Quiz #1 – Tx Constitution/Federalism

The system of distributing powers between states and central government is called: A) federalism. B) constitutionalism. C) checks and balances. D) separation of powers.

What is the most important difference between the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions? A) The U.S. Constitution contains no checks and balances. B) Civil Rights are not found in state constitutions C) State constitutions are subordinate to the U.S. Constitution D) Most state constitutions create confederated forms of government

Which of the following was not an important part of the 1827 Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas, established when Texas was a part of Mexico? A) It attempted to restrict the spread of slavery B) It established Catholicism as an official religion C) It established a bicameral legislature D) It divided the state into three separate districts

Texas became an independent republic in ______ and became part of the United States in ______. A) 1836; 1845 B) 1827; 1869 C)1827; 1861 D) 1844; 1845

In what year was Texas's current constitution ratified? A) 1845 B) 1828 C) 1975 D) 1876

What was not one of the main goals of the Texas Constitution ratified in 1876? A) Limited powers B) Strong popular control of government C) Promoted slavery D) Restrained spending

The Texas Constitution is: A) a tightly argued, brief document of general principles B) an economic treatise disguised as a blueprint for government C) difficult to amend, compared to the U.S. Constitution D) a long, complex, and detailed document

Which of the following describes a significant difference between the federal executive branch and the Texas executive department? A) The governor of Texas is paid more the the U.S. President B) The governor has term limits, while the U.S. President does not C) in Texas, the executive department is made up of several elected offices, instead of just one D) The chief executive in Texas does not have the power to check the legislature with a veto, as the U.S. President can

T/F The state of Texas has had three constitutions in the course of its history

T/F Controversy about admitting a new slave state held up the annexation of Texas into the United States for nine years

Congress gained the power to tax income through A) the Seventeenth Amendment. B) the Tenth Amendment. C) the New Deal. D) the Sixteenth Amendment. E) coercive federalism.

Both federal and state governments obtain sovereignty directly from - the Treaty of Versailles. - the consent of the people. - the Declaration of Independence. - block grants. - the Divine Right of Kings.

A defining characteristic of federalism is that - rather than being held exclusively or primarily by one body, governing authority is divided at different levels among several bodies. - the federal government wields ultimate authority in all matters. - state governments can nullify the exercise of unpopular federal laws within their own states' boundaries. - state governments exist primarily to enact laws established by the national government. - the federal government cannot pass any laws without the explicit consent of the majority of state governments.

Which amendment was commonly referred to as the States' Rights Amendment? - the Tenth Amendment - the Seventeenth Amendment - the Nineteenth Amendment - the Sixteenth Amendment - the Ninth Amendment

According to the Tenth Amendment, any powers not delegated to the national government by the Constitution can be claimed by the national government as necessary. belong exclusively to the people. belong exclusively to the states. are denied to both the national government and the states. belong to either the people or the state.

Dual federalism is also known as.... layer-cake federalism. cooperative federalism. coercive federalism. marble-cake federalism. New Federalism.

In Wickard v. Filburn, the Supreme Court decided that Congress had improperly used the interstate commerce clause. Congress had no authority to regulate commerce. not only could Congress regulate interstate commerce but it could regulate anything that affected prices and market conditions. Roscoe Filburn was right and he was to be paid $117.11 by the federal government. the New Deal was not subject to any constitutional limitations.

A federal program that gives a state government federal funds to address a specific need but gives the state wide latitude in deciding how the funds will be spent is known as a(n) categorical grant. block grant. program grant. formula grant. unfunded mandate.

Which of the following requires state governments to spend their own money to meet standards imposed on them by the federal government? categorical grants block grants program grants formula grants unfunded mandates

The supremacy clause, stipulated in Article VI of the Constitution, holds that in a conflict between federal and state laws, the former will override the latter. in the federal system established by the Constitution, the true source of sovereignty is in the people. federal laws will be supreme in the national sphere and state laws will be supreme in local affairs. as a sovereign institution, the only limits that the federal government need obey are ones that it establishes for itself. despite temporarily sacrificing certain powers to the federal government, the state governments remain sovereign entities.