Chapter 1

	POLITICS IN STATES AND COMMUNITIES

TRUE-FALSE QUESTIONS

1.	Politics is about managing conflict.	   
	
	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 4

2.	American states and communities provide excellent “laboratories” for comparative political study.

ANSWER: TRUE  Pages 4-5

3.	State politics are seldom affected by unique historical circumstances.	   
	
	ANSWER: FALSE Page 5

4.	Social and economic conditions in the states do not explain differences in public policy choices.	  
	
	ANSWER: FALSE Page 5

5.	A commonwealth refers to any self-governing community.	
	
	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 5 

6.	Changes in population growth rates do not have a significant effect on the services provided by state governments.
	
	ANSWER: FALSE Page 8

7. 	Personal income is about evenly distributed throughout the states.	
	
	ANSWER: FALSE Page 8

8.	Education levels are not uniformly distributed throughout the states.	
	
	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 11

9.	Differences in the racial and ethnic composition of the states account for great variation in state politics.	   
	
	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 11

10.	African American candidates have been most successful at winning elected office in northern states and rural communities.
	
	ANSWER: FALSE Page 11

11.	Hispanics are the largest minority group in the U.S.	 
	
	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 11

12.	Hispanics and Asians are not monolithic groups either ethnically or politically.	  
	
	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 13

13.	About half of all Native Americans live on reservations in several states.	
	
	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 14

14.	Most immigrants do not come to the United States for economic opportunity.	
	
	ANSWER: FALSE Page 14

15. 	Political refugees can be legally admitted to the United States.	

	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 15

16.	Illegal immigration affects states uniformly across the country.	

	ANSWER: FALSE Page 16

17.	Immigration policy is exclusively under the purview of the federal government.	

	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 16

18.	States and cities do not have to provide public services such as access to education and healthcare to illegal immigrants.	  

	ANSWER: FALSE Page 16

19.	Sanctuary cities order their police departments to ignore federal immigration laws.
	
	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 16

20.	States typically do not make ideological policy decisions.	  
	ANSWER: FALSE Page 18

21.	State political culture plays an important role in explaining political differences among the states.	  

	ANSWER: TRUE  Pages 18-19

22.	The frequency of an individual’s religious attendance is often the best determinant of his or her stance on moral issues.	

	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 20

23.  Education comprises the largest budget expenditure of state and local governments combined.  

	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 22 

24.  States and communities have great leeway in deciding how to administer many federal health and welfare programs. 

	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 24

25.	The federal government has the principal responsibility for law enforcement and public safety in America.	

	ANSWER: FALSE Page 24

26.	State and local governments do not have the power to determine taxation rates.	 

	ANSWER: FALSE Page 26

27.  Admitting new states to the Union is a relatively simple political process.		

	ANSWER: FALSE Page 27

28.  In order to be readmitted to the Union, the eleven southern states that had seceded were required to ratify the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.	

	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 27

29.	The last states to be admitted to the United States were Alaska and Hawaii in 1959.	

	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 27

30.	Residents of the District of Columbia (D.C.) have no voting representation in Congress.	

	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 28

31.  Residents of Puerto Rico have failed to vote for statehood for fear of diluting their country’s cultural identity.	
	
	ANSWER: TRUE  Page 29

32.  Residents of the U.S. territories have all rights and obligations of U.S. citizens including the right to vote in presidential elections.	

	ANSWER: FALSE Page 29

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Select the one best answer out of the options provided.

33.	Which of the following is NOT a political problem that a state government must address?
	A.	Racial tensions
	B.	Poverty
	C.	Drugs
	D.	Foreign policy	

	ANSWER: D	Page 4

34.	The process of comparing states or communities to identify and explain similarities or differences is called
A.	comparison/contrast.
B.	contrasting studies.
C.	comparative political study.	  
D.	cooperative political study.

ANSWER: C	Page 4

35.	The comparative study of states looks for relationships between
A.	different socioeconomic conditions.
B.	political system characteristics.
C.	policy outcomes.
D.	all of the above.

ANSWER: D	Page 5

36.	State political systems and public policy choices are often shaped by 
A.	political party strong-arm tactics.
B.	national financial institutions.
C.	unique historical and cultural settings.	
D.	strong special interest influences.

ANSWER: C	Page 5

37.  A commonwealth refers to
A.  	any self-governing community, such as Puerto Rico.
B.  	a unit of government without any self-governing authority.
C.	common interests among the electorate.
D.	average per capita income of a state.

	ANSWER: A	Page 5

38.	Economic development includes the following variables EXCEPT
A.	population growth.
B.	welfare.	   
C.	income.
D.	education.

ANSWER: B	Page 8

39.	The population growth rate between 1990 and 2000 most dramatically increased in the 
A. 	northern states only.
B. 	“Rustbelt” states of the East and Midwest.
C. 	“Sunbelt” states of the West and South.
D. 	southern states only.	

ANSWER: C	Page 8

40.	Personal income and education level are 
A.	distributed uniformly across the states.
B.	distributed unevenly throughout the states.
C.	not related in any meaningful way.	   
D.	unimportant in explaining policy differences.

	ANSWER: B	Pages 8-11

41.	An economically developed society requires
A.	a volatile stock market.
B.	educated workers.	
C.	a well-equipped military.
D.	a growing trade deficit.

ANSWER: B	Page 11

42.	Many policy and political differences in states and communities can be explained by the
A.	size of the government.
B.	educational system.
C.	mobility of the residents.
D.	racial and ethnic composition.

	ANSWER: D Page 11

43.	While blacks could not cast ballots in most southern states in the early twentieth century, they could
A.	let their "fingers do the walking."
B.	"vote with their feet," by migrating to northern states.	
C.	contribute financial support to political campaigns.
D.	access politics through the legal arena.

	ANSWER: B Page 11

44.	One of the largest internal migrations in United States history was the migration of
A.	American Indians from the eastern states to the western states.
B.	blacks from the rural South to the urban North. 
C.	conservatives from the "rustbelt" North to the "sunbelt" South.
D.	liberals from California to conservative Texas.

	ANSWER: B	Page 11

45.	The largest number of black elected officials are found in the
A.	southern states.	
B.	Midwest.
C.	heartland states.
D.	New England states.

ANSWER: A Page 11	

46.  The most significant change in the nation’s ethnic composition over the last decade has been
	A.   a sharp increase in the number of Hispanic Americans.
	B.  	a sharp decrease in the number of Hispanic Americans.
	C.	an increase in the number of European settlers.
	D.	no change at all.

	ANSWER: A Page 11

47.	The largest minority group in the United States is 
A. 	African Americans.
B. 	Hispanic Americans.
C. 	Asian Americans.
D. 	Native Americans.

ANSWER: B Page 11

48.	The largest Mexican American populations are found in
	A. 	New Jersey, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
	B.	Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.
	C.	New Mexico, California, Texas, and Arizona.
	D.	Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

	ANSWER: C	Page 13

49.	Politically speaking, Asians, like Hispanics 
A.  	always vote as ethnic voting blocs.
B.	have even participation rates regardless of length of residency.
C.	only associate with one political party.
D.	differ in their political leanings and cultural backgrounds.

	ANSWER: D Page 13

50.	By 1900, the Native American population had been decimated for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
	A.	poverty.
	B.	war.
	C.	disease.
	D.	forced migration.

	ANSWER: A	Page 13

51.	America has been identified as a nation of 
A.	entrepreneurs.
B.	religions.
C.	immigrants.	
D.	exports.

	ANSWER: C	Page 14

52.	Most immigrants come to the United States for
A.	political freedom.
B.	economic opportunity.	
C.	the better welfare benefits.
D.	a more temperate climate.

ANSWER: B	Page 14

53.	Immigration policy is a responsibility of the
A.	individual states.
B.	local governments.
C.	national government.	
D.	border states.

	ANSWER: C Page 15

54.	Those who immigrate legally to the United States for fear of persecution in their home country are called
A.	undocumented residents.
B.	lawful permanent residents.
C.	illegal aliens.
D.	political refugees.

ANSWER: D	Page 15

55.	The announced goal of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (Simpson-Mazzoli Act) was
A.	immigration “reform.”	
B.	immigration “reduction.”
C.	immigration “expansion.”
D.	immigration “exclusion.”

ANSWER: A Page 15

56.	Which of the following groups benefit from the availability of illegal immigrants?
A.	Agricultural industry	
B.	Hospital industry
C.	Restaurant industry
D.	All of the above

	ANSWER: D Page 16

57.	Some employers prefer hiring illegal immigrants because these “los indocumentados" 
A.	can be deported before they are paid their low salaries.
B.	are willing to work hard for low pay and few benefits.
C.	blend into the crowd and cause little notice from the authorities.
D.	settle into one neighborhood and can be easily tracked.

	ANSWER: B Page 16

58.	Both legal and illegal immigration is concentrated in all of the following states EXCEPT
A.	Texas.
B. 	California.
C.	New Hampshire.
D.	Florida.

	ANSWER: C Page 16

59.	Cities that purposefully do not enforce federal immigration laws are called
	A.  	sanctuary cities
	B.	refugee cities.
	C.	asylum cities.
	D.	shelter cities.

	ANSWER: A Page 16

60.	State and local governments are obligated to provide which of the following for all immigrants, legal and illegal?
A.	Social services
B.	Public education	
C.	Health services
D.	All of the above	

ANSWER: D	Page 16

61.	The failed immigration reform bill of 2007 included the following provisions EXCEPT
A.	strengthening border enforcement.
B.	granting legal status to undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States.
C.	immediate deportation of all illegal immigrants in the U.S.
D.	establishing a temporary guest worker program.

	ANSWER: C Page 17

62.  A state’s tendency to expand welfare benefits, regulate business, adopt progressive state income taxes, and generally use the resources of government to achieve social change is descriptive of
A.	policy conservatism.
B.	policy liberalism.	
C.	policy socialism.
D.	policy libertarianism.

ANSWER: B Pages 18, 29

63.	A state’s tendency to limit welfare benefits, deregulate business, keep taxes low, and generally place less reliance on government and more reliance on individuals and the marketplace to achieve social goals refers to
A.	policy conservatism.
B.	policy liberalism.	
C.	policy socialism.
D.	policy libertarianism.

	ANSWER: A Pages 18, 29

64.	The most liberal states on the State Policy Liberalism index include all of the following EXCEPT
	A.	California.
	B.	New York.
	C.	Tennessee.
	D.	Vermont.

	ANSWER: C Pages 18-19

65.	Ideological self-identification of voters highly correlates with measures of policy ___________ in the states.
A.	liberalism and conservatism	  
B.	libertarianism and elitism
C.	partisanship
	D.	reforms

	ANSWER: A Page 18

66.	A state’s political culture can often explain
	A.	variations in party affiliation.
	B.	the influence of ethnicity on policy choices.
	C.	sociodemographic differences.
	D.	all of the above.

	ANSWER: A Pages 18-20

67.	Issues such as same-sex marriage are increasingly being used as _______ designed to cause voters to cross party lines. 
A.	interventions	  
B.	wedges 
C.	dividers
D.	splicers
		
	ANSWER: B Page 20

68.	What is often the best predictor of an individual’s opinion 	on moral issues?
	A.	Religious affiliation
	B.	Party affiliation
	C.	Region in which they live
	D.	Frequency of attending religious services

	ANSWER: D Pages 20-21
 
69.	The tendency of candidates in electoral campaigns to propose policy innovations in order to publicize themselves and win votes is called
A.	political entrepreneurship.	  
B.	political opportunism.
C.	political reactionism.
D.	political gamesmanship.

	ANSWER: A Pages 16, 20

70.	What level of government handles the greatest volume of public business and directs the bulk of public programs?
A.	The federal government
B.	State executive agencies
C.	State and local governments	  
D.	County governments

ANSWER: C Page 20

71.	The most costly responsibility of state and local governments combined is
A.	the economy.
B.	education.	
C.	welfare.
D.	transportation.

	ANSWER: B Page 22

72.	What education policies can states and communities establish?
A.	Teacher salaries and qualifications
B.	Tax rates and the amount of money spent per child
C.	Class size and student testing
D.	All of the above

ANSWER: D Page 22

73.	State governments have the responsibility to administer the following federal programs EXCEPT
	A.  	Medicaid.
	B.	food stamps.
	C.	Social Security.
	D.	unemployment compensation.

	ANSWER: C Page 24

74.	The principal responsibility for public safety in the United States is administered by
A.	the national government.
B.	state bureaucrats.
C.	state and local governments.	  
	D.	military police forces.

	ANSWER: C Page 24

75.	States and communities deal mostly with which policy areas?
A.	Public safety and pollution
B.	Handling racial tensions
C.	Transportation funding and health care
D.	All of the above

ANSWER: D Pages 24-26

76.	Taxes in states and communities are often raised from
A.	income.
B.	sales.
C.	property.
D.	all of the above.

ANSWER: D Page 26

77.	When seeking admission to the Union, new states must approve a constitution and 
	A.	obtain congressional approval.
	B.	obtain presidential approval.
	C.	obtain the approval of the Supreme Court.
	D.	they need no additional approval.

	ANSWER: A	Pages 26-27

78.	Which state was a separate nation when it chose to seek admission to the Union?
A.	California
B.	Texas	
C.	New York
	D.	Florida

	ANSWER: B Page 27

79.	The Twenty-Third Amendment gives Washington, D.C., 
A.	the right to govern as a sovereign state.
B.	full participation in presidential elections.	
C.	the ability to govern itself.
D.	the ability to tax itself.

	ANSWER: B Page 28

80.	While Washington, D.C., residents can vote in presidential elections, they are not represented by
A.	a local municipal government.
B.	a state governmental structure.
C.	voting members in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives.	
D.	a state governor.

ANSWER: C Page 28

81.	All of the following accurately describe Washington, D.C., EXCEPT that
A.	it is heavily Democratic.
B.	it is ideologically conservative.	  
C.	its residents support larger social welfare programs.
D.	it has full participation in presidential elections.

	ANSWER: B Page 28

82.	Residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories have no voting members in Congress and
A.	no votes in local elections.
B.	no votes in the commonwealth elections.
C.	no electoral votes in presidential elections.	
D.	ten electoral votes in presidential elections.

	ANSWER: C Pages 28-29

83.	Puerto Ricans receive all of the benefits that U.S. citizens are entitled to, but they
A.	are taxed at a higher rate on their federal income taxes.
B.	are subject to stricter eligibility standards.	    
C.	seldom apply for federal funds.
D.	pay no federal income taxes.

ANSWER: D Page 29

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

84.	Define comparative political study.
	Page 4

85.	What is a commonwealth?
	Page 5

86.	Explain state economic development.
	Pages 8-11

87.	What is the importance in measuring population growth rates?
	Page 8

88.	What is illegal immigration?
	Page 15

89.	What are “sanctuary” cities?
	Page 16

90.	Define state political culture.
	Pages 18-20

91.	How are wedge issues used politically in the states?
	Page 20

92.	Explain political entrepreneurship.
	Pages 16, 20

93.	Why is finding the right level of taxation one of the most difficult jobs facing state and local officials?
	Page 26

94.	What rights and obligations are given to residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories?
	Page 28-29

ESSAY QUESTIONS

95.	Explain comparative political study and how it is applied to the American states.  
	Pages 4-5

96.	Explain why Hispanics and Asians cannot be considered monolithic groups politically or ethnically.
	Page 13

97.	Discuss the effects of immigration policy and the role of the state and federal governments on the issue of illegal immigration.  
	Pages 15-18

98.	How can differing levels of liberalism and conservatism in the states explain policy decisions?
	Pages 18-20

99.	Explain the political and ideological influence of religion on state-level politics and policies.   
	Pages 20-21

100.	Compare the policy responsibilities of the states to those of the national government.	
	Pages 20-26

101.	Discuss the evolution of representation for residents of the District of Columbia.	
	Pages 27-28

102.	What do you think is the most important responsibility of state and local government in the United States? Why?
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