Review Questions

1. Which statement about federal and unitary systems is most accurate?

  1. In a federal system, power is concentrated in the states; in a unitary system, it is concentrated in the national government.
  2. In a federal system, the constitution allocates powers between states and federal government; in a unitary system, powers are lodged in the national government.
  3. Today there are more countries with federal systems than with unitary systems.
  4. The United States and Japan have federal systems, while Great Britain and Canada have unitary systems.

2. Which statement is most accurate about the sources of revenue for local and state governments?

  1. Taxes generate well over one-half the total revenue of local and state governments.
  2. Property taxes generate the most tax revenue for both local and state governments.
  3. Between 30 and 40 percent of the revenue for local and state governments comes from grant money.
  4. Local and state governments generate an equal amount of revenue from issuing licenses and certificates.
3. What key constitutional provisions define the scope of authority of the federal and state governments?
4. What are the main functions of federal and state governments?

5. In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court invoked which provisions of the constitution?

  1. Tenth Amendment and spending clause
  2. commerce clause and supremacy clause
  3. necessary and proper clause and supremacy clause
  4. taxing power and necessary and proper clause

6. Which statement about new federalism is not true?

  1. New federalism was launched by President Nixon and continued by President Reagan.
  2. New federalism is based on the idea that decentralization of responsibility enhances administrative efficiency.
  3. United States v. Lopez is a Supreme Court ruling that advanced the logic of new federalism.
  4. President Reagan was able to promote new federalism consistently throughout his administration.

7. Which is not a merit of cooperative federalism?

  1. Federal cooperation helps mitigate the problem of collective action among states.
  2. Federal assistance encourages state and local governments to generate positive externalities.
  3. Cooperative federalism respects the traditional jurisdictional boundaries between states and federal government.
  4. Federal assistance ensures some degree of uniformity of public services across states.
8. What are the main differences between cooperative federalism and dual federalism?
9. What were the implications of McCulloch v. Maryland for federalism?

10. Which statement about federal grants in recent decades is most accurate?

  1. The federal government allocates the most grant money to income security.
  2. The amount of federal grant money going to states has steadily increased since the 1960s.
  3. The majority of federal grants are block grants.
  4. Block grants tend to gain more flexibility over time.

11. Which statement about unfunded mandates is false?

  1. The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act has prevented Congress from using unfunded mandates.
  2. The Clean Air Act is a type of federal partial preemptive regulation.
  3. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act establishes crosscutting requirements.
  4. New federalism does not promote the use of unfunded mandates.
12. What does it mean to refer to the carrot of grants and the stick of mandates?

13. Which statement about immigration federalism is false?

  1. The Arizona v. United States decision struck down all Arizona’s most restrictive provisions on undocumented immigration.
  2. Since the 1990s, states have increasingly moved into the policy domain of immigration.
  3. Federal immigration laws trump state laws.
  4. States’ involvement in immigration is partly due to their interest in preventing undocumented immigrants from accessing public services such as education and welfare benefits.

14. Which statement about the evolution of same-sex marriage is false?

  1. The federal government became involved in this issue when it passed DOMA.
  2. In the 1990s and 2000s, the number of state restrictions on same-sex marriage increased.
  3. United States v. Windsor legalized same-sex marriage in the United States.
  4. More than half the states had legalized same-sex marriage by the time the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal nationwide in 2015.

15. Which statement about venue shopping is true?

  1. MADD steered the drinking age issue from the federal government down to the states.
  2. Anti-abortion advocates have steered the abortion issue from the states up to the federal government.
  3. Both MADD and anti-abortion proponents redirected their advocacy from the states to the federal government.
  4. None of the statements are correct.
16. What does venue shopping mean?

17. Which of the following is not a benefit of federalism?

  1. Federalism promotes political participation.
  2. Federalism encourages economic equality across the country.
  3. Federalism provides for multiple levels of government action.
  4. Federalism accommodates a diversity of opinion.
18. Describe the advantages of federalism.
19. Describe the disadvantages of federalism.

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