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 act of declaring party affiliation; required by some states when one registers to vote.






2. The powers expressly given to Congress in the Constitution.






3. A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime minister or president.






4. The process by which we develop our political attitudes - values - and beliefs.






5. A company with a labor agreement under which union membership cannot be required as a condition of employment.






6. The difference between the political opinions or political behavior of men and of women.






7. The widely shared beliefs - values - and norms about how citizens relate to governments and to one another.






8. A local or judicial election in which candidates are not selected or endorsed by political parties and party affiliation is not listed on ballots.






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






10. Advertisements and commercials for products and services; they receive less First Amendment protection - primarily to discourage false and misleading ads.






11. A philosophy that encourages individual nations to act on their own when facing threats from other nations.






12. Clause in the Constitution (Article 4 - Section 1) requiring each state to recognize the civil judgments rendered by the courts of the other states and to accept their public records and acts as valid.






13. Weakening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of independents.






14. A system of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage.






15. Domination of an industry by a single company that fixes prices and discourages competition; also - the company that dominates the industry by these means.






16. Stresses federalism as a system of intergovernmental relations in delivering governmental goods and services to the people and calls for cooperation among various levels of government.






17. A provision in a deed to real property prohibiting its sale to a person of a particular race or religion. Judicial enforcement of such deeds is unconstitutional.






18. Constitutional requirement that governments proceed by proper methods; limits how government may exercise power.






19. 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






20. The reliance on economic and military strength to solve international problems.






21. A belief that government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity.






22. Constitutional grant of powers that enables each of the three branches of government to check some acts of the others and therefore ensure that no branch can dominate.






23. The reliance on diplomacy and negotiation to solve international problems.






24. The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census - to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.






25. Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates.






26. Those citizens who follow public affairs closely.






27. Censorship imposed before a speech is made or a newspaper is published; usually presumed to be unconstitutional.






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






29. A PAC formed by an officeholder that collects contributions from individuals and other PACs and then makes contributions to other candidates and political parties.






30. Court order directing an official to perform an official duty.






31. The formal process for making regulations.






32. Powers that the Constitution gives to both the national and state governments - such as the power to levy taxes.






33. A technique of Congress to establish federal regulations. Direct orders must be complied with under threat of criminal or civil sanction. An example is the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 - barring job discrimination by state and local gover






34. Assigning police to neighborhoods where they walk the beat and work with churches and other community groups to reduce crime and improve relations with minorities.






35. The current holder of the elected office.






36. 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.






37. A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill.






38. Agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant that the defendant will plead guilty to a lesser offense to avoid having to stand trial for more serious offense.






39. The tendency of presidents to lose support over time.






40. Domination of an industry by a single company; also the company that dominates the industry.






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






42. A government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free - fair - and relatively frequent elections.






43. Elections in which voters determine party nominees.






44. Established by Congress in 1978 as a flexible - mobile corps of senior career executives who worked closely with presidential appointees to manage government.






45. A legal action conferring citizenship on an alien.






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






47. A minor party dedicated to the environment - social justice - nonviolence - and the foreign policy of nonintervention. Ralph Nader ran as the Green party's nominee in 2000.






48. Congress appropriates a certain sum - which is allocated to state and local units and sometimes to nongovernmental agencies - based on applications from those who wish to participate. Examples are grants by the National Science Foundation to universi






49. In a criminal action - the person or party accused of an offense.






50. A belief that limited government insures order competitive markets and personal opportunity.