Government: Local and State — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The governor is the leader of the state and works in the state capital.
A governor is the top leader of a state and works in the state capital city. So governor is the word that fits this description.
2. Local government pays for fire departments that put out fires.
Putting out fires is a service for a single town, so it is paid for by local government. The departments doing that work are called fire departments, which makes fire the missing word.
3. Citizens have the right to vote when they are old enough.
Voting is something citizens are allowed to do once they reach the legal age, and that legal allowance is called a right. So the word right completes the sentence.
4. A group of people who make laws for a state is called the state legislature.
Each state has a group of elected lawmakers who meet to write the laws for that state, and this group is called the state legislature. The word legislature comes from the word for making laws.
5. The president lives in the White House in Washington, D.C.
The leader who lives in the White House in Washington, D.C., is the president of the United States. So president fills the blank.
6. Your city or town government collects taxes to pay for services.
Cities and towns need money to pay for police, fire, and parks, so they collect money from people called taxes. Taxes is the word that fits the blank.
7. A mayor is the leader of a city or town government.
A mayor is the leader chosen to run a city or town government. So mayor is the missing title.
8. Following laws and voting are responsibilities of good citizens.
Following laws and voting are jobs that good citizens are expected to do. The word citizens fits because it names the people who have these duties.
9. Public parks are places built and maintained by local government.
The grassy places with playgrounds and trails that local government builds and takes care of are called parks. So the missing word is parks.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Mayor
→ Leads a city or town
Makes laws for a city
Governor
→ Leads a state
Leads the whole country
President
→ Leads the whole country
Leads a state
City council
→ Makes laws for a city
Leads a city or town
A mayor is the leader of a city or town. A governor is the leader of a state. The president leads the whole country. The city council is the group that makes laws for a city, so the council pairs with making city laws.