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15 multiple-choice questions and 15 flashcards on Federalism: National, State, and Local Powers, about 6% of the High School Government bank. Every one carries a written rationale.
Federalism: National, State, and Local Powers is one of 12 chapters in CoStudy's High School Government bank, and it holds 15 of the bank's 240 multiple-choice questions — roughly 6% 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.
10 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.
A federal law that requires states to enact specific programs but provides no money is called:
Answer: D — An unfunded mandate
D) Congress requires action but does not pay for it — controversial federalism tool. A) Block grants give flexible money. B) Categorical grants are narrowly targeted money. C) Revenue sharing was a specific 1970s program that returned federal funds without strings.
A state law and a valid federal law on the same subject conflict. Under Article VI:
Answer: C — The federal law is supreme and preempts the state law to the extent of the conflict
C) The Supremacy Clause makes federal law paramount. A) Recency doesn't override supremacy — a common misread. B) That's dual-sovereignty language misapplied to conflicts. D) Fabricated.
'Cooperative federalism' is often described as a:
Answer: B — Marble cake — blended federal and state programs
B) The marble-cake metaphor (Morton Grodzins) captures programs where federal and state authority are blended (Medicaid, highways). A) Layer cake describes dual federalism — the opposite. C/D) Not established metaphors.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) held that:
Answer: D — Congress had implied power to create a national bank and states could not tax it
D) Marshall relied on the Necessary and Proper Clause plus the Supremacy Clause. A/B) Both invert the ruling. C) That is the incorporation doctrine (a 14th-Amendment line of cases) — a common mix-up.
A senator's term lasts:
Answer: C — Six years
Senators serve six-year terms (with one-third up for election every two years), while House members serve two-year terms.
The Fourth Amendment protects against:
Answer: C — Unreasonable searches and seizures
The Fourth Amendment requires probable cause and (usually) a warrant for searches and seizures, protecting privacy.
Which of the following is a CONCURRENT power?
Answer: C — Levying taxes
C) Both federal and state governments tax. A/B/D) Each is exclusively federal under Article I, Section 8 or Article II — a classic 'sort into buckets' trap.
The reserved powers of the states come from:
Answer: B — The 10th Amendment
B) The 10th Amendment reserves undelegated powers to the states or the people. A) Article I, Section 8 lists Congress's enumerated powers — a trap for students who mix up 'reserved' and 'enumerated.' C/D) Both expand federal reach, not state.
Which constitutional amendment guarantees freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition?
Answer: D — First Amendment
The First Amendment protects these five fundamental civil liberties.
The Full Faith and Credit Clause requires each state to:
Answer: D — Recognize the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of other states
D) Article IV, Section 1. A/B/C) Each is off-topic — the clause is about interstate recognition of judgments and records.
4 cards from the 15 in this chapter.
What are reserved powers?
Powers reserved to the states (or the people) under the 10th Amendment (e.g., education, marriage, intrastate commerce).
What is the commerce clause?
Article I, Section 8: gives Congress power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the states.
What is the necessary and proper (elastic) clause?
Article I, Section 8: gives Congress power to make laws 'necessary and proper' to carry out enumerated powers — basis for implied powers.
What is the privileges and immunities clause?
Article IV: prevents states from discriminating against citizens of other states.
These are a sample. The full Federalism: National, State, and Local Powers chapter runs 30 items with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
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