented the principle of
state sovereignty
The clause in the United States Constitution that states that federal law will prevail in the event of a conflict between federal and state law is known as the
supremacy clause
One example of constitutional checks and balances is
the House can impeach federal judges and the president, and the Senate holds the impeachment trial
In the United States political system, the term Federalism refers to
the division of powers between the levels of government
Throughout most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most African Americans were prevented from voting in many Southern states despite the Fifteenth Amendment, which extended the right to vote to African American males. Southern states were able to take this action because
the framers allowed the individual states to create voting processes and voter qualifications
All of the following issues were decided at the Constitutional Convention EXCEPT
voting qualifications of the electorate
A prominent example of the process of returning more of the responsibilities of governing from the national level to the state level is
welfare reform
