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:
Citizens pay taxes so the mayor can keep all the money.
Corrected: Citizens pay taxes so the government can pay for public services.
A mayor cannot keep tax money — taxes are pooled together by the government to pay for shared things like schools, roads, firefighters, and libraries.
2. Fix the sentence:
The city council makes laws for the whole state.
Corrected: The city council makes laws for the city.
A city council only has power inside its own city — state laws are written by the state legislature, which covers the whole state.
3. Fix the sentence:
The state legislature is a group that leads a single town.
Corrected: The state legislature is a group that makes laws for the whole state.
A single town is led by its mayor and council — the state legislature is the larger group of elected lawmakers whose rules apply in every city in the state.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. Money that citizens pay to the government is called taxes.
Taxes are the regular payments citizens send to the government from things they earn or buy, and this money funds the services everyone shares.
2. The group of people who help the mayor make decisions for a city is the city council.
A city council is the team of elected members who meet with the mayor, debate ideas, and vote together on decisions that affect the whole city.
3. Roads, libraries, and fire stations are examples of public services.
Public services are things the government provides for everyone to use, and roads, libraries, and fire stations are all classic examples that tax money pays for.
4. The state legislature writes and votes on laws for the state.
The word legislature means a lawmaking body, and in every state it is the elected group whose job is to write bills, debate them, and vote on state laws.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. Taxes help pay for public services like roads and schools.
True False
Roads get paved and schools get staffed because governments collect tax money from citizens and spend it on those shared public services.
2. The city council and the state legislature do the same job.
True False
Both groups write laws, but a city council only covers one city while the state legislature makes laws for every city and town in the whole state.
3. Only adults who are citizens can vote in elections.
True False
Voting is a right saved for adult citizens who are 18 or older, which is why children and non-citizens cannot cast ballots in elections.