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 centralized system of government - such as that of France - where most of the important policy decisions are made by a central government.






2. Libel - obscenity - fighting words - and commercial speech - which are not entitled to constitutional protection in all circumstances.






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






4. Redefined Presidential succession and disability.






5. A system of voter registration in which voters must register only once in their district.






6. Cabinet department responsible for collective bargaining and union activity. Established in 1913






7. Beginning with the election of Abraham Lincoln - the period between 1860 and the Great Depression was dominated by this political party.






8. Process by which citizens propose an amendment by petition.






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






10. Decides which bills will be considered.






11. Year of the 2nd Continental Congress.






12. The way things actually are.






13. The uprising of farmers angered by crushing debt and taxes that revealed the failure of the Articles of Confederation.

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14. In Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969) - the Supreme Court established precedents for ___________________ in schools and government institutions.






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






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






17. Government regulation of the economy through its control over taxes and government spending. Controlled by the Department of Treasury.






18. This 1973 ruling gave local communities the authority to determine obscenity - established three part test for obscene material. To qualify as obscene - speech must be considered obscene by the 'average' person - depict or describe material that is a






19. The spread of nuclear weapons to more nations.






20. 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






21. Judicial Check on Legislative Branch. Not specifically outlined in the Constitution - but established in the case of Marbury v. Madison through the application of the Supremacy Clause in Article VI.






22. Guarantees that an accused in innocent until proven guilty.






23. In _______________ cases such as Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) - the Supreme Court has upheld that while Affirmative action policies are legal - race and gender cannot be the only determining factors.






24. After hearings are complete - a congressional subcommittee will usually determine a bill's future in final deliberations known as






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






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






27. States that states may draw reasonable distinctions between the rights of residents and non-residents (ex. In state and out of state tuition)






28. Agencies that were at one time semi-autonomous but that through legislation have been placed under presidential control since 1945.






29. 1963 ruling prohibiting prayer in public schools.






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






31. Legislature bills that affect all citizens.






32. This called for three-fifths of all slaves in a state were counted for purposes of apportioning representation in the House of Representatives.






33. International agreements between the president and foreign heads of state that - unlike treaties - do not require Senate approval.






34. This 1963 case extended the right to counsel to all felony cases.






35. The drawing of the lines of congressional districts - or of any other political district - in order to favor one political party or group over another.






36. 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.






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






38. (1945-1991) The period after the Second World War marked by rivalry and tension between the two nuclear superpowers - the United States and the communist government of the Soviet Union. The Cold War ended when the Soviet government collapsed in 1991.






39. Designed to protect the individual against the arbitrary power of the state.






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






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






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






43. Requires the Electoral College to vote for President and Vice President separately.






44. Head of the Supreme Court.






45. Number of years a Representative must reside in the US prior to taking office






46. The pursuit and exercise of power.






47. The total group from which poll-takers may select a random sample in order to measure public opinion.






48. The provisions of the Constitution that divide power among three constitutionally equal and independent branches of government






49. In the mid-term elections following a President's inauguration - his party tends to ___________ seats in Congress.






50. Information sent out in order to observe the reaction of an audience. Used by politicians who deliberately leak information on a policy change under consideration.