Government: Local and State — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Which of these is a service provided by local government?
A) printing money
B) running the public library
C) building interstate highways
D) commanding the army
Public libraries serve one city or town's readers, so they are paid for and staffed by the local government rather than by state or national leaders.
2. What happens when the governor signs a bill?
A) The bill is thrown away.
B) The bill becomes a state law.
C) The bill goes to the mayor.
D) The bill is sent to voters.
A bill has to be approved by the legislature and then signed by the governor to take effect, so the governor's signature is the final step that turns it into a state law.
3. Which is a responsibility of every citizen?
A) running for governor
B) paying taxes and following laws
C) building roads by themselves
D) writing bills for the legislature
A responsibility is a duty every citizen shares, and paying taxes funds shared services while obeying laws keeps the community safe — together they keep government working for everyone.
4. How can citizens share their opinions with local leaders?
A) by moving to another state
B) by attending city council meetings
C) by refusing to follow laws
D) by calling the president
City council meetings are open to the public on purpose so neighbors can show up, speak during the public comment period, and tell local leaders what they think.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The governor can veto a bill if he or she disagrees with it.
The governor holds the veto power in state government, which is a kind of check on the legislature — it lets the governor reject a bill that he or she believes isn't right for the state.
2. Local services help keep neighborhoods clean and safe.
Trash pickup, street sweeping, and police patrols are all examples of local services, and together they are what keep neighborhoods clean and safe each day.
3. Citizens elect members of the city council to represent their neighborhoods.
Cities are often split into districts, and citizens in each district vote for a council member to speak up at meetings and represent their neighborhood's ideas.
4. Obeying laws and paying taxes are duties shared by all citizens.
Citizen duties include both obeying laws (to keep order) and paying taxes (to fund shared services), so the two go together as the most basic responsibilities.
5. The state legislature debates and votes on new laws for the whole state.
The state legislature is the statewide lawmaking body, so when bills need to be debated, changed, and voted on for the whole state, that is the group that handles the job.