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. This 1689 English Document made the monarch






2. Constitutionally empowered to appoint judges - ambassadors - and other high officials - Constitutionally empowered to make treaties with foreign countries.






3. After a bill is assigned to a committee - the next step is typically a ______________.






4. A government that undertakes responsibility for the welfare of its citizens through programs in public health and public housing and pensions and unemployment compensation etc.






5. The power of the president - struck down by the Supreme Court in 1998 - to veto parts of appropriations bills. Most state governors have this power.






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






7. Makes sure that funds are used safely and wisely. They oversee the state's financial records






8. The Articles of Confederation established a ________________ legislature.






9. The Equal Rights Amendment was defeated in 1982 because ____________________________.






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






11. A strand of American foreign policy that was visible by the end of the 19th century; it included 'gunboat diplomacy' and other forms of military involvement by the United States in various parts of the world.






12. A legislature with only one house.






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






14. It is possible either to describe people - government - politics - and power as isolated - static elements - or to look at them as interacting elements in a_______________.






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






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






17. The net balance or relationship between total income and total expenditures by the nation in its dealings with the rest of the world - including trade - loans - and investments.






18. ________________ of the Constitution dictates how the Constitution shall be amended.






19. Term limit for House of Representatives.






20. Prompted by the ____________________ - the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.






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






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






23. Concept of government by the people in which everyone is free to vote - but normally whoever gets the most votes wins the election and represents all the people - including those who voted for the losing candidate.






24. Guarantees the right to a civil trial by jury.






25. A form of city government under which a council - usually elected on a nonpartisan ticket - hires a professional city manager - who runs the city government and has power to hire and fire officials.






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






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






28. A method of amending state constitutions under which proposed constitutional amendments can be placed on the ballot if enough signatures are obtained on a petition. Almost half the states also employ the initiative on the ballot to allow voters to en






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






30. An economic system of free enterprise with private ownership of the means of production.






31. Powerful standing committee that puts bills on the legislative calendar and establishes the processes by which the bill will be discussed on the floor.






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






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






34. 1974 Act mandating that all government files about private citizens be kept confidential.






35. A group of people - chosen by poll-takers - that is representative of the universe that is being polled.






36. After a bill has passed both the House and Senate - it goes to _________________ where any differences between the house bill and the senate bill are resolved before sending to the President for signature






37. Defamation by written or printed words - pictures - or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.






38. Programs are designed to give preferential access to education - employment - health care - or social welfare to groups of people - especially minorities and women - who have historically been discriminated against.






39. If 10 days remain in session and the president does not sign an act of Congress - the law is ___________.






40. A Latin phrase meaning 'stand by past decisions -' a principle that judges often use in deciding cases. Ruling based on precedents.






41. Number of current cabinet positions under GW Bush.






42. This 1st amendment clause prohibits the government from making any law prohibiting the exercise of any religion






43. In the 1925 Gitlow case - the Supreme Court began a process of ______________ of the Bill of Rights to the states.






44. The total amount of money that the United States owes to its creditors.






45. The 15th Amendment - also know as _________________ - was intended to help recently freed blacks from unconstitutional state laws designed to circumvent federal laws.






46. Constitutional Article that establishes the Judicial Branch.






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






48. The main mechanism used by modern political parties to nominate their candidate for President.






49. What principle - contained in the Fourth Amendment - protects a citizen from unwarranted search and seizure?






50. _____________ was the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in controlling New York City politics and helping immigrants (most notably the Irish) rise up in American politics from the 1790s to the 1960s.