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. A group of independent states or nations that come together for a common purpose and whose central authority is usually limited to defense and foreign relations.






2. Lead by Theodore Roosevelt - this party platform focused on women's suffrage - social reform - fair business practices - and direct election of senators. The won 25% of the popular vote in 1911 - splitting the Republican vote and allowing Democrat Wo






3. Congress' first step towards allocating funds






4. A jury of 6 to 12 persons who determine guilt or innocence in a civil or criminal action






5. A close contest; by extension - any contest in which the focus is on who is ahead and how much rather than on substantive differences between the candidates.






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






7. 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






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






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






10. This branch of government checks Bureaucracy through its control over the creation and elimination of agencies as well as its control over budget appropriations.






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






12. A relaxation of international tensions.






13. A course of action decided upon by a government






14. Proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 as an attempt to form a union of the colonies. Later used to help form the Articles of Confederation.






15. Guarantees that citizens cannot be compelled by the government to act in a way that is contrary to their religious beliefs. (ex. Conscientious objection to military service required by the draft is the execution of ______________)






16. A legislative leader of each party who is responsible for rounding up party members for important votes.






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






18. In Schenck v. US (1919) - The Supreme Court ruled that government may prohibit speech that creates an immediate threat of criminal action. Essentially established different standards for speech during wartime than in peacetime. Thus - establishing th






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






20. The permanent committees of a legislature that consider bills and conduct hearings and investigations.






21. The house armed services and foreign affairs committees each have ___ subcommittees.






22. German sociologist theorized that the engine of government needs bureaucracies to provide expertise in a way that short-term elected or appointed official cannot.






23. A nation's set of fundamental beliefs about how government and politics should be conducted.






24. The chair and the heads of the three armed services - and - when Marine Corps matters are under consideration - the commandant of the marines. By law - they advise the president and the secretary of defense and are the chiefs of their respective mili






25. Which two British Acts - passed in 1764 - caused American colonists for the first time to organize protests against the injustices of British rule - and sparked the rallying cry 'no taxation without representation'?






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






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






28. Smith v. Allwight (1994) was the first vase in which the Supreme Court upheld the voting rights of _____________ in state primary elections.






29. During Presidential election years or when the nation is divided on policy agenda - particularly regarding salient issues - voter turnout is _____________






30. The average voter turnout between 1960 and 2004 was __________ percent






31. The party-column ballot - or Indiana ballot - encourages _______________.






32. After the Vietnam war - American politics entered an era of __________________ during which neither party maintained control over the government.






33. ________________ of the Constitution governs the relationships of the states.






34. 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






35. Elects the President if no candidate receives 270 Electoral College votes.






36. Guarantees the right to bare arms.






37. Which committee assignments would confer the most power and influence on members of the Senate?






38. Broadly worded warrants used by British soldiers during colonial America to search for contraband and prevent smuggling.






39. A term coined by President Lyndon B. Johnson to describe his own view of the relationship between Washington and the states.






40. Minor criminal offenses - such as speeding.






41. Raise Public Awareness - Create Policy Agenda - Prioritize Agenda - Enact Policy - Public Evaluation






42. When the minority party becomes stronger than the majority party - usually the result of winning a critical election.






43. Number of original cabinet positions under George Washington.






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






45. The responsibility of the President to appoint federal judges when vacancies occur on the bench is referred to as






46. A joint committee of Congress established to help negotiate discrepancies and gain consensus between legislation passed in each house before sending the bill to the President.






47. This powerful House committee is in charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor.






48. The reason that electors are chosen in each state by popular vote is ____________.






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






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