Government Functions and Powers

National, state, and local governments provide for the security of the people. This function is performed on the national level by —

• Funding state jails

• Establishing a U.S. Supreme Court

• Overseeing a national police force

• Maintaining a military

Which issue would be handled in the federal court system?

• Copyright cases

• Misdemeanor cases

• Marriage certificates

• Automobile moving violations

How do sessions of the U.S. Congress differ from sessions of the Texas Legislature?

• The U.S. Congress meets once a year; the Texas Legislature meets continually.

• The U.S. Congress meets most of the year; the Texas Legislature meets every two years.

• The U.S. Congress meets in a sixty-day session twice a year; the Texas Legislature meets in thirty-day sessions when called.

• The U.S. Congress has unlimited session lengths; the Texas Legislature is limited to thirty days per year.

National, state, and local governments all share the same function of establishing public schools.

• Settling disputes between states

• Providing services to the electorate

• Negotiating treaties with foreign countries

• Establishing public schools

One similarity for both the U.S. President and many state executive leaders is the power to--

• Set term limits

• Veto legislation

• Remove Senators

• Appoint ambassadors

Which of the following is a function of state and local courts?

• Hold trials for treason

• Decide copyright cases

• Hear misdemeanor trials

• Conduct bankruptcy cases

Which system of government has the advantage of keeping government leaders highly accountable to voters?

• Federalist

• Monarchy

• Presidential

• Parliamentary

One way that the US constitutional republic differs from historic monarchies is that in the US constitutional republic political authority is given to--

• A king

• Ambassadors

• Political party officials

• Representatives of the people

The Founding Fathers chose to establish a federal system in order to create a government with divided power.

• Create a government with divided power

• Model the government after the one in Britain

• Experiment with a new system of government

• Concentrate government power at the national level

Which of the following is a shared function of the federal and state governments?

• Collect taxes

• Raise an army

• Provide school textbooks

• Ensure home fire protection