AP TEST: FEDERALISM

Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following best illustrates a use of the elastic clause?

A. the Supreme Court allows a lower court ruling to stand by refusing to hear an appeal

B. A Congressional committee prevents the full chamber from voting on legislation by delaying a report

C. Congress passes legislation establishing a national speed limit

D. A member of the House of Representatives introduces a bill to increase federal income tax

E. A governor issues an executive order requiring all state employees to submit to drug testing

2. According to The Federalist Papers, federalism has which of the following effects on political functions?

A. It provides a structured environment in which factions may flourish

B. It limits the dangers of factionalism by diluting political power

C. It allows factions to dominate on the national level while limiting their influence on state governments

D. It eliminates any opportunity for factions to form

E. It prevents factions by declaring them illegal

3. Constitutionally, federalism has been influenced by the:

A. system of checks and balances among the three branches of government

B. process by which international treaties are completed

C. special constitutional status of Washington DC

D. the 10th amendment of the Constitution

E. president’s power to grant reprieves and pardons

  1. Which of the following best describes the theory of federalism known as cooperative (marble cake) federalism?

A.The federal government and the states each have separate and mutually exclusive roles and responsibilities; neither controls the other.

B.The states have some powers reserved to them, which they may exercise if the Supreme Court permits.

C.The federal government and the state have separate but overlapping powers; where these powers conflict the federal government prevails.

D.The states may only exercise those powers delegated to them by Congress

E.The federal government may exercise only those powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution.

5. In the 1980’s, the federal government compelled the states to raise their drinking age

by

A.invoking the supremacy clause.

B.creating a national drinking age through congressional legislation.

C.invoking the federal government’s police power.

D.threatening to withhold highway funds.

E.ratifying the twenty-first amendment.

6. The basic premise of federalism is that

  1. two or more governments share power and authority over the same land and people
  2. supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses
  3. supreme political authority remains with the states
  4. a national government has ultimate sovereignty over a country’s land and people
  5. states are sovereign unto themselves

7. The constitutional provision that made cooperative federalism possible is

  1. Article V on amending the Constitution
  2. The supremacy clause
  3. The interstate commerce clause
  4. The Tenth Amendment
  5. The full Faith and Credit Clause

8. The Constitution did not give Congress the authority to establish the Internal Revenue Service. Congress did so, however, to implement its power to “lay and collect taxes.” This is an example of the use of a (n) ______power.

  1. reserved
  2. delegated
  3. implied
  4. expressed
  5. concurrent

9. Someone who believes that the elastic clause of the Constitution should be narrowly interpreted is most likely to endorse the concept of ______federalism.

  1. dual
  2. cooperative
  3. creative
  4. implied
  5. coercive

10. The Tenth Amendment states that the powers not delegated to the national government or prohibited to the states are reserved to

  1. the states of the confederacy
  2. the states
  3. local governments
  4. the national government
  5. the factions

11. The Supreme Court’s interpretation of the commerce clause has generally served to

  1. preserve states’ rights
  2. increase national power
  3. have no consistent effect on national and state power
  4. leave the balance of power between the national and state governments unchanged
  5. decrease national power

12. Since the 1930s, the national government has controlled its grants to the states through detailed rules, regulations, and restrictions because

  1. national payments to the states are actually unnecessary
  2. the national government does not trust the states to use the money for the purpose for which it is given
  3. state governments are not interested in influencing the content of national legislation
  4. state bureaucracies have been shrinking in size
  5. the national government does not have the funding for these programs

Questions 13-14 refer to the following excerpts from a United States Supreme Court decision.

“We are unanimously of opinion, that the law passed by the legislature of Maryland, imposing a tax on the Bank of the United States, is unconstitutional and void...This is a tax on the government of the Union to carry its powers into execution. Such a tax must be unconstitutional...”

13. This decision of the Supreme Court upheld the principle that

  1. The federal government and the state governments are equal
  2. Congress has only those powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution
  3. Congress has the power to make laws to carry out its constitutional duties
  4. Taxation without representation is unconstitutional
  5. The federal government alone may levy taxes

14. Which of the following resulted from this Supreme Court decision?

  1. The power of the national government was strengthened
  2. The power of the Supreme Court was weakened.
  3. The power of state governments to tax individual citizens was clearly limited
  4. Congress was given the power to coin money
  5. Congress alone was given the power to charter banks

15. Which of the following statements about the Supreme Court, the New Deal, and federalism is false?

  1. The Supreme Court was able to block the implementation of the New Deal, in spite of strong public support for these policies
  2. The Supreme Court at first treated the Great Depression as an accumulation of local problems not demanding national action
  3. The Court finally accepted the Tenth Amendment as a truism, rather than as a severe restriction on the power of the national government
  4. From the late 1930s on, the Supreme Court generally upheld Congress’s expansion of national power and programs
  5. FDR’s court-packing scheme seemed to affect the Court’s future rulings concerning federalism
  1. “Dual Federalism” refers to:
  1. the fact that there are separate private and public spheres in American society
  2. the Constitution’s formal recognition of two layers of government- the state and federal governments as two and distinct spheres of influence
  3. the fact that states that border foreign countries can establish trade treaties separately from the national government
  4. the fact that states all have equal power to regulate commerce between themselves.
  5. There is an overlapping sphere of influence between states and the national government
  1. Most of the influence that the national government has over the states comes in the form of:
  1. grants-in-aid
  2. revenue sharing
  3. block grants
  4. applications of the “full faith and credit” clause
  5. the 10th amendment
  1. To what does the term “new federalism” refer?
  1. The national government’s regulation of state action through grants-in-aid
  2. The period from 1866-1933; also known as cooperative federalism
  3. The efforts of Nixon and Reagan to return more policy making discretion to the states
  4. The recent emergence of local governments as significant political actors
  5. The era of President Clinton
  1. Which general area of policy is left up to the states?
  1. foreign policy
  2. military policy
  3. treaties with other countries
  4. health and welfare
  5. coining money

20. Cooperative Federalism of the Great Society was characterized by:

  1. shared costs between the states and national government
  2. guidelines and rules set down by the federal government
  3. only one type of administration of programs
  4. a strict interpretation of Article I, Section 8
  1. I only
  2. II only
  3. I and II only
  4. I, II and III
  5. I, II, III, and IV

21. In Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), the Supreme Court ruled

  1. judicial review was a power of the court
  2. state contracts took precedence over federal law
  3. Congress had the exclusive right to regulate interstate commerce
  4. The states cannot tax the national government
  5. That New York state had a legitimate monopoly on the lower Hudson River
  1. Which of the following is viewed as an advantage of the many governments that characterize American federalism?
  1. Having many governments ensures that all regions and localities are treated equally by the federal government
  2. Government fragmentation makes government as a whole more easily understood by the average citizen
  3. Having many governments makes states more responsive top minorities and the disadvantaged
  4. Having many governments enables the country to experiment with new policies on a small scale
  5. Having many different areas of government encourages gridlock in policymaking
  1. The intended goal of the Republican Revolution on federalism was:
  1. The strengthening of the power of the national government
  2. The return to the strict separation between national and state responsibilities
  3. The acceleration of the ongoing shift of power back to the states
  4. The return of large-scale national government programs that were to be implemented by the states
  5. A Supreme Court that had a broad view of the elastic clause and commerce clause
  1. Which aspect of fiscal federalism did Congress challenge with legislation after the Republican Revolution?
  1. block grants
  2. unfunded mandates
  3. funded mandates
  4. revenue sharing
  5. categorical grants
  1. Which of the following reflect the devolution of federal power?
  1. an increase in the number of categorical grants to the states
  2. an increase in the number of unfunded mandate to the states
  3. executive orders increasing the size of the bureaucracy
  4. the Supreme Court broadly interpreting the elastic clause of the Constitution
  5. the increase of block grants given to the states

26. The Framers created the federal system in order to:

  1. preserve power for the elite in society
  2. establish more democratic political system that was also efficient
  3. establish a powerful central government and minimize the sovereignty of state and local governments
  4. prevent tyranny by dividing the powers of government
  5. allow factions to flourish and eventually control government

27. Article I, Section 8 gives Congress the power to pass all laws “necessary and proper” to carrying out its enumerated powers. This clause is also known as the:

  1. enumerated powers clause
  2. reserve powers clause
  3. elastic powers clause
  4. full faith and credit clause
  5. supremacy clause

28. Advocates of a strong national system believe in all of the following EXCEPT:

  1. state and local governments do not have all the resources necessary to deal with the problems facing the country
  2. local politicians are too regional in their point of view
  3. state and local governments cannot support the vast programs necessary to support citizens.
  4. Local leaders are better suited to solve large problems than national leaders.
  5. National government has the funding necessary to help implement its programs

Part 2: Essay question:

  1. The concept of federalism has undergone many changes throughout the history of American politics, often times changing the effects of policymaking in the US.

Using your knowledge of American politics, complete the following tasks:

  1. Describe what the term federalism means to our political system.
  2. Explain how the concept of federalism has changed in the last 20 years AND its impact on ONE of the following policy areas:
  • Civil rights and Liberties
  • Health and Social Policies
  • Environmental Policies