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 reliance on diplomacy and negotiation to solve international problems.






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






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






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






5. Synonymous with 'collective action -' it specifically studies how government officials - politicians - and voters respond to positive and negative incentives.






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






7. Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.






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. Financial contributions by individuals or groups in the hope of influencing the outcome of the election and subsequently influencing policy.






10. An economic system characterized by private property - competitive markets - economic incentives - and limited government involvement in the production - distribution - and pricing of goods and services.






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. An action taken by Congress to reverse the presidential veto - requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber.






13. Remedial action designed to overcome the effects of discrimination against minorities and women.






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






15. An opinion disagreeing with a majority in a Supreme Court ruling.






16. The process by which individuals perceive what they want to in media messages.






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






18. The right to vote.






19. Donations made to political candidates - party committees - or groups which - by law - are limited and must be declared.






20. Proposal at the Constitutional Convention made by William Paterson of New Jersey for a central government with a single-house legislature in which each state would be represented equally.






21. Compromise between northern and southern states at the Constitutional Convention that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.






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






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






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






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






26. A type of policy that takes benefits (usually through taxes) from one group of Americans and gives them to another (usually through spending).






27. Policy of erecting trade barriers to protect domestic industry.






28. The formal instructions that government issues for implementing laws.






29. The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not conform to their own biases.






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






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






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






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






34. A formal - public agreement between the United States and one or more nations that must be approved by two thirds of the Senate.






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






36. Authority given by Congress to the Federal bureaucracy to use reasonable judgment in implementing the laws.






37. Unlimited amounts of money that political parties previously could raise for party-building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state and local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts.






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






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






40. Libel - obscenity - fighting words - and commercial speech - which are not entitled to constitutional protection in all circumstances.






41. The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights.






42. The tendency of presidents to learn more about doing their jobs over time.






43. A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.






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






45. A jury of 12 to 23 persons who - in private - hear evidence presented by the government to determine whether persons shall be required to stand trial. If the jury believes there is sufficient evidence that a crime was committed - it issues an indictm






46. A secret ballot printed by the state.






47. A formal decision to reject the bill passed by Congress.






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






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






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