Government: Local and State — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. What is the main job of the state legislature?
A) to lead the city
B) to write and pass state laws
C) to collect trash
D) to run the fire department
A legislature is the lawmaking branch of government, so the main job of state legislators is to propose bills, debate them, and vote on the laws that govern the state.
2. Where does most of the money for public services come from?
A) donations from businesses
B) the mayor's personal savings
C) taxes paid by citizens
D) fines from parking tickets only
Governments don't earn money like a business — most of what funds public schools, roads, and firefighters comes from the taxes citizens pay each year.
3. Which group works with the mayor to make decisions for a city?
A) the state legislature
B) the city council
C) the governor's staff
D) the president's cabinet
At the city level, the mayor is the leader and the city council is the team of elected members who discuss ideas, vote on rules, and help run the city together.
4. Why is voting important in a democracy?
A) It lets people earn extra money.
B) It gives citizens a voice in choosing leaders.
C) It allows children to skip school.
D) It helps the governor collect taxes.
A democracy only works when the people pick the people in charge, so voting is how each citizen gets a real say in who leads their city, state, and country.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The city council passes laws that apply only to the local community.
A city council's authority stays inside its city limits, so the laws it passes — often called ordinances — only apply to people living in or visiting that community.
2. Citizens who are 18 or older have the right to vote in elections.
The United States sets 18 as the age when citizens become adults for voting, which means they gain the right to cast ballots and help pick leaders.
3. The state government uses tax money to build and maintain highways.
Highways stretch across many cities, so they are too big for a single town to handle — the state government plans, pays for, and repairs them using state tax money.
4. Members of the state legislature are chosen by the people through voting.
State legislators are not hired or appointed — they earn their seats because citizens go to the polls during elections and vote to put them there.
5. The mayor and the city council together make up a city's government.
A city's government has an executive and a lawmaking branch just like a state does — the mayor is the top leader and the city council is the group of lawmakers beside them.