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Federalism: National, State, and Local Powers — High School Government practice questions

20 multiple-choice questions and 15 flashcards on Federalism: National, State, and Local Powers, about 8% of the High School Government bank. Every one carries a written rationale.

Written and maintained by the CoStudy team · last updated 2026-10-02 · how we write and review questions

What this chapter covers

Federalism: National, State, and Local Powers is one of 12 chapters in CoStudy's High School Government bank, and it holds 20 of the bank's 240 multiple-choice questions — roughly 8% of the total. That proportion is not arbitrary: chapters follow the certifying body's published exam outline, and the number of questions in each is set by that domain's published weight, so the share of your practice time this chapter takes matches the share of the real exam it accounts for.

Studying by chapter is worth doing once you have a diagnostic score. A single overall percentage tells you whether you are close; it does not tell you which domain is dragging. Working a weak chapter in isolation, and re-testing it in isolation, is the fastest way to move a score that has stalled — and it is why the mock exams in CoStudy report by domain rather than as one number.

Free Federalism: National, State, and Local Powers practice questions

5 questions drawn from this chapter, with the full rationale shown — the controlling principle behind the right answer, and why each wrong option tempts and fails.

When a state law conflicts with a valid federal law, the federal law wins because of the:

  1. Tenth Amendment
  2. Supremacy Clause
  3. Full Faith and Credit Clause
  4. Necessary and Proper Clause

Answer: B — Supremacy Clause

B) Correct — Article VI makes the Constitution and federal laws supreme. A) Reserves powers to the states. C) Is about states honoring each other's records. D) Gives Congress implied powers.

An unfunded mandate is:

  1. a grant with no conditions
  2. a state law that Congress funds
  3. a federal requirement without funding
  4. a tax that states must collect for Congress

Answer: C — a federal requirement without funding

C) Correct — States must comply using their own funds. A) Is not a mandate. B) Reverses the idea. D) Is not a mandate.

Federalism is a system in which power is:

  1. divided between national and state governments
  2. held entirely by the national government
  3. held mainly by the states
  4. split among three branches

Answer: A — divided between national and state governments

A) Correct — Both levels govern the same people. B) Is a unitary system. C) Is a confederation. D) Is separation of powers.

In United States v. Lopez (1995), the Court ruled that a federal ban on guns near schools:

  1. was valid under the commerce power
  2. violated the Second Amendment
  3. was a state law
  4. went beyond the commerce power

Answer: D — went beyond the commerce power

D) Correct — It was the first limit on the Commerce Clause in decades. A) The Court struck it down. B) The case was decided on commerce grounds. C) It was a federal law.

Extradition means that a state must:

  1. honor marriages performed in other states
  2. return fugitives to the state they fled
  3. let anyone vote
  4. send taxes to Washington

Answer: B — return fugitives to the state they fled

B) Correct — The Constitution requires it. A) Is full faith and credit. C) Is not extradition. D) Is not extradition.

Federalism: National, State, and Local Powers flashcards

4 cards from the 15 in this chapter.

What are enumerated (delegated) powers?

Powers explicitly given to the federal government (e.g., coin money, regulate interstate commerce, declare war).

What did McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) decide?

Confirmed implied powers and the supremacy of federal law over state law (states cannot tax federal institutions).

What are concurrent powers?

Powers shared by federal and state governments (e.g., taxing, building roads, establishing courts).

What is the full faith and credit clause?

Article IV: requires states to honor 'public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings' of other states.

Practise the full chapter

These are a sample. The full Federalism: National, State, and Local Powers chapter runs 35 items with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.

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