01
True or false
1 point
A country gives its regions substantial responsibilities, but the national parliament can legally define, alter, or withdraw those regional powers. Which description best fits this arrangement?
Free Practice Quiz Question List
States, Constitutions, and Structures of Power Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review States, Constitutions, and Structures of Power, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
Choose one
1 point
Which statement accurately describes first-past-the-post voting in a single-member district?
- A
The winner must receive more than half of all votes.
- B
The candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority.
- C
Seats are assigned to parties in proportion to their national vote share.
- D
Voters rank candidates and votes are transferred until a threshold is reached.
03
Written response
1 point
What term describes the transfer of authority to elected subnational institutions that have meaningful discretion over policy?
04
Fill in the blank
1 point
Complete the statement: In a unitary system, ultimate constitutional authority is located in the .
05
Choose one
1 point
Which outcome is most commonly associated with proportional representation?
- A
It guarantees that one party will control the legislature.
- B
It tends to make legislative seats more closely reflect parties’ vote shares.
- C
It requires every voter to select a single local candidate.
- D
It eliminates the possibility of coalition governments.
06
Choose all
1 point
Which statements accurately describe federal systems? Select all that apply.
- A
Both national and subnational levels have constitutionally protected powers.
- B
Federal systems are always more decentralized in practice than unitary systems.
- C
Federal systems can differ in how much authority is exercised by the center.
- D
Courts may interpret disputes over the boundary between national and subnational authority.
- E
Subnational governments in a federation are merely administrative branches of the national government.
07
Written response
1 point
What exact number of electoral votes is required to win the United States presidency?
08
Fill in the blank
1 point
Complete the statement: In a first-past-the-post district, the candidate receiving the wins the seat.
09
Choose all
1 point
Which statements correctly distinguish forms of decentralization? Select all that apply.
- A
Deconcentration places national officials or agencies in local areas while the national government retains control.
- B
Delegation assigns responsibilities to another body while the national government retains substantial oversight.
- C
Devolution means that all national supervision has been eliminated.
- D
Devolution transfers authority to elected subnational institutions with meaningful policy discretion.
- E
Delegation necessarily creates constitutionally sovereign subnational governments.
10
True or false
1 point
True or false: Calling a country unitary or federal alone is sufficient to determine whether it is highly centralized or highly decentralized in practice.
- A
True
- B
False
11
Open ended
1 point
Compare the United Kingdom and the United States as systems for distributing power. Explain how the legal source of subnational authority differs in the two countries and why the United Kingdom can be devolved without being federal.
12
Choose one
1 point
How does the United States Electoral College connect presidential selection to the country’s federal structure?
- A
It creates one nationwide district in which all votes are counted identically for a single national total.
- B
It gives states a formal role by organizing presidential contests through state-based elector allocation.
- C
It requires the president to be selected directly by the national legislature.
- D
It assigns every state the same number of electoral votes regardless of population and congressional representation.
13
True or false
1 point
True or false: A unitary constitutional system must also be highly centralized in its day-to-day exercise of power.
- A
True
- B
False
14
Choose one
1 point
Which arrangement best illustrates devolution?
- A
The national government assigns its own officials to local offices but retains control.
- B
Authority is transferred to elected subnational institutions with meaningful policy discretion.
- C
The national government assigns a task to another body while retaining substantial oversight.
- D
A constitution divides authority between national and subnational governments.
15
Choose one
1 point
How should the United Kingdom be classified constitutionally?
- A
A centralized federal system with no elected regional institutions
- B
A federal system in which regional powers are constitutionally sovereign
- C
A unitary system with asymmetric devolution
- D
A confederation in which the regions hold ultimate authority
16
Written response
1 point
What electoral system elects one representative per district and awards the seat to the candidate who receives the most votes, even if that candidate lacks a majority?
17
Choose one
1 point
A country replaces single-member plurality elections with proportional representation. Which outcome is most likely?
- A
It guarantees that every district elects only one representative.
- B
It generally makes coalition governments more common.
- C
It ensures that the largest party receives every legislative seat.
- D
It eliminates the need for parties to compete for votes.
18
Written response
1 point
What number of Electoral College votes is required to win the United States presidency?
19
Choose one
1 point
Which feature best demonstrates the comparatively strong authority of India's Union government within its federal structure?
- A
State boundaries can be changed only by the affected state governments.
- B
State governments possess an independent constitutional right to withdraw from the Union.
- C
The national Parliament can create or alter state boundaries.
- D
The constitution gives all legislative authority exclusively to the states.
20
Choose one
1 point
A national government establishes elected regional legislatures and gives them meaningful discretion over education and health policy. Which form of decentralization does this example illustrate?
- A
Deconcentration
- B
Devolution
- C
Delegation
- D
Centralization