Test your basic knowledge |

CLEP American Government

Subjects : clep, civics
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 concept that political power rests with the people who can create - alter - and abolish government. People express themselves through voting and free participation in government






2. 14th Amendment is often used to support the right to ____________.






3. After a bill has passed both the House and Senate - it goes to _________________ where any differences between the house bill and the senate bill are resolved before sending to the President for signature






4. Age Requirement for the Senate






5. _______________ indicates a citizens' faith and trust in government and their own belief that they can understand and influence political affairs






6. Courts of original jurisdiction in federal crimes - civil suits under federal law - civil suits between citizens of different states where the amount in question exceeds $50 -000 - bankruptcy proceedings - cases involving some federal administrative






7. This rule established by US v. Leon (1984) angered civil liberties groups by allowing exception to the Exclusionary Rule in instances where probably cause may not fully exist.






8. In states using primaries - the most common form of primary election is the ___________ primary.






9. Each Senate committee may have ________ subcommittees.






10. The way things should be by law






11. A place of work in which any person may be hired provided that he or she joins the union within a specified time.






12. Baby boomers - women - and voters with higher levels of education tend to have a ____________ voter turnout.






13. Grants that an accused may not be held in custody without charge - literally 'You shall have the body'.






14. Total number of Representatives apportioned to the states based on population and reapportioned with the census every 10 years






15. The head of a national political party






16. Corporations formed by the government to act as a business to produce a product or service. Often monopolies with varying degrees of independence.






17. The kinds of cases that a court has the authority to decide.






18. Laws passed by state legislatures that are designed to protect reporters from being forced to reveal their news sources.






19. In Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969) - the Supreme Court established precedents for ___________________ in schools and government institutions.






20. Population migration patterns since the second World War have increased the power of _____________.






21. The expansion of cable and satellite tv has _________________ the president's power to influence public opinion.






22. According to this nineteenth-century British peer and historian - 'power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'






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






24. Clause of the Constitution (Article 1 - Section 10) intended to prohibit state governments from modifying contracts made between individuals; interpreted as prohibiting state governments from taking actions that adversely affect property rights.






25. The Supreme Court has ruled that Congress_________________ take away a person's citizenship unless it is freely renounced.






26. Powers specifically given to the federal government by the US Constitution - for example - the authority to print money.






27. First step in the Policy Making Cycle.






28. Presidential management model in which the Chief of Staff plays a prominent role as the head of a military style chain of command. Used successfully by Reagan and Eisenhower.






29. The attitudes and actions of people that sustain and buttress the political system at all levels and allows the political system to continue to work.






30. Established the Federal Reserve Bank - responsible for conducting the nation's monetary policy - maintaining the stability of the financial system - supervising and regulating banking institutions - and protecting the credit rights of consumers - and






31. Define US Citizenship as any person born or naturalized in the United States.






32. Tests of a voter's ability to read and write - which were often used to keep recent immigrants and blacks from voting.






33. If significant amendments are made to a bill during committee - the bill is sometimes given a new number as a _______________.






34. The pursuit and exercise of power






35. The House appropriations committee has ___ subcommittees.






36. A strand of American foreign policy that was visible by the end of the 19th century; it included 'gunboat diplomacy' and other forms of military involvement by the United States in various parts of the world.






37. This house committee is responsible for Supervising the authority of the federal government to borrow money - Raising the revenue required to finance the federal government by levying taxes - Overseeing Social Security and other social insurance prog






38. This influential English document signed by King John in 1215 limited the absolute power of the monarchy - established due process - and limited arbitrary seizure of property.






39. A registered voter may vote in any party primary regardless of his own party affiliation. When voters do not register with a party before the primary - it is called a pick-a-party primary because the voter can select which party's primary he or she w






40. Representing - characterized by - or including members from two parties or factions






41. Also known as the Indiana ballot - lists the candidates of each party in a row or column - beside or under the party emblem. In most cases - the voter can make one mark at the top of the column - or pull one lever - and thus vote for all the party's






42. PACs may donate a ______________ amount of indirect or in-kind donations to a campaign. (Ex. placing ads to support their candidate)






43. The 24th amendment banned _____________ - making it harder for states to discriminate against poor and minority voters.






44. Responsible for assigning bills to committee in the Senate.






45. An economic philosophy that advocates both tax and budget cuts to increase incentives to produce in order to expand the total supply of the nation's goods and services.






46. Literally meaning 'right of soil' - confers citizenship by place of birth.






47. The expression of attitudes about government and politics.






48. Law enacted in 1939 to prohibit civil servants from taking activists roles in partisan campaigns .This act prohibited federal employees from making political contributions - working for a particualr party -or campaining for a particualr canidate






49. A system of voter registration in which voters must register only once in their district.






50. A political candidate who is thought to have only an outside chance of gaining the nomination.