California State University, Northridge » Political Science » POLS 155 - American Political Institutions » Fall 2021

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Question #1

How does addressing a public health crisis BEST relate to the concept of federalism?

A. In a federal system, the national government is the only government entity with the power to address matters of public health.

B. In a federal system, power shifts to the states to resolve their own public health problems.

C. In a federal system, neither the states nor the national government has the power to address public health issues.

D. In a federal system, both states and the national government have powers that can affect the issues brought on by a public health crisis.

Question #2

Which of the following statements about federalism is correct?

A. The Framers generally followed the model of federalism outlined in the Articles of Confederation.

B. Ensuring federalism was one of the easier tasks undertaken by the Framers of the Constitution.

C. Federalism primarily entails the growth of the federal government.

D. Federalism was a subject of intense debate during the drafting of the Constitution.

Question #3

Madison’s concept of “double security” was PRIMARILY intended to check which of the following?

A. the executive branch

B. the rising Confederacy

C. the growth of state power

D. the abuse of political power

Question #4

What is federalism?

A. the division of power between the federal and state governments

B. a policy designed to enhance the power of the federal government

C. the division of power between civilian and military leadership

D. the division of power between the three branches of government

Question #5

Under the Articles of Confederation, states generally felt which of the following with regard to the federal government?

A. States felt that the federal government had far too much power over their affairs.

B. Southern states opposed the federal government while Northern states supported it.

C. States enjoyed their sovereignty from the federal government.

D. States wanted to abolish the federal government completely.

Question #6

Which of the following characterizes the evolution of the balance of power between state, local, and national governments?

A. The debate surrounding the balance of power has almost completely disappeared.

B. Local governments have assumed sole responsibility for domestic issues.

C. The federal government has progressively assumed greater responsibility for domestic and economic issues.

D. State governments share virtually none of the same powers as the federal government.

Question #7

Which governmental institution is PRIMARILY credited with the most recent shift in the balance of power between the state and federal governments?

A. the Supreme Court

B. the executive branch

C. the House of Representatives

D. the Senate

Question #8

How can the most recent version of federalism be characterized?

A. The federal government dominates the states more than ever before.

B. There has been no change in federalism since the mid-20th century.

C. Some power has shifted back to the states.

D. The states are now more powerful than the federal government.

Question #9

The Congress shall have Power ... ... To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. Which of the following explanations BEST describes the meaning of the above clause from Article I, section 8, of the Constitution?

A. It expands Congress’s power by allowing Congress to pass any laws that are “necessary and proper” for it to carry out its enumerated powers under the Constitution.

B. It limits Congress’s power by allowing Congress to pass only those laws that are “necessary and proper” for it to uphold and defend the principles in the Constitution.

C. It allows Congress to establish banks or other financial institutions as long as they are deemed “necessary and proper” for maintaining the stability of the nation’s economy.

D. It enhances the power of the states by allowing them to do whatever is “necessary and proper” to prevent Congress from overstepping its constitutional authority.

Question #10

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding. Based on your reading of the Supremacy Clause of Article VI, which of the following actions would be considered unconstitutional?

A. an amendment to a state constitution that establishes the right to religious freedom at the state level

B. a state court ruling that conflicts with the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage

C. the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which allowed the federal government to monitor state-run elections

D. a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation that overrules a state court judgment involving food-safety labels

Question #11

Why did the federal government first decide to charter national banks?

A. One of Congress’s enumerated powers under the Constitution is the authority to charter national banks.

B. State government officials requested that the federal government charter a national bank to lend states money.

C. State-owned banks were charging the federal government too much interest on loans to pay debts from the War of 1812.

D. State-owned banks had declared bankruptcy as a result of debt accumulated during the War of 1812.

Question #12

Why did Maryland decide to tax the national bank?

A. The United States started borrowing almost exclusively from the national bank instead of state banks.

B. Maryland had a standing law that all banks would be taxed equally.

C. The federal government had previously taxed state banks excessively.

D. Anti-Federalists in the Maryland legislature wanted to test the limits of national power.

Question #13

When McCulloch v. Maryland was heard before the Supreme Court, John Marshall was the chief justice. Given that he was a Federalist, how would you expect him to rule in this case?

A. in favor of state banks

B. in favor of Maryland

C. in favor of McCulloch

D. in favor of Philadelphia

Question #14

The first question before the Court was whether Congress could even charter a bank at all. Why was this an issue?

A. Chartering banks was exclusively the province of state governments, according to the Constitution.

B. Chartering a bank was not among Congress’s enumerated powers.

C. Chartering a bank was not among Congress’s implied powers.

D. Chartering banks would lead to government corruption by allowing members of Congress undue influence over financial markets.

Question #15

Why did Chief Justice John Marshall hold that the United States did have the power to charter a national bank?

A. The power to charter a bank is an implied power of the president.

B. The Supremacy Clause, in combination with the enumerated power of Congress to borrow money on the credit of the United States, gives Congress the implied power to establish banks in order to pay off war debts.

C. The power to charter a bank is an enumerated power of Congress.

D. The Necessary and Proper Clause, in combination with the enumerated power of Congress to regulate commerce and coin money, gives Congress the implied power to charter a national bank.

Question #16

What was the second question before the Court?

A. Can a bank be owned by members of Congress?

B. Can the federal government tax nonprofit organizations?

C. Can a federal institution tax a state government?

D. Can a state tax a federal institution?

Question #17

What did Marshall mean in saying that “the power to tax is the power to destroy”?

A. A sufficiently high tax could ensure that no institution could survive.

B. A federal income tax is an unconstitutional exercise of congressional power.

C. Taxes tend to hurt the poor more than they hurt businesses or the wealthy.

D. High taxes are unconstitutional because they violate private-property rights.

Question #18

Why was Maryland’s tax on the national bank ultimately found to be unconstitutional?

A. Maryland’s tax was not found to be unconstitutional.

B. The tax would have bankrupted the national government.

C. Taxes on all government-owned banks are unconstitutional.

D. State governments do not have power over the national government.

Question #19

Which of the following terms captures what the case was really about?

A. federalism

B. civil rights

C. executive authority

D. judicial review Incorrect

Question #20

Washington has legalized the production, distribution, and use of marijuana within the state. With which of the following regulations does this policy conflict?

A. state regulations that prohibit marijuana in the workplace

B. local laws that make marijuana illegal

C. federal laws that make marijuana illegal

D. health recommendations issued by the American Medical Association

Question #21

Why are pot growers on Vashon Island concerned about transporting their product across Puget Sound?

A. The waterways are notorious areas of piracy and lawlessness.

B. The waterways are regulated by the Washington State Police.

C. The waterways are regulated by federal agencies.

D. The waterways are patrolled by anti-drug vigilantes.

Question #22

According to the decision in McCulloch v. Maryland, which of the following laws would have the final say in this issue?

A. Seattle municipal laws regulating transportation

B. Washington state laws regulating controlled substances

C. international drug-trafficking laws

D. U.S. laws regulating controlled substances

Question #23

What other policy areas might result in conflicts between state and national laws?

A. Commerce Clause

B. Net neutrality

C. grants-in-aid

D. international trade

Question #24

Which type of federalism is characterized by the national and state governments working independently of each other?

A. dual

B. cooperative

C. coercive

D. marble cake

Question #25

Which of the following characterizes the power of the national government during the age of dual federalism?

A. working together with the states

B. pertaining mainly to commerce, defense, and international trade

C. unlimited by the Supreme Court

D. relatively high in comparison to the states

Question #26

During the age of dual federalism, the Supreme Court limited the power of the national government through its interpretation of which portion of the Constitution?

A. the Commerce Clause

B. the Supremacy Clause

C. the Necessary and Proper Clause

D. the Full Faith and Credit Clause

Question #27

The federal government became more involved in state and local matters through which of the following measures?

A. hiring bureaucrats to take over state and local governments

B. creating new state and local programs

C. creating federally funded public schools

D. the use of grants-in-aid

Question #28

The issue that acted as a catalyst in the shift toward cooperative federalism was PRIMARILY of what nature?

A. a matter of national defense in the buildup to World War II

B. expansion of executive power

C. civil rights

D. economic and financial

Question #29

Incentives provided by grants-in-aid act as a substitute for which of the following? Choose the BEST answer.

A. constitutional authority

B. dual federalism

C. the Commerce Clause

D. states’ rights

Question #30

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal legislation did which of the following?

A. It resulted in a deepening of the Great Depression.

B. It ushered in an era during which the powers of the federal government were protected by the Supreme Court.

C. It successfully installed extra judges on the Supreme Court.

D. It lessened the power of the central government in relation to the power of the states.

Question #31

What type of issues led to the shift from cooperative to coercive federalism? Choose the BEST answer.

A. voting rights

B. social

C. national defense

D. budgetary

Question #32

How did the national government ensure cooperation with its policies during the era of coercive federalism?

A. through federal grants-in-aid

B. by threatening to remove funding from programs

C. by limiting the reach of the Commerce Clause

D. through social programs aimed at increasing civil rights

Question #33

A federal policy that requires states to comply without receiving federal funds to cover the cost of the policy is an example of what?

A. an unfunded mandate

B. cooperative federalism

C. dual federalism

D. a block grant

Question #34

Proponents of new federalism support which of the following measures?

A. decreasing the federal deficit

B. maximizing the amount of unfunded mandates

C. returning power to the states

D. increasing the size of the federal government

Question #35

What is it called when the federal government delegates power to the states?

A. grants-in-aid

B. unfunded mandates

C. dual federalism

D. devolution

Question #36

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 contained which of the following provisions?

A. It limited Medicaid coverage.

B. It excluded children under 26 from their parents’ health insurance plans.

C. It allowed insurance companies to discriminate against individuals with preexisting conditions.

D. It mandated that all citizens have medical insurance.

Question #37

Why was the healthcare reform legislation challenged in court?

A. Opponents of the law felt that the United States needed a nationwide single-payer healthcare system.

B. Opponents of the law felt that the federal government had overstepped its authority.

C. Opponents of the law felt that there was nothing wrong with the healthcare system in the United States.

D. Opponents of the law felt that the reforms wouldn’t fix any of the problems with the healthcare system in the United States.

Question #38

Modern federalism, or the system in place since the 1930s, has been characterized by which of the following?

A. a steady increase in the power of state governments

B. a steady increase in the power of the federal government

C. a commingling of national and state responsibilities

D. distinct policy jurisdictions between the federal and state governments

Question #39

Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding the nature of the modern federal system?

A. It is characterized by a struggle to balance power between the federal and state governments.

B. It is characterized by a power struggle that has overwhelmingly favored the states.

C. The debate over the balance of power between the federal and state governments has largely been resolved.

D. The backlash from the states in response to growing national power has been greatly reduced.

Question #40

How did the Civil War alter the relationship between the states and the national government?

A. The philosophical debate between the states and national government over equal rights was sorted out.

B. The national government assumed more power over significant governmental decisions and public policy after the Civil War.

C. The philosophical debate between the states and the national government over economic freedom was resolved.

D. The states assumed greater responsibility over laws pertaining to civil liberties after the Civil War.

Question #41

Which president was responsible for a shift toward the modern welfare state?

A. Harry Truman

B. Franklin Roosevelt

C. Theodore Roosevelt

D. Herbert Hoover

Question #42

Events such as the Civil War and the Great Depression have generally resulted in which of the following?

A. a shrinking of the executive branch

B. increased state power relative to the federal government

C. shifts in the balance of power toward the federal government

D. fewer government agencies

Question #43

What must happen before the national government will provide emergency relief to state and local governments?

A. State and local governments must request and approve emergency relief from the national government.

B. Public opinion must demand that leaders in Washington intervene.

C. The national government must deem emergency relief politically necessary.

D. State and local governments must have depleted all their own resources to provide emergency services themselves.

Question #44

The national government withholding highway funding from states until they comply with national laws represents an example of which of the following?

A. unconstitutionality

B. state sovereignty

C. dual federalism

D. coercive federalism

Question #45

According to his 1966 statement, President Johnson considered the establishment of which federal agency to be “an essential building block” for the future of the United States?

A. the Department of Transportation

B. the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

C. the Federal Aviation Administration

D. the Federal Communications Commission

Question #46

Which of the following BEST explains the controversy over net neutrality during the Trump administration?

A. The FCC used its power to regulate interstate commerce, as granted under the Commerce Clause, to effectively end the policy of net neutrality.

B. The FCC sued states that allowed internet service providers to discriminate across websites and web services.

C. The Trump administration enforced a ruling that prohibited internet service providers from discriminating across websites and web services.

D. Before the FCC ruling, state legislatures had passed their own legislation forbidding internet service providers from discriminating across web services.

Question #47

Scientific and technological developments affect issues of federalism in which of the following ways?

A. They tend to create stricter boundaries between states, counties, and towns.

B. They engender national disengagement from environmental protection efforts.

C. They lead to the creation of fewer government agencies.

D. They create the potential for more government oversight and new regulations.

Question #48

Reagan’s vision of federalism differed from most other modern presidents’ visions in which of the following ways?

A. He believed that state power should be secondary to that of the federal government.

B. He believed that the federal government should play a significant role in the regulation of industry and transportation.

C. He believed that a federal system should limit the scope of government in order to protect civil liberties.

D. He endorsed unfunded mandates.

Question #49

Clinton’s 1998 executive order on federalism reflected ideas primarily attributed to which of the following?

A. the Republican Party

B. the suffragists

C. the Federalists

D. the anti-Federalists

Question #50

Why did President Clinton suspend Executive Order 13083?

A. It was unconstitutional.

B. He received pressure from state and local governments.

C. He received pressure from Congress.

D. He became a states’ rights advocate.

Question #51

Which of the following is considered a strength of a federal system?

A. It limits oversight and accountability.

B. It provides more opportunities for political participation.

C. It hinders policy development.

D. It depends on state compliance.

Question #52

Which of the following is considered a weakness of a federal system?

A. It hinders policy development and leads to budgetary inefficiency.

B. It promotes the division of labor within government.

C. It maintains local forms of representative government.

D. It discourages separatism and secession.

Question #53

Which of the following represents a major problem with decentralization?

A. Policy development is universalistic.

B. It results in highly inefficient policies.

C. Federal and state governments must share power.

D. It creates an inability to experiment with different policy solutions.

Question #54

According to James Madison, a tyranny of the majority could be avoided in which of the following ways?

A. by having fewer distinct groups in society

B. by decreasing political participation

C. by limiting the sphere of government

D. by having a diversity of views

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POLS 155 - American Political Institutions » Fall 2021 » Chapter 2

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