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. The presiding officer in the House of Representatives - formally elected by the House but actually selected by the majority party.






2. A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.






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






4. A theory of government that holds that open - multiple - and competing groups can check the asserted power by any one group.






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






6. Theory that opposes governmental interference in economic affairs beyond what is necessary to protect life and property.






7. Lawsuit brought by an individual or group of people on behalf of all those similarly situated.






8. Power of a government to take private property for public use; the U.S. Constitution gives national and state governments this power and requires them to provide just compensation for property so taken.






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






10. 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).






11. Quality or state of a work that taken as a whole appeals to a prurient interest in sex by depicting sexual conduct in a patently offensive way and that lacks serious literary - artistic - political - or scientific value.






12. Governance divided between the parties - as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress.






13. The number of Americans who are out of work but actively looking for a job. The number does not usually include those who are not looking.






14. The process by which provisions of the bill of rights are brought within the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment and so applied to state and local governments.






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






16. An imbalance in international trade in which the value of imports exceeds the value of exports.






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






18. The convention in Philadelphia - May 25 to September 17 - 1787 - that debated and agreed upon the Constitution of the United States.






19. Words that by their very nature inflict injury on those to whom they are addressed or insight them to acts of violence.






20. Philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect current conditions and values.






21. Procedure whereby a certain number of voters may - by petition - propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters.






22. The legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition.






23. A court order forbidding specific individuals or groups from performing certain acts (such as striking) that the court considers harmful to the rights and property of an employer or community.






24. A grouping of human beings with distinctive characteristics determined by genetic inheritance.






25. A meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and in some cases to select party candidates for public office.






26. The process - most notably in families and schools - by which we develop our political attitudes - values - and beliefs.






27. The dispensing of government jobs to persons who belong to the winning political party.






28. Segregation imposed by law.






29. A government agency that operates like a business corporation - created to secure greater freedom of action and flexibility for a particular program.






30. Providing automatic increases to compensate for inflation.






31. Aid to the poor; 'welfare.'






32. A tax whereby people with lower incomes pay a higher fraction of their income than people with higher incomes.






33. A nonprofit association or group operating outside of government that advocates and pursues policy objectives.






34. The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party - group - or incumbent.






35. A tax graduated so that people with higher incomes pay larger fraction of their income than people with lower incomes.






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






37. A tax on increased value of the product at each stage of production and distribution rather than just at the point of sale.






38. Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents.






39. Citizenship in more than one nation.






40. A jury of 6 to 12 persons that determines guilt or innocence in a civil or criminal action.






41. The means by which individuals can express preferences regarding the development of public policy.






42. Formal accusation against a president or other public official - the first step in removal from office.






43. Constitutional arrangement in which sovereign nations or states - by compact - create a central government but carefully limit its power and do not give it direct authority over individuals.






44. A landmark case in United States law and the basis for the exercise of judicial review in the United States - under Article Three of the United States Constitution. The case resulted from a petition to the Supreme Court by William Marbury - who had b






45. 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.






46. Petition that - if signed by majority of the House of Representatives' members - will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration.






47. The total amount of money the Federal government has borrowed to finance deficit spending over the years.






48. Money spent by individuals or groups not associated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office.






49. The distribution of individual preferences or evaluations of a given issue - candidate - or institution within a specific population.






50. A decision made by a higher court such as a circuit court of appeals or the Supreme Court that is binding on all other federal courts.