Test your basic knowledge |

AP Government

Subjects : civics, ap
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Governance divided between the parties - as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress.






2. Democratic and civic habits of discussion - compromise - and respect for differences - which grow out of participation in voluntary organizations.






3. Federal statute barring Federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds.






4. A theory that is based on creating enough military strength to convince other nations not to attack first.






5. A policy-making alliance that involves a very strong ties among a congressional committee - an interest group - and a Federal Department or agency.






6. The study of the characteristics of populations.






7. An international trade organization with more than 130 members - including the United States and the People's Republic of China - that seeks to encourage free trade by lowering tariffs and other trade restrictions.






8. Alternative means of health care in which individuals make tax-deductible contributions to a special account that can be used to pay medical expenses.






9. A judicial system in which the court of law is a neutral arena where two parties argue their differences.






10. Programs such as unemployment insurance - disaster relief - or disability payments that provide benefits to all eligible citizens.






11. Presidential power to strike - or remove - specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.






12. A secret ballot printed by the state.






13. A requirement the federal government imposes as a condition for receiving federal funds.






14. The portion of the Federal budget that is spent on programs - such as Social Security - that the president and Congress are unwilling to cut.






15. The authority of a court to hear a case 'in the first instance.'






16. Clause in the Constitution that states that 'Congress should have the power to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers. . . .' This clause is also known as the elastic clause as is a major and significant p

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17. The president's annual statement to Congress and the nation.






18. A court order requiring explanation to a judge why a prisoner is being held in custody.






19. Presidential custom of submitting the names of perspective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work.






20. Presidential staff agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies.






21. An agreement among two or more states. Congress must approve most such agreements.






22. Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form.






23. A notion held by a nineteenth-century Americans that the United States was destined to rule the continent - from the Atlantic the Pacific.






24. An official who is expected to represent the views of his or her constituents even when personally holding different views; one interpretation of the role of legislator.






25. Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787 - protesting mortgage foreclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out.

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26. A formal agreement between the U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that does not require Senate approval.






27. A large body of people interested in a common issue - idea - or concern that is of continuing significance and who are willing to take action. Movements seek to change attitudes or institutions - not just policies.






28. Implies that although federalism provides 'a sharing of power and authority between the national and state governments - the state's share rests upon the permission and permissiveness of the national government.'






29. A philosophy that encourages individual nations tacked together to solve international problems.






30. The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals - groups - and parties can spend unlimited amounts in campaigns for or against candidates as long as they operate independently from the candidates. When an individual - group - or party does so - they are






31. A formal decision to reject a bill passed by Congress after it adjourns






32. A division of population based on occupation - income - and education.






33. The right to renounce one's citizenship.






34. Promoting a particular position or an issue paid for by interest groups or individuals but not candidates. Much issue advocacy is often electioneering for or against a candidate - and until 2004 had not been subject to any regulation.






35. A rising public approval of the president that follows a crisis as Americans 'rally 'round the flag' and the chief executive.






36. A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government.






37. Interpretation of the First Amendment that holds that the government cannot interfere with speech unless the speech presents a clear and present danger that it will lead to evil or illegal acts.






38. A characteristic of individuals that is predictive of political behavior.






39. The cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities. Currently the office includes the Office of Management and Budget - the Council of Economic Advisers - and several other units.






40. The powers of the national government in foreign affairs that the Supreme Court has declared do not depend on constitutional grants but rather grow out of the very existence of the national government.






41. Legislative or executive review of a particular government program or organization. Can be in response to a crisis of some kind or part of routine review.






42. Efforts by government to alter the free operation of the market to achieve social goals such as protecting workers and the environment.






43. An official who is expected to vote independently based on his or her judgment of the circumstances; one interpretation of the role of the legislator.






44. Statement required by Federal law from all agencies for any project using Federal funds to assess the potential affect of the new construction or development on the environment.






45. Democratic party primary in the old 'one-party South' that was limited to white people and essentially constituted an election; ruled unconstitutional in Smith v. Allwright (1944).






46. A policy adopted by the Bush administration in 2001 that asserts America's right to attack any nation that has weapons of mass destruction that might be used against U.S. interests at home or abroad.






47. Presidential staff the agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies.






48. Relationships among interest groups - congressional committees and subcommittees - and the government agencies that share a common policy concern.






49. The total output of all economic activity in the nation - including goods and services.






50. Federal laws (starting with the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890) that try to prevent a monopoly from dominating an industry and restraining trade.