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. 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






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






3. The fundamental rights of a free society that are protected by the Bill of Rights against the power of the government - such as freedom of speech - religion - press - and assembly.






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






5. States that arrestees must be informed of their right to remain silent - that anything they say can be held against them in a court - that they have a right to an attorney and that an attorney will be appointed to them if they cannot afford one.






6. According to one survey - what percentage of Americans belongs to groups that sometimes take a stand on public issues






7. Infamous 1735 English case established the precedent for Freedom of the Press in the US.






8. ____________________ define Congressional voting districts acting within constraints set down by Congress and the Supreme Court.






9. In California v. Avecedo (1991) - The Supreme Court established that authorities may search ____________________ without a warrant providing reasonable suspicion.






10. A powerful alliance of mutual benefit among an agency or unit of the government - an interest group - and a committee or subcommittee of Congress. Also called a triangle or iron triangle.






11. The power to tax is an example of _______________ powers.






12. The framers of the Constitution created the Senate to function as a check on the ________________.






13. First step in the Policy Making Cycle.






14. A test established by Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes - Jr. - in 1919 to define the point at which speech loses the protection of the First Amendment.






15. Assistants to the Majority and Minority Leaders of both the House and Senate.






16. Laws that were designed to segregate black and white Americans and give legal recognition to discrimination.






17. Clause in the 14th Amendment that forbids any state to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The 5th Amendment also imposes this limitation on the national government.






18. Responsible for further investigation - hearings - and amendment to a bill






19. This amendment applied the Bill of Rights to states.






20. This contraversial 2001 law allows anti-terrorism authorities to monitor e-mail and Internet traffic in order to prevent terrorist attacks. The government argues that cyberspace is public domain and that no warrants should be needed to access informa






21. The president - the vice president - the heads of the major executive departments of the government - and certain other senior officials who may hold 'cabinet rank.'






22. The ___________ aspects of Federalism include: conflicts between state and national government - economic and racial discrimination - uneven enforcement of law - and dominance of local governments by special interest groups






23. Decides which bills will be considered.






24. Powerful standing committee that puts bills on the legislative calendar and establishes the processes by which the bill will be discussed on the floor.






25. In which case did the Supreme Court rule that the concept of privacy included the right to a legal abortion?






26. The ruling in this case provided that the government must prove a threat to national security in order to impose prior restraint.






27. This branch of government checks Bureaucracy through its control over lawsuits filed against the agency.






28. ____________ often influence political appointments in an effort to influence bureaucracy.






29. A form of city government under which a board of city commissioners is popularly elected (often on a nonpartisan ballot). The commissioners make policy as a city council - but they also run city departments as administrators.






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






31. Theory that a government requires the consent of the governed.






32. Representatives serve ____ year terms






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






34. It the job of _________ committees of a political party to hold voter registration drives - recruit new party members and final candidates for city and county positions.






35. 14th Amendment is often used to support the right to ____________.






36. A procedure that in certain circumstances permits voters to remove elected state or local officials from office before their terms have expired.






37. A group of high-level administrators and managers at the top of the government bureaucracy. SES members have less job tenure but are eligible for substantial cash bonuses for merit.






38. The name commonly given to a private group - regardless of size - organized to elect political candidates. An organization becomes one by receiving contributions or making expenditures in excess of $1 -000 for the purpose of influencing a federal ele






39. American politics is dominated by a small ___________ who is responsible for most of the important policy decisions






40. A group of writers - journalists - and critics who exposed corporate malfeasance and political corruption in the first decade of the 20th century.






41. Cabinet department oversees nuclear reactors.Established in 1973 in response to the Energy Crisis.






42. Early civil rights leader established the Niagara Movement and helped to establish the NAACP.






43. Several Presidents have been elected without winning the popular vote. As a result - In 1970 and 1979 - Amendments were proposed to disband the ______________ - neither passed.






44. Laws must be reasonable. The Supreme Court has abandoned this concept in regards to business matters citing that it is the responsibility of Congress to regulate economic matters. The court has continued to apply this to matters of civil liberties an






45. Includes expressive conduct/assembly/actions and symbolic behavior (ex. Picketing or burning the flag) Based on our country history of symbolic acts such as the Boston Tea Party - courts almost always uphold symbolic acts of speech unless they are cr






46. Age requirement for President






47. The belief that all people possess certain basic rights that may not be abridged by government.






48. A controversial law overwhelmingly passed by Congress in October 2001 - after the terrorist attacks of September 11 on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It greatly expanded the power of federal law enforcement authorities to move against suspe






49. Lobbyists for special interest groups have found ____________________ to be the most direct and effective method to secure their objectives in Congress.






50. The appropriation of government spending for projects that are intended primarily to benefit particular constituents - such as those in marginal seats or campaign contributors.