Chapter 3: American Federalism

Question 1

Legislative action declaring someone guilty without a trial; prohibited under the Constitution

Answer 1

Bill of attainder

Question 2

A type of grant that comes with less stringent federal administrative conditions and provide recipients more latitude over how to spend grant funds

Answer 2

Block grant

Question 3

A federal transfer formulated to limit recipients’ discretion in the use of funds and subject them to strict administrative criteria

Answer 3

Categorical grant

Question 4

Shared state and federal powers that range from taxing, borrowing, and making and enforcing laws to establishing court systems

Answer 4

Concurrent powers

Question 5

A style of federalism in which both levels of government coordinate their actions to solve national problems, leading to the blending of layers as in a marble cake

Answer 5

Cooperative federalism

Question 6

A process in which the national government attaches new administrative requirements to block grants or supplants them with new categorical grants

Answer 6

Creeping categorization

Question 7

A process in which powers from the central government in a unitary system are delegated to substantial units

Answer 7

Devolution

Question 8

A style of federalism in which the states and national government exercise exclusive authority in distinctly delineated spheres of jurisdiction, creating a layer-cake view of federalism

Answer 8

Dual federalism

Question 9

The last clause of Article I, Section 8, which enables the national government “to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying” out all its constitutional responsibilities

Answer 9

Elastic clause

Question 10

A law that criminalizes an act retroactively; prohibited under the Constitution

Answer 10

Ex post facto law

Question 11

An institutional arrangement that creates two relatively autonomous levels of government, each possessing the capacity to act directly on the people with authority granted by the national constitution

Answer 11

Federalism

Question 12

Found in Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution, this clause requires states to accept court decisions, public acts, and contracts of other states; also referred to as the comity provision

Answer 12

Full faith and credit clause

Question 13

A type of federal grant that places minimal restrictions on how state and local governments spend the money

Answer 13

General revenue sharing

Question 14

A gradual movement of states into the immigration policy domain traditionally handled by the federal government

Answer 14

Immigration federalism

Question 15

T

A style of federalism premised on the idea that the decentralization of policies enhances administrative efficiency, reduces overall public spending, and improves outcomes

Answer 15

New federalism

Question 16

A doctrine promoted by John Calhoun of South Carolina in the 1830’s, asserting that if a state deems a federal law unconstitutional, it can nullify it within its borders

Answer 16

Nullification

Question 17

Found in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution, this clause prohibits states from discriminating against out-of-staters by denying such guarantees as access to courts, legal protection, and property and travel rights

Answer 17

Privileges and immunities clause

Question 18

A dynamic in which states compete to attract business by lowering taxes and regulations, often to workers’ detriment

Answer 18

race-to-the-bottom

Question 19

Federal laws and regulations that impose obligations on state and local governments without fully compensating them for the costs of implementation

Answer 19

Unfounded mandates

Question 20

A centralized system of government in which the substantial government is dependent on the central government, where substantial authority is concentrated

Answer 20

Unitary system

Question 21

A strategy in which interest groups select the level and branch of government they calculate will be most receptive to their policy goals

Answer 21

Venue shopping

Question 22

22. A petition that enables someone in custody to petition a judge to determine whether that person’s detention is legal

Answer 22

Writ of habeas corpus

Question 23

CC

Federalism involves:

Answer 23

The sharing of power between the national and state governments.

Question 24

CC

The period of relations between states and the federal government from the founding until the New Deal is called:

Answer 24

Dual federalism

Question 25

CC

The period of relations between states and the federal government after the New Deal was known as:

Answer 25

Cooperative federalism

Question 26

CC

________ is where the national government encourages states and localities to pursue nationally defined goals.

Answer 26

Cooperative federalism

Question 27

CC

The federal government and the national government are the same thing.

Answer 27

False

Question 28

CC

Grants in aid are always given without restrictions.

Answer 28

False

Question 29

T

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

Answer 29

Neccessary and proper clause and Supremacy clause

Question 30

T

Under the Constitution, it is permissible to have laws that criminalize an act retroactively.

Answer 30

False