Worked examples
Two examples
Example 1
- Picture the table in Chapter 6: the same kinds of jobs at three levels. The row asked about here is “next in line if the head cannot serve.”
- Nation: the vice president. State: the lieutenant governor. City: the public advocate, who is elected by the voters of the whole city.
- It is not the comptroller. The comptroller is also elected citywide, but the comptroller is the watchdog over the money.
- It is not a borough president. A borough president speaks for one borough and is not the head of a separate government.
Answer: The public advocate
Example 2
- Watch for the trap that Chapter 6 warns about. In New York State, the court called the Supreme Court is not the highest court. It is a trial court, where many cases begin. There is one in every county.
- Above it is the Appellate Division, which hears appeals. (An appeal asks a higher court to change a lower court’s decision.)
- At the top is the Court of Appeals, which meets in Albany. It has seven judges, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the State Senate.
- So New York’s highest court is the Court of Appeals. The U.S. Supreme Court, with nine justices, is the highest court of the nation, not of the state.
Answer: The New York Court of Appeals
Where this is taught: Civics, Chapter 6: Who holds this job at each level · Civics, Chapter 6: The government of New York State · Civics, Chapter 6: The government of New York City · The Civics Flyover, Question 3
In your Kaplan book: Unit 3, Chapter 3, Lesson 3: Levels and Branches of Government · Map of the Terrain, topic 19: Federalism in practice: Washington, Albany, City Hall
The drill
Ten questions
Tap your answer to each one. A few questions ask you to choose words from a drop-down instead, the way the GED test does. Then press Check my answers at the bottom.Circle your answer to each one; where there are brackets, circle the choice that fits. The answer key, with the reasoning, is on the last page.