POLS 207 EVALUATION 2026 EXAMS QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Why are states called "laboratories of democracy"? - ✔✔Supreme Court Justice
Louis D. Brandeis used this phrase in defense of state experimentation with new
solutions to solve social and economic problems
✔✔10th Amendment - ✔✔"The powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or
to the people." This amendment establishes federalism. It says that any power not
always enumerated, delegated, is the right of the state and people to decide.
✔✔Why are federal grants-in-aid important? - ✔✔States rely on national funding as
revenue to:
1. build infrastructure
2. educate their children and
3. to develop community based programs.
The grants are voluntarily accepted and sometimes can be seen as oppressive.
✔✔Know what is usually contained in state constitutions - ✔✔Govern governments , Set
government structure and organization , Distribute powers among branches of the
government , Prescribe the rules by which decisions are made , Limit the powers of
government and protect the rights of citizens
, ✔✔What is constitutionalism? - ✔✔Constitutionalism means "limited government." All
50 state constitutions limit the power of the state government similar to the way the Bill
of Rights limits the national government. Constitutions serve as legal protection.
Constitutional government places personal liberties and freedoms beyond the power of
the government.
✔✔Why are state constitutions long? - ✔✔So many policy decisions put into constitution
; Amending the state constitution is easy
✔✔Know the functions of counties and cities - ✔✔County collects tax (i.e. property tax)
and turns it into the state Register vehicle
Registering to vote
"Administrative arm of the state"
✔✔How do most states amend their constitution? - ✔✔There are four methods for
constitutional change in the states: legislative proposal, popular initiative, constitutional
convention, and constitutional commission.
✔✔What do special districts do? - ✔✔A special district is a unit of local government that
performs a single service in a limited geographic area, services such as education or
sanitation
✔✔What are the different types of elections? - ✔✔At-large systems, single-member
district systems, combination election systems, federal court intervention
✔✔At-large systems - ✔✔pure, by position, from residency district
✔✔Single-member district systems - ✔✔Candidates are chosen by voters in separate
geographically defined districts
✔✔Combination election systems - ✔✔Some officials are elected at large; others from
single-member districts
✔✔Federal court intervention - ✔✔Getting harder for cities to defend exclusive reliance
on at-large elections
✔✔What are the different political cultures? - ✔✔Moralistic, Individualistic,
Traditionalistic
✔✔Moralistic - ✔✔government is seen as a "good" thing, there to help man search for a
"good" society
✔✔Individualistic - ✔✔government is more of a market place concept, supply and
demand concept, government supplies itself only when the people demand it
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Why are states called "laboratories of democracy"? - ✔✔Supreme Court Justice
Louis D. Brandeis used this phrase in defense of state experimentation with new
solutions to solve social and economic problems
✔✔10th Amendment - ✔✔"The powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or
to the people." This amendment establishes federalism. It says that any power not
always enumerated, delegated, is the right of the state and people to decide.
✔✔Why are federal grants-in-aid important? - ✔✔States rely on national funding as
revenue to:
1. build infrastructure
2. educate their children and
3. to develop community based programs.
The grants are voluntarily accepted and sometimes can be seen as oppressive.
✔✔Know what is usually contained in state constitutions - ✔✔Govern governments , Set
government structure and organization , Distribute powers among branches of the
government , Prescribe the rules by which decisions are made , Limit the powers of
government and protect the rights of citizens
, ✔✔What is constitutionalism? - ✔✔Constitutionalism means "limited government." All
50 state constitutions limit the power of the state government similar to the way the Bill
of Rights limits the national government. Constitutions serve as legal protection.
Constitutional government places personal liberties and freedoms beyond the power of
the government.
✔✔Why are state constitutions long? - ✔✔So many policy decisions put into constitution
; Amending the state constitution is easy
✔✔Know the functions of counties and cities - ✔✔County collects tax (i.e. property tax)
and turns it into the state Register vehicle
Registering to vote
"Administrative arm of the state"
✔✔How do most states amend their constitution? - ✔✔There are four methods for
constitutional change in the states: legislative proposal, popular initiative, constitutional
convention, and constitutional commission.
✔✔What do special districts do? - ✔✔A special district is a unit of local government that
performs a single service in a limited geographic area, services such as education or
sanitation
✔✔What are the different types of elections? - ✔✔At-large systems, single-member
district systems, combination election systems, federal court intervention
✔✔At-large systems - ✔✔pure, by position, from residency district
✔✔Single-member district systems - ✔✔Candidates are chosen by voters in separate
geographically defined districts
✔✔Combination election systems - ✔✔Some officials are elected at large; others from
single-member districts
✔✔Federal court intervention - ✔✔Getting harder for cities to defend exclusive reliance
on at-large elections
✔✔What are the different political cultures? - ✔✔Moralistic, Individualistic,
Traditionalistic
✔✔Moralistic - ✔✔government is seen as a "good" thing, there to help man search for a
"good" society
✔✔Individualistic - ✔✔government is more of a market place concept, supply and
demand concept, government supplies itself only when the people demand it
