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






2. Government in which citizens vote on laws and select officials directly.






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






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






5. Loss of tax revenue due to Federal laws that provide special tax incentives or benefits to individuals or businesses.






6. Biological - chemical - or nuclear weapons that can cause a massive number of deaths in a single use.






7. Constitutional requirement that governments act reasonably and that the substance of the laws themselves be fair and reasonable; limits what the government may do.






8. Election in which voters choose party nominees.






9. Constitutional doctrine that whenever conflict occurs between the constitutionally authorized actions of the national government and those of a state or local government - the actions of the federal government will prevail.






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






11. Largely banned party soft money - restored a long-standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using general treasury funds for electoral purposes - and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy.






12. Citizenship in more than one nation.






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






14. Agreement signed by the United States - Canada - and Mexico in 1992 to form the largest free trade zone in the world.






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






16. Requirement that evidence unconstitutionally or illegally obtained be excluded from a criminal trial.






17. Interest groups organized under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code may advertise for or against candidates. If their source of funding is corporations or unions - they have some restrictions on broadcast advertising. 527 organizations were impo






18. 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.






19. A theory of international relations that focuses on the hope the nations will act together to solve international problems and promote peace.






20. A court with appellate jurisdiction that hears appeals from the decisions of lower courts.






21. A formal writ used to bring a case before the Supreme Court.






22. An individual who does not to join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence.






23. A company with a labor agreement under which union membership is a condition of employment.






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






25. A commission created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws. It consists of six commissioners appointed by president and confirmed by the Senate. Its duties include overseeing disclosure of camp






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






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






28. The clause in the Constitution (Article 1 - Section 8 - Clause 1) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations.






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






30. Programs such as Medicaid and welfare under which applicants must meet eligibility requirements based on need.






31. The residents of a congressional district or state.






32. The right to keep executive communications confidential - especially if they relate to National Security.






33. Election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins.






34. The first governing document of the confederated states drafted in 1777 - ratified in 1781 - and replaced by the present Constitution in 1789.






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






36. The idea that a just government must derive its powers from the consent of the people it governs.






37. A technique of Congress to establish federal regulations. Total preemption rests on the national governments power under the supremacy and commerce clauses to preempt conflicting state and local activity. Building on this constitutional authority - f






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






39. A form of organization that operates through impersonal - uniform rules and procedures.






40. A procedure for terminating debate - especially filibusters - in the Senate.






41. A government agency or commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress.






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






43. The proportion of the voting age public that votes - sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote.






44. A policy-making alliance among loosely connected participants that comes together on a particular issue - then disbands.






45. Tax levied on imports to help protect the nation's industries - labor - or farmers from foreign competition. It can also be used to raise additional revenue.






46. A secret ballot printed by the state.






47. International organization derived from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that promotes it free trade around the world.






48. Election in which voters choose party nominees.






49. 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.






50. A career government employee.