The American Democracy, 10th Edition (Patterson)

Chapter 18: State and Local Politics: Maintaining Our Differences

Multiple Choice Quiz

1
Which of the following statements is NOT true about state constitutions?
A)Most are longer than the U.S. Constitution.
B)Vermont has the only constitution that is shorter than the U.S. Constitution.
C)State constitutions are on average four times longer than the U.S. Constitution.
D)Alabama's constitution has more than 700 amendments.
E)Most constitutional scholars believe that the length of state constitutions is a benefit.
2
________ limit the governor to two-year terms.
A)Indiana and Ohio
B)Vermont and New Hampshire
C)Texas and California
D)Arizona and Nevada
E)North Carolina and South Carolina
3
In 43 states, the governor has
A)the power to fire legislative leaders.
B)the power to fire the state's supreme court judges.
C)the line-item veto.
D)the opportunity to be recalled from office in a special election.
E)None of these answers is correct.
4
The second most powerful executive in the states is the
A)secretary of state.
B)lieutenant governor.
C)superintendent of public instruction.
D)attorney general.
E)utility commissioner.
5
________ is the only state with a unicameral legislature.
A)Maine
B)Alabama
C)Delaware
D)Arizona
E)Nebraska
6
State courts handle more than ________ cases every year.
A)50,000
B)250,000
C)500,000
D)1,000,000
E)100,000,000
7
________ lost his job as governor of California in 2003, in a recall election, to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
A)Jerry Brown
B)Willie Brown
C)Cruz Bustamante
D)Gray Davis
E)Pete Wilson
8
The average voter turnout in most local elections is ________.
A)20% or less
B)30% or less
C)50% or less
D)40% or less
E)roughly 75%
9
Cities should be self-governing, according to
A)Cooley's rule.
B)Schwarzenegger's law.
C)Duverger's law.
D)Dillon's rule.
E)Kennedy's law.
10
The oldest form of local government in the United States is the
A)township.
B)special district.
C)school district.
D)county.
E)city.
11
________ is the largest county, in terms of population, in the U.S.
A)Marion County, IN
B)Allen County, IN
C)Los Angeles County, CA
D)Harris County, TX
E)Rockingham County, MA
12
Counties are called by another name in
A)Maine and Vermont.
B)New York and New Jersey.
C)New Mexico and Arizona.
D)Alaska and Louisiana.
E)Oregon and Idaho.
13
The city manager system has been widely adopted in
A)Maryland.
B)Indiana.
C)Georgia.
D)Montana.
E)California.
14
Local governments get most of their revenue from
A)personal income taxes.
B)excise taxes.
C)property taxes.
D)corporate income taxes.
E)general sales taxes.
15
In recent decades, local governments have turned increasingly to the
A)capital gains tax.
B)corporate tax.
C)income tax.
D)property tax.
E)sales tax.
16
The states' "police power" emanates from
A)common law.
B)state constitutions.
C)state law.
D)the Tenth Amendment of the federal constitution.
E)None of these answers is correct.
17
The top spending category for the states is
A)social welfare.
B)environmental protection.
C)health care.
D)public education.
E)public safety.
18
The top spending category for local governments is
A)social welfare.
B)environmental protection.
C)public education.
D)health and hospitals.
E)public safety.
19
Except in a few states (most of them in the East) local officials are chosen by
A)community leaders.
B)the governorship.
C)partisan elections.
D)nonpartisan elections.
E)the state legislature.
20
The general principle that describes the relationship between state power and localities is
A)Cooley's rule.
B)Dillon's rule.
C)federalism.
D)the municipal code.
E)the federalist rule.
Patterson Tenth Edition Large Cover
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