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. First Roman Catholic elected President.






2. The vagueness of this phrase has allowed juries to exclude specific genders or races in order to affect the outcome of the verdict.






3. Leader of the House of Representatives - elected by the majority party. 2nd in line of succession for the Presidency.






4. The possible tendency of some voters or convention delegates to support the candidate who is leading in the polls and seems likely to win.






5. New Jersey v. TLO (1985) established that school authorities may search students without _____________ as long as they are reasonable.






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






7. The structure and set of regulations in place to control activity - usually in large organizations and government. it is represented by standardized procedure (rule-following) that dictates the execution of most or all processes within the body - for






8. Concept of the British statesman Edmund Burke that legislators should act according to their own consciences.






9. Senators have a __________ rate of re-election than Representatives primarily because of their larger constituency and lack of direct involvement with them.






10. Powers of government exercised independently by both the federal and state governments - such as the power to tax.






11. 1974 Act mandating that all government files about private citizens be kept confidential.






12. The principle that the government - as provided in the Fifth Amendment - can take property for 'public use' with 'just compensation' to the owners.






13. Includes the 13th - 14th - and 15th Amendments. Abolished slavery and guaranteed due process and equal protection to all citizens.






14. A federal program established in 1965 to provide hospital and medical services to older people through the Social Security system.






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






16. In order to win support for ratification of the Constitution - the Federalists had to promise that the first order of business under a new government would be to _______________.






17. Congress' first step towards allocating funds






18. The House appropriations committee has ___ subcommittees.






19. This was amended in 1985 to prohibit vote dilution without requiring the proof of discriminatory purpose demanded by the original Act.






20. The pursuit and exercise of power.






21. Prompted by FDR's 4th election to the Presidency - the 22nd Amendment limited the number of Presidential terms to _____ terms.






22. The 1896 case of Plessy v. Fergusan established the racial segregation policy of __________________.






23. An immigrant who wished to become a citizen may be naturalized after living in the US for ___ years.






24. A writ designed to protect against illegal imprisonment by requiring that a person who is detained be brought before a judge for investigation.






25. Type of interest group represented in Washington by another individual or organization. (Ex. Ford Motor Company pays a lobbyist in Washington to represent them.)






26. Government employees who publicly expose evidence of official waste or corruption that they have learned about in the course of their duties.






27. 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.






28. _____________ was the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in controlling New York City politics and helping immigrants (most notably the Irish) rise up in American politics from the 1790s to the 1960s.






29. Presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President. Position awarded to the longest serving Senator from the majority party. 3rd in line of succession for the Presidency.






30. The 15th Amendment - also know as _________________ - was intended to help recently freed blacks from unconstitutional state laws designed to circumvent federal laws.






31. The process through which an individual acquires a set of political attitudes and forms opinions about political and social issues.






32. The claim by presidents of an inherent right to withhold information from Congress and the judiciary.






33. Which powers of the national government flow from its enumerated powers and from the 'elastic clause' of the Constitution?






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






35. Elections that may lead to a basic shift in the party identification of the electorate.






36. Cabinet department that includes the Coast Guard - Border Patrol - FEMA - Transportation Security Administration - INS and the Secret Service. Established in 2001 in response to 9/11.






37. Included are Ways and Means - Veteran's Affairs - Transportation and Infrastructure - Standards of Official Conduct - Small Business - Science - Judiciary - Rules - Resources - Oversight of Government Reform - House Administration - Homeland Security






38. A federal tax on imports.






39. An economic system of free enterprise with private ownership of the means of production.






40. During the period from 1976 to 1824 - This party was lead by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. They wanted a stronger national government that would rectify the pitfalls of the Articles of Confederation. Their supporters held a stronghold in New






41. 1944 case established that as as long as a person accepted their beliefs in good faith that it is not the government's authority to determine whether those beliefs are valid.






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






43. The 1803 case in which the Supreme Court - by declaring a portion of an act of Congress unconstitutional - first firmly set forth and established the power of judicial review.






44. Philosopher John Locke - in his 1690 work Civil Government (second treatise) - advised separation of government power between






45. An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other - so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted






46. A government that undertakes responsibility for the welfare of its citizens through programs in public health and public housing and pensions and unemployment compensation etc.






47. In the area of foreign affairs - _______________ often have the advantage because






48. The 23rd Amendment guaranteed voting rights to whom?






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






50. These candidates win re-election to the House 80-90% of the time.