PS 110 Chapter 5: Federalism

True

5.1. The Constitution of the former Soviet Union only in theory created a federal system. (T or F)

False.

5.10. The most important attraction of federal grants-in-aid has been federal budget surpluses. (T or F)

True

5.11. The term "block grant" is often used as a synonym for "revenue sharing." (T or F)

True

5.12. The federal government has increased the number of strings attached to the spending of grant money. (T or F)

True

5.13. Devolution refers to the attempt to shift important functions back to the states. (T or F)

False

5.14. Mandates are conditions attached to the receipt of a specific federal grant. (T or F)

True

5.15. Conditions of aid are binding on local governments only when they receive federal monies for the projects in question. (T or F)

True

5.16. An example of a condition of aid is seen in the passage of a law forbidding discrimination of handicapped people in any program receiving federal aid. (T or F)

False

5.17. The ten-year census has no impact on the distributional formulas of federal grants. (T or F)

True

5.18. Education, law enforcement, and land-use controls are examples of policies the people want local control over. (T or F)

True

5.19. Though the federal government pays for most of the interstate highway programs, local officials decide where those highways go. (T or F)

True

5.2. Devolution refers to the federal government giving programs back to the states. (T or F)

False

5.20. Local policies in America are less diverse than in any other industrialized democracy. (T or F)

True

5.3. In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court concluded that chartering a bank was within the powers of Congress. (T or F)

False.

5.4. The Tenth Amendment was added to the Constitution in order to enhance the powers of the federal government. (T or F)

True

5.5. The doctrine of nullification held that a state, within its boundaries, could refuse to enforce a federal law that exceeded the national government's authority. (T or F)

False.

5.6. The doctrine of dual federalism came out of the debate on nullification. (T or F)

True

5.7. The federal government sometimes finds that the political limitations on its exercise of power over the states are greater than the constitutional limitations. (T or F)

False.

5.8. Interstate and intrastate commerce mean the same thing. (T or F)

False.

5.9. Today, most commerce is regulated at the state level. (T or F)

McCulloch v. Maryland

A Supreme Court decision embodying the principle of implied powers of the national government.

b. group of categorical or project grants.

A block grant is essentially a: a. grant that benefits a single local unit, or block. b. group of categorical or project grants. c. reverse grant-in-aid where money flows from states back to the federal government. d. project grant with tighter restrictions. e. grant that only cities can receive.

categorical grants

A federal grant for a specific purpose, often with accompanying conditions and/or requiring a local match.

fiscal federalism

A form of federal regulation used to reduce local control over local government service through federal grants.

c. meeting national needs such as reducing pollution.

A major shift in the focus of federal grant-in-aid programs took place in the 1960s. This shift was toward: a. meeting the demands of individual states and cities. b. requiring states to fund national programs. c. meeting national needs such as reducing pollution. d. requiring states to share their revenues with other states. e. advancing states' rights.

b. distributional formulas.

A method by which block grants and other federal funds are allocated: a. federal controls. b. distributional formulas. c. procedural points of order. d. mandates e. conditions of aid.

unfunded mandate

A rule that requires states to spend money but does not allow federal money to be used.

federal system

A system in which sovereignty is shared between the national and the state governments.

unitary system

A system in which sovereignty is wholly in the hands of the national government.

confederation system

A system in which the state governments are sovereign and the national government may do only what the states permit.

a. the federal government steadily increased the number of strings attached to such grants.

According to your text, both revenue sharing and block grants have enjoyed only marginal success, in part because: a. the federal government steadily increased the number of strings attached to such grants. b. money from categorical grants shrunk so low as to make these other grants essential. c. these grants were based on local priorities rather than on the needs of the nation as a whole. d. these grants discouraged federal control over how the money was to be used. e. many states refuse the money.

a. get federal money into state hands without violating the Constitution.

According to your text, the grant-in-aid system grew rapidly because it helped state and local officials resolve a dilemma. This dilemma was how to: a. get federal money into state hands without violating the Constitution. b. limit federal taxation power without reducing aid to states. c. increase federal taxation power without violating the Constitution. d. shift financial control of state programs to the federal government without violating states' rights. e. fund two world wars.

b. commerce clause.

After the Civil War, the debate about the meaning of Federalism focused on the interpretation of the _______________. a. necessary and proper clause. b. commerce clause. c. doctrine of incorporation. d. grant-in-aid system. e. confederal system.

a. The federal government could shift taxation to states.

All but which of the following are reasons grant-in-aid systems grew rapidly throughout the twentieth century? a. The federal government could shift taxation to states. b. The federal government had the money to spend. c. The federal government could print money when it needed it. d. It was politically wise for states to get money from the federal government rather than by raising their own taxes. e. cities were prohibited from raising their own revenue.

devolution

An effort to shift responsibility for a wide range of domestic programs from Washington to the states.

d. confirm the supremacy of the federal government in the exercise of the constitutional powers granted to Congress.

An important outcome of Chief Justice John Marshall's ruling in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) was to: a. place limits on the constitutional powers granted to Congress by refusing McCulloch's appeal. b. give greater power to the states in taxing agents of the federal government, including banks. c. protect newspaper editors who publish stories critical of the federal government. d. confirm the supremacy of the federal government in the exercise of the constitutional powers granted to Congress. e. enhance protections afforded under the First Amendment.

procedural point of order

An opportunity for a member of Congress to object to a federal mandate costing states and cities more than $50 million.

national supremacy

Article VI of the Constitution that states the laws and treaties of the federal government are the "supreme law of the land."

c. the difficulty of adapting categorical grants to local needs.

Block grants were designed to remedy a common criticism of categorical grants, namely: a. their lack of specificity. b. the lack of condition under which such grants were made. c. the difficulty of adapting categorical grants to local needs. d. their discriminatory nature—decisions are too often based on politics. e. their lack of federal oversight.

e. Hamiltonian position

Chief Justice John Marshall was a stanch supporter of the _____ when it came to his view of federal powers. a. anti-federalist position b. necessary and proper position c. Jeffersonian position d. confederal position e. Hamiltonian position

grants-in-aid

Federal funds provided to states and localities.

a. exist independently and make their own decisions on some matters.

Governments are not federal unless local units of governments can: a. exist independently and make their own decisions on some matters. b. overrule the federal government. c. secede from any voluntary union. d. have equivalent powers with the federal government. e. be exempt from federal court intervention.

d. all of the above.

In general, the states exercise predominant authority over the following services: a. the police. b. public schools. c. the use of land. d. all of the above. e. none of the above.

c. condition of aid.

In order for states to qualify for certain federal highway funds, they must allow drivers to make a legal right-hand turn after stopping at a red light. This requirement by the federal government is known as a:. a. mandate. b. quid pro quo order. c. condition of aid. d. pro bono requirement. e. directive.

b. decentralization.

In short, a federal system lowers the cost of organized political activity by virtue of the __________ of authority. a. centralization. b. decentralization. c. opposition. d. claiming. e. challenging.

e. state

In the United States, highways and some welfare programs are largely _____ functions. a. federal b. regional c. confederal d. constitutional e. state

e. the income tax

Inaugurated in the 1920s, __________ proved to be a marvelous flexible tool of public finance: a. federalism b. interstate commerce c. intrastate commerce d. intergovernmental lobbies e. the income tax

c. federal funds.

Members of the intergovernmental lobby are chiefly concerned with obtaining: a. political appointments. b. constitutional amendments. c. federal funds. d. equal rights. e. equal access to political resources.

d. national

One clear outcome of the Civil War was that the _____ government would be supreme. a. provincial b. county c. city d. national e. state

d. different political groups pursuing different political purposes will come to power.

One important feature of a federal system such as that of the United States is that: a. in matters of national concern—military spending, for example—state and local governments will make governing difficult. b. the cost of organized political activity will be higher than in a unitary system. c. most local programs such as welfare and taxation will be funded and regulated at the national level. d. different political groups pursuing different political purposes will come to power. e. special interest groups are discouraged from forming.

b. made welfare a purely local matter.

Reagan's 1981 proposal for more clearly sorting out national from state and local responsibilities was unsuccessful largely because it would have: a. turned the responsibility for education over to the national government. b. made welfare a purely local matter. c. ended the kinds of ambiguity on which courts thrive. d. created huge federal budget deficits. e. undermined the opposition party.

elastic language

Refers to the wording of the "necessary and proper" clause.

d. relations between the national and state governments.

Since the adoption of the constitution in 1787, the single most persistent source of political conflict has been: a. slavery. b. the economy. c. the provision of social welfare programs. d. relations between the national and state governments. e. the regulation of business.

10th Amendment

The clause that stipulates that powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the states or to the people.

nullification

The doctrine espoused by Calhoun that states could hold certain national policies invalid within their boundaries.

b. the claimed authority of the states to declare a federal law void for violating the Constitution.

The doctrine of nullification refers to: a. the power of Congress to veto state laws that violate the Constitution. b. the claimed authority of the states to declare a federal law void for violating the Constitution. c. the power of the president to veto state laws for violating the Constitution. d. the authority of the president to dissolve Congress and to call for new elections. e. the ability of Congress to overturn a presidential veto.

dual federalism

The doctrine that both state and national governments are supreme in their respective spheres.

a. grants more sovereignty to the individual states.

The government in the South during the Civil War was called a "Confederacy." A true confederacy differs from the federalist system of the United States in that it: a. grants more sovereignty to the individual states. b. permits state governments to do only what the central government allows. c. is legally and politically independent of any other government. d. gives local units of government a specially protected existence. e. does not contain a specific guarantee of liberty.

a. categorical grants.

The requirement that a state or locality match federal money is most common with: a. categorical grants. b. land grants. c. block grants. d. revenue sharing. e. tax-exempt organizations.

a. "necessary and proper."

The standard used to determine when the national government may exercise powers not specifically mentioned in the Constitution is: a. "necessary and proper." b. "preferred freedoms." c. "clear and present." d. "mutual noninterference." e. "concurrent powers."

d. the grant-in-aid system.

The use of federal money to finance state-run programs is called: a. dual federalism. b. residual funding. c. mandating. d. the grant-in-aid system. e. regressive tax system.

c. mandates and conditions of aid.

There are two kinds of federal controls on state government activities: a. reforms and acts. b. block grants and categorical grants. c. mandates and conditions of aid. d. implied powers and reserved powers. e. federal guarantees and federal inquiries.

d. states wanted to give up as much local control as possible.

There were four reasons that federal money seemed so attractive to state officials. Which of the following is not one of those reasons. a. during most of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century the federal government was taking in more money than it was spending. b. the income tax. It served as a flexible tool of public finance. c. the federal government managed the money and thus became less worried about the public debt. d. states wanted to give up as much local control as possible. e. the politics of "free money."

a. local governments were not legally independent of the central government.

Ukraine, formerly one of the Soviet republics, had its own local unit of government. Yet the former Soviet Union was not considered a federal system. This is because, in the Soviet Union: a. local governments were not legally independent of the central government. b. local government officials were not elected democratically. c. the central government did not have a constitution. d. central government officials were appointed by local governments. e. there were not three distinct branches of government.

c. state.

Until the 1960's most federal grants-in-aid were designed to essentially serve __________ purposes. a. national. b. presidential. c. state. d. congressional. e. federally mandated.

Hamiltonian position

View that the national government is supreme.