Unit 7: State and Local Government

Why are states called "laboratories of democracy"?

Most new social policy ideas are tried by one or two states before the other states or the federal government adopt the ideas.

State constitutions are regularly amended to include policy decisions. Why is this so?

Once policies are written into state constitutions they become harder to change, requiring a new constitutional amendment.

How should the executive branch of one state respond to laws and court decisions in other states?

The full faith and credit clause of the U.S. Constitution requires state executives to honor and enforce the laws and decisions of other states.

What form of municipal government closely matches the structure of most corporations, with a professional manager reporting to an elected board?

council-manager

Which term refers to the level of local government directly below the state government?

county

What type of government has jurisdiction over a single population center?

municipal

Which of the following are powers that the Constitution limits to the state governments and forbids the federal government from exercising?

reserved powers

What level of government has primary responsibility for setting the qualifications for voting?

state

The fundamental law of state government is written in which of the following documents?

state constitution

What is the name for a level of local government that includes several population centers or a mixture of urban and rural districts and is common in New England?

township