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. Until the law was changed in 2002 - the term described unregulated campaign funds not subject to the limits of federal law because they went to party committees and not directly to candidates. The 2002 law banned contributions of soft money to nation






2. Method by which federal court judges may lose their position.






3. The 1892 platform of the Populist party repudiating laissez-faire and demanding economic and political reform






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






5. Loose - competitive relationships among policy experts - interest groups - congressional committees - and federal agencies. Many observers argue that these have replaced iron triangles.






6. These two Senate standing committees have existed - largely unchanged - since 1816.






7. Practice by which voters of one party crossing over and voting in the primary of another party - effectively allowing a party to help choose its opposition's candidate.






8. ______________________is responsible for the management of the federal debt and the printing of currency. It is the major fiscal policy agency.






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






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






11. Federal grants in which the recipient has little discretion over how the money is spent. The national government sets narrowly defined rules for use of funds and often requires the states or local governments to provide matching funds. These grants a






12. The Supreme Court holds _____________ jurisdiction in cases against the US - ambassadors - public ministers - and consuls.






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






14. Age Requirement for House of Representatives.






15. Government agencies that exercise quasi-judicial and quasi-legislative powers and are administratively independent of both the president and Congress (although politically independent of neither).






16. The Supremacy Clause appears in ________________ of the Constitution.






17. 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






18. 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.






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






20. Approximately 33% of American voters identify themselves as _______________ party.






21. A vote in the House of Representatives in which the position of each member is noted and published in the Congressional Record.






22. Constitutional Article that establishes the Judicial Branch.






23. The agency that provides Congress with evaluations of public policies is the






24. Authority based on an individual's outstanding traits - which attract followers






25. Article II of the Constitution establishes the ______________ branch.






26. The expression of attitudes about government and politics.






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






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






29. 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.






30. First African American appointed to the Supreme Court






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






32. Multi-interest and often multinational corporations that - under one corporate roof - may manufacture a wide variety of products.






33. The relationship between the total cost of foreign goods imported to this country and sales of U.S. products overseas.






34. (1781-1789) The written framework for the government of the original 13 states before the Constitution was adopted. Under this - the national government was weak and dominated by the states. There was a unicameral legislature - but no national execut






35. In 1872 - Susan B Anthony was arrested in Rochester - New York for






36. Responsible for determining which bills will be considered on the House floor - and when they will be considered.






37. Protects against unreasonable search and seizure.






38. A legislature with only one house.






39. A form of city government under which power is divided between a mayor and an elected city council.






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






41. A tactic in which PACs collect contributions from like-minded individuals and present them to a candidate or political party as a 'bundle -' thus increasing the PAC's influence.






42. 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.






43. 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.






44. A coherent set of beliefs about politics - public policy - and public purpose. It helps give meaning to political event - personalities - and policies.






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. Also known as the Massachusetts ballot - groups candidates according to the office for which they are running






47. Most likely to board a foreign ship suspected of drug trafficking at a U.S. port






48. The head of a national political party






49. The Constitution requires that state governments - like the federal government - must be _____________ in form - with final authority resting with the people.






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