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. Love of country and a desire for independence; it can also mean an excessive form of patriotism exploited by political leaders.






2. An election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election. In other words - one means by which a political party nominate candidates for the following general election.s






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






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






5. Dayton Board of Education v. Brinkman (1979) upheld that bussing programs were an acceptable way to enforce ______________________.






6. Test whereby the Supreme Court established criteria by which state may provide aid to religious groups.






7. A device that allows the House of Representatives to conduct its business with fewer restrictions on debate and a quorum of only 100 members.






8. Defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing - pictures






9. Corporations formed by the government to act as a business to produce a product or service. Often monopolies with varying degrees of independence.






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






11. The case of Gregg v. Georgia set the precedent for a ________________ system in which guilt and sentencing and tried separately.






12. The introductory statement of the U.S. Constitution - setting forth the general principles of American government and beginning with the words - 'We the people of the United States - in order to form a more perfect union. ...'






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






14. In 1943 - The Supreme Court upheld the Jehovah's Witnesses right to refrain from saluting the American flag based on their right to _____________.






15. It the job of _________ committees of a political party to hold voter registration drives - recruit new party members and final candidates for city and county positions.






16. In Argersinger v. Hamlin (1972) - the Supreme Court extended the right to counsel to those accused of misdemeanors if the defendant is _____________.






17. State legislation designed to outlaw the union shop - passed by 21 states acting under Section 14B of the federal Taft-Hartley Act.






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






19. A broad concept that may be defined in many ways - but the term is generally used to refer to the basic protection and defense of the nation.






20. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) - founded in 1932 by President Herbert Hoover to help combat the Great Depression - was the predecessor of which federal agencies?






21. Responsible for further investigation - hearings - and amendment to a bill






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






23. Presides over any impeachment trial.






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






25. Number of years a President must reside in the US prior to taking office






26. An ideology that advocates limits on government power to address economic and social problems - relying instead on economic markets and individual initiative to address problems like health care and education - while promoting government involvement






27. What occurs when government adopts a public policy that provides - or distributes - benefits to people or groups.






28. This 1957 judgement prohibited pornography material as utterly without redeeming social significance - later reversed in Miller v. California






29. Baby boomers - women - and voters with higher levels of education tend to have a ____________ voter turnout.






30. These courts only hear appeals on cases from lower courts.






31. 1925 Supreme Court case overturned Baron v. Baltimore and applied the Bill of Rights to states.






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






33. Voters tendency to identify with a party that shares their views on important issues ignoring the party's stance on issues they deem less important. to be life-long unless there is a major change in the party's platform. 2. Influenced by ra






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






35. The right to privacy is ___________ in the Constitution.






36. A declaration by the President in 1823 that warned European powers to keep out of the Western Hemisphere and pledged that the United States would not intervene in the internal affairs of Europe.






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






38. Funds spent for or against a candidate by committees not formally connected to the candidate's campaign and without coordination with the campaign.






39. Special courts assigned to deal with specific legislative issues such as taxes - military appeals - and international trade.






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






41. The estimated number of illegal aliens living in the US.






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






43. A political group organized under section 527 of the IRS code that may accept and spend unlimited amounts of money on election activities so long as they are not spent on broadcast ads run in the last 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a gene






44. In 1978 - the Supreme Court - in the 'seven dirty words' case - ruled that the government has the right to prohibit the broadcasting of _______________.






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






46. The separation of people by race.






47. This contraversial 2001 law allows anti-terrorism authorities to monitor e-mail and Internet traffic in order to prevent terrorist attacks. The government argues that cyberspace is public domain and that no warrants should be needed to access informa






48. The way things should be by law






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






50. The right of the Supreme Court - under the Constitution - to hear certain kinds of cases directly - such as cases involving foreign diplomats - or cases in which one of the 50 states is a party.