State Power Got a Reservation?

Mini-Quiz

True or False? 1. The states in the United States are individual countries.  True  False  (They are similar, but the states have given some power to the federal government and have agreed to be under the authority of the U.S. Constitution.)

True or False? 2. The Constitution gives a specific list of powers to the federal government.   True  False (That’s right! The Constitution is specific about what the federal government can do.)

True or False? 3. The Constitution gives a specific list of powers to the states.  True  False  (States have all the powers that aren’t specifically given to the federal government.)

True or False? 4. “Concurrent” powers are the only powers that states have.  True  False  (Concurrent powers are shared by both the states and the federal government.)

True or False? 5. The Constitution lists some specific things states cannot do.   True  False (The Constitution includes a few specific no-nos for states.)

True or False? 6. States do not have their own constitutions or laws.  True  False  (All states have both a state constitution AND state laws!)

True or False? 7. The Constitution does not say anything about local governments.   True  False (Creating local governments is a power reserved to the states.)

True or False? 8. Local governments have their own power to make decisions about anything.  True  False  (They only have the powers states give them.)

True or False? 9. Laws at a lower level of government are always superior to laws at a higher level.  True  False  (It’s the other way around!)

True or False? 10. The federal government can influence states by attaching rules to federal money.   True  False (States often rely on federal money for things like roads and schools, so this can be an effective method of influence.)