Federalism and the Division of Powers MCQs USA

Political science MCQs

1. Federalism in the United States divides power between which two levels of government?
a) Federal and state
b) Federal and local
c) State and local
d) State and municipal
Answer: a) Federal and state

2. Which amendment reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people?
a) Ninth Amendment
b) Tenth Amendment
c) Eleventh Amendment
d) Twelfth Amendment
Answer: b) Tenth Amendment

3. The Supremacy Clause in the Constitution establishes that:
a) State laws are superior to federal laws
b) Federal laws are superior to state laws
c) State and federal laws are equal
d) State constitutions override federal laws
Answer: b) Federal laws are superior to state laws

4. Which clause in the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce?
a) Necessary and Proper Clause
b) Supremacy Clause
c) Commerce Clause
d) Full Faith and Credit Clause
Answer: c) Commerce Clause

5. Which case established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to strike down laws as unconstitutional?
a) Marbury v. Madison
b) McCulloch v. Maryland
c) Gibbons v. Ogden
d) Plessy v. Ferguson
Answer: a) Marbury v. Madison

6. The doctrine of dual federalism is best described by which of the following?
a) Federal and state governments work together in policy areas
b) Federal and state governments are separate and independent
c) Federal government controls state governments
d) State governments control federal government
Answer: b) Federal and state governments are separate and independent

7. Which Supreme Court case upheld the federal government’s authority to create a national bank under the Necessary and Proper Clause?
a) McCulloch v. Maryland
b) Marbury v. Madison
c) Gibbons v. Ogden
d) Dred Scott v. Sandford
Answer: a) McCulloch v. Maryland

8. Which of the following powers is reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment?
a) Regulating interstate commerce
b) Declaring war
c) Conducting elections
d) Coining money
Answer: c) Conducting elections

9. Which clause requires states to honor the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of other states?
a) Supremacy Clause
b) Full Faith and Credit Clause
c) Privileges and Immunities Clause
d) Commerce Clause
Answer: b) Full Faith and Credit Clause

10. The New Deal, implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, led to an expansion of which of the following?
a) State power over federal power
b) Federal power over state power
c) State governments’ independence
d) Separation of powers
Answer: b) Federal power over state power

11. Which Supreme Court case ruled that the federal government has the power to regulate interstate commerce, extending federal authority?
a) Gibbons v. Ogden
b) McCulloch v. Maryland
c) Plessy v. Ferguson
d) Brown v. Board of Education
Answer: a) Gibbons v. Ogden

12. The concept of “states’ rights” is most closely associated with which amendment?
a) First Amendment
b) Second Amendment
c) Tenth Amendment
d) Fifteenth Amendment
Answer: c) Tenth Amendment

13. Which system of federalism is characterized by a blending of state and federal responsibilities, often referred to as “marble cake” federalism?
a) Dual federalism
b) Cooperative federalism
c) New federalism
d) Fiscal federalism
Answer: b) Cooperative federalism

14. Which term describes the process by which powers are transferred from the federal government to the states?
a) Devolution
b) Centralization
c) Nullification
d) Secession
Answer: a) Devolution

15. Which of the following is a concurrent power shared by both federal and state governments?
a) Declaring war
b) Coining money
c) Taxation
d) Conducting foreign relations
Answer: c) Taxation

16. The Eleventh Amendment restricts the ability of individuals to sue which entity?
a) The federal government
b) State governments
c) Local governments
d) Private citizens
Answer: b) State governments

17. Which clause in the Constitution gives Congress the power to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying out its duties?
a) Commerce Clause
b) Supremacy Clause
c) Necessary and Proper Clause
d) Establishment Clause
Answer: c) Necessary and Proper Clause

18. Which Supreme Court case established the principle that states cannot interfere with federal institutions within their borders?
a) McCulloch v. Maryland
b) Marbury v. Madison
c) Dred Scott v. Sandford
d) Brown v. Board of Education
Answer: a) McCulloch v. Maryland

19. Which form of federalism is characterized by the federal government providing categorical grants to states for specific purposes?
a) Dual federalism
b) Cooperative federalism
c) Creative federalism
d) Fiscal federalism
Answer: d) Fiscal federalism

20. Which amendment was primarily concerned with limiting the powers of the federal government over the states?
a) First Amendment
b) Tenth Amendment
c) Thirteenth Amendment
d) Twenty-First Amendment
Answer: b) Tenth Amendment

21. The principle of federalism was designed to prevent which of the following?
a) A strong state government
b) A concentration of power in one government
c) Equal power between all states
d) The expansion of federal courts
Answer: b) A concentration of power in one government

22. Which Supreme Court case ruled that the federal government had the authority to enforce desegregation in public schools?
a) Plessy v. Ferguson
b) Brown v. Board of Education
c) Gibbons v. Ogden
d) McCulloch v. Maryland
Answer: b) Brown v. Board of Education

23. Which clause in the Constitution ensures that state laws cannot conflict with federal laws?
a) Full Faith and Credit Clause
b) Supremacy Clause
c) Privileges and Immunities Clause
d) Commerce Clause
Answer: b) Supremacy Clause

24. Which of the following is a power specifically denied to the states by the Constitution?
a) Regulating education
b) Establishing courts
c) Declaring war
d) Levying taxes
Answer: c) Declaring war

25. Which of the following is an example of a power delegated to the federal government?
a) Establishing public schools
b) Issuing driver’s licenses
c) Coining money
d) Conducting elections
Answer: c) Coining money

26. Which system of federalism gives more power to state governments at the expense of the federal government?
a) Cooperative federalism
b) New federalism
c) Creative federalism
d) Fiscal federalism
Answer: b) New federalism

27. Which of the following is an example of a reserved power?
a) Regulating commerce with foreign nations
b) Establishing post offices
c) Issuing marriage licenses
d) Regulating interstate commerce
Answer: c) Issuing marriage licenses

28. Which of the following is an example of a concurrent power shared by both state and federal governments?
a) Making treaties
b) Taxation
c) Declaring war
d) Regulating foreign commerce
Answer: b) Taxation

29. Which type of federalism is characterized by a clear division of responsibilities between the federal and state governments?
a) Dual federalism
b) Cooperative federalism
c) Creative federalism
d) New federalism
Answer: a) Dual federalism

30. Which president is most closely associated with the concept of “New Federalism”?
a) Franklin D. Roosevelt
b) Lyndon B. Johnson
c) Richard Nixon
d) Ronald Reagan
Answer: d) Ronald Reagan

31. Which clause in the Constitution provides that citizens of each state are entitled to the same privileges and immunities as citizens in all other states?
a) Commerce Clause
b) Supremacy Clause
c) Full Faith and Credit Clause
d) Privileges and Immunities Clause
Answer: d) Privileges and Immunities Clause

32. Which amendment granted the federal government the power to collect income taxes?
a) Thirteenth Amendment
b) Fourteenth Amendment
c) Fifteenth Amendment
d) Sixteenth Amendment
Answer: d) Sixteenth Amendment

33. Which of the following is an example of a categorical grant?
a) Federal funds given to states for highway construction
b) Federal funds given to states for general purposes
c) State funds given to local governments for education
d) Federal funds provided to states without conditions
Answer: a) Federal funds given to states for highway construction

34. Which concept refers to the idea that state governments can serve as laboratories for democracy by experimenting with new policies?
a) Dual federalism
b) Devolution
c) Laboratories of democracy
d) New federalism
Answer: c) Laboratories of democracy

35. The Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause requires states to:
a) Honor the laws and judicial proceedings of other states
b) Follow federal laws exclusively
c) Maintain separate legal systems
d) Ignore foreign laws
Answer: a) Honor the laws and judicial proceedings of other states

36. Which of the following is true regarding the relationship between state and federal governments?
a) States have complete authority over all local matters.
b) Federal laws always override state laws.
c) States can regulate interstate commerce.
d) State governments cannot sue the federal government.
Answer: b) Federal laws always override state laws.

37. Which of the following is a power denied to the federal government?
a) Regulating interstate commerce
b) Issuing currency
c) Levying taxes on exports
d) Conducting foreign relations
Answer: c) Levying taxes on exports

38. What is the primary purpose of federalism?
a) To limit the power of the national government
b) To create a unitary system of government
c) To ensure state autonomy over all matters
d) To centralize authority in one government
Answer: a) To limit the power of the national government

39. Which type of federalism emerged in the late 20th century emphasizing a return of power to the states?
a) Cooperative federalism
b) Dual federalism
c) New federalism
d) Creative federalism
Answer: c) New federalism

40. Which of the following powers is considered a reserved power for the states?
a) Regulating immigration
b) Conducting elections
c) Making treaties
d) Coining money
Answer: b) Conducting elections

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