Government: Local and State — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
The governor runs the fire department in your town.
Corrected: The mayor runs the fire department in your town.
Fire and police departments are services run by city or town government, which is led by the mayor. The governor leads the whole state, not a single town's fire department.
2. Fix the sentence:
The mayor makes laws for the entire state.
Corrected: The governor makes laws for the entire state.
Making laws for an entire state is the governor's job because the governor leads the state government. A mayor only leads a city or town, so the mayor cannot make laws for the whole state.
3. Fix the sentence:
The president is in charge of your city parks.
Corrected: The mayor is in charge of your city parks.
City parks belong to the local government, and the mayor is the leader of a city or town. The president leads the whole country, which is much bigger than one city's parks.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The leader of the United States is the president.
The president is chosen by voters across the whole country to be the top leader of the United States. That makes president the right word to fill the blank.
2. A law is a rule that everyone must follow.
Laws are rules that everyone in a community or country has to follow to keep people safe and treat each other fairly. So a law fits the description of being a rule.
3. Local government keeps people safe by providing police officers.
Keeping people safe is one of the main jobs of local government, and the workers who patrol streets and help in emergencies are police officers. That is why police completes the sentence.
4. People who belong to a country are called citizens.
When you belong to a country and have rights and responsibilities there, you are called a citizen. Citizens is the plural form that fits a sentence about a group of people.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. Voting is one way citizens help choose their leaders.
True False
True. Voting is the way people in the United States pick their mayor, governor, and president, so it is one of the most important ways citizens choose their leaders.
2. The president is the leader of just one city.
True False
False. The president leads the entire country, not just one city. A mayor is the leader of a single city or town.
3. Laws are rules that help keep people safe.
True False
True. Laws set rules like stopping at red lights and not stealing, and following these rules helps protect everyone in the community.