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. In the 1990 case OR State Employment Division v. Smith 1990 - the Supreme court allowed the state to fire employees who use peyote during native American religious ceremonies because it is in violation of drug laws. In this case - which clause of the






2. Which form of registration prevails in all but a few states?






3. Plan that proposed bicameral legislature where states were to have representation based on size in both houses.






4. Largest interest group in the US.






5. Polls taken as people leave voting places. In the past - television networks sometimes used these polls to predict election outcomes before the polls close. In 1992 - the television networks agreed not to project the winner in a state until the major






6. Disapproval of a bill by a chief executive - such as the president or a governor.






7. This 1689 English Document made the monarch






8. Wisconsin Republican who exploited public concern for political gain during the 1950's through freewheeling investigations of alleged Communists.






9. Executive office responsible for helping the President write the federal budget and monitoring federal spending.






10. The class of independent voters who do not vote according to party affiliation - but who typically have a broader range of concerns than single-issue voters - are known colloquially as






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






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






13. Guaranteed women the right to vote.






14. First governing document of the Plymouth Colony establishing freedom of religion.






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






16. In Woodson v. North Carolina - the Supreme Court struck down mandatory sentencing of capital punishment as ______________________ because it does not allow for any discretion.






17. A system in which the national government sets requirements that are then implemented by state and local governments.






18. Independent organizations - but more often the political arms of corporations - labor unions - or interest groups - established to contribute to candidates or to work for general political goals.






19. Article VII of the Constitution outlines the process of ____________________.






20. The Supreme Court practice of applying most of the provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states under the 14th Amendment.






21. People may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party. Independents cannot participate. Note that because some political parties name themselves independent - the term 'non-partisan' often replaces 'independent' when






22. A relaxation of international tensions.






23. Formal approval or consent given to a constitution - constitutional amendment - or treaty before it goes into effect.






24. A world economy characterized by the free movement of goods - capital - labor - and information across national borders.






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






26. The 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act banned contributions of soft money to______________.






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






28. Prohibits conviction of a crime that occurred before the act became illegal






29. President requires their approval to appoint judges - ambassadors and other high officials.






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






31. Between 1909 and 2002 - the number of daily newspapers in the United States______________.






32. Elections that reflect the basic party identification of the voters.






33. 'lame duck' amendment






34. Presides over the Senate without voting privileges except in the case of a tie.






35. In his historic decision in the case of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) - Chief Justice Marshall established the principle of _____________.






36. Economists generally agree that the major responsibility for promoting prosperity and full employment falls on ________________.






37. Constitutional Article that establishes the Judicial Branch.






38. Provisions tacked on to a piece of legislation that are not relevant to the bill.






39. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is an example of an






40. A written opinion by some of the judges of a court which agrees with the majority of the court but might arrive there in a different manner.






41. 1946 Act requiring bureaucratic agencies to appeal to the affected parties before adopting new policies. Legislative check on Bureaucracy.






42. Organizations or groups - such as labor unions or fraternal - professional - or religious groups - that may influence an individual's opinion.






43. This article of the Constitution establishes the Executive Branch.






44. The term 'Reagan Democrats' has become a generic term for






45. A philosophy that Supreme Court justices and other judges should boldly apply the Constitution to social and political questions.






46. A philosophy that the Supreme Court should avoid constitutional questions when possible and uphold acts of Congress unless they clearly violate a specific section of the Constitution.






47. Federal categorical grants in which the granting agency has much discretion over how the recipient spends the money.






48. The response of the rest of society to actions by the authorities.






49. Requires reporting of financial information by companies with publicly traded securities






50. While both Asian and Hispanic immigrants experience various types of discrimination - Hispanic immigrants are more likely to experience economic discrimination. This explains why most Hispanics identify with the ____________ party - while Asians do n