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. The belief that one can understand politics and therefore participate in politics






2. _____________ are expected to specialize in a few policy areas rather than claim expertise in the whole range of legislative concerns






3. A series of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton - John Jay - and James Madison under the pseudonym Publius advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution.






4. Legislative branch incorporating two houses.






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






6. 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






7. Members of this party typically include Conservative Christian groups - higher socio-economic classes - middle-class white collar - and suburban voters.






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






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






10. The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not conform to their own biases






11. A political candidate who is thought to have only an outside chance of gaining the nomination.






12. The 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine that prompted King George III's Prohibitory Act and the sending of mercenaries to the colonies.






13. By far - the largest amount of federal aid to state and local governments comes in the form of:






14. Walter DeVries and Lance Tarrance have concluded that in many elections the outcome is determined by ______________.






15. Members of the ______________ committee of a political party work to maintain influence during non election years through congressional campaign committees.






16. First African American appointed to the Supreme Court






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






18. States that arrestees must be informed of their right to remain silent - that anything they say can be held against them in a court - that they have a right to an attorney and that an attorney will be appointed to them if they cannot afford one.






19. This contraversial legal technicality intended to protect civil liberties has allowed criminals to remain free when the courts refuse to admit evidence that may have been obtained illegally.






20. This clause of the 1st amendment establishes a 'wall of separation' between church and state.






21. The way things should be by law






22. The process through which an individual acquires a set of political attitudes and forms opinions about political and social issues.






23. Considered the most sacred right in American history. Colonists felt oppressed by the tyranny of the crown but were unable to speak up about it for fear of repercussion.






24. Legislative house responsible for impeachment trials.






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






26. A method of polling - considered less reliable than a random sample - in which interviewers are instructed to question members of a particular group in proportion to their percentage in the population as a whole.






27. First proposed in 1789 - this amendment passed in 1992 prohibits Congress from raising their own pay. Pay raises may not take affect until the beginning of the next term.






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






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






30. Requests from people or groups for health care for the aged - loans for college students - equal opportunity for minorities - and higher subsidies for farmers are examples of:






31. A legislator who automatically mirrors the will of the majority of his or her constituents.






32. As part of the negotiations concerning the Constitution - the South fought for and won an agreement forbidding the imposition of _______________.






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






34. This house committee is responsible for Supervising the authority of the federal government to borrow money - Raising the revenue required to finance the federal government by levying taxes - Overseeing Social Security and other social insurance prog






35. A system of _______________ - as in Italy - encourages the existence of many parties by allotting seats to competing candidates according to the percentage of votes they win.






36. 1944 case established that as as long as a person accepted their beliefs in good faith that it is not the government's authority to determine whether those beliefs are valid.






37. The 1803 case in which the Supreme Court - by declaring a portion of an act of Congress unconstitutional - first firmly set forth and established the power of judicial review.






38. President Hoover's laissez-faire approach to the economy during the Great Depression left many poor voters disenfranchised by the Republican Party. They left to join the _______________ Party.






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






40. 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.






41. Article I of the Constitution establishes the ___________________ branch.






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






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






44. Units of government under the president - within the executive branch - that are not part of a cabinet department.






45. The single biggest item in campaign spending at the presidential level is ___________________.






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






47. Number of original cabinet positions under George Washington.






48. The spread of nuclear weapons to new nations






49. Powers specifically outlined in the Constitution as assigned to one branch of government.






50. Number of justices of the Supreme Court.