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






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






3. First Executive Branch






4. _____________ is responsible for monetary policy.






5. Age Requirement for House of Representatives.






6. Number of Electoral College votes required to win the Presidency.






7. The oldest House committee still in existence.






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






9. The 5th amendment protect against _____________.






10. In some cases where blicity too much publicity surrounds a trial - courts have granted _______________ to help ensure a fair trial. One example is the trial of Timothy McVeigh for the Oklahoma City Bombing.






11. This was amended in 1985 to prohibit vote dilution without requiring the proof of discriminatory purpose demanded by the original Act.






12. In states using primaries - the most common form of primary election is the ___________ primary.






13. This may be done by a national constitutional convention called by Congress on the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures OR By the passage of a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress






14. Congress' first step towards allocating funds






15. Bills passed by Congress to pay for the spending it has authorized.






16. Petition that - if signed by a majority of the members of the House of Representatives - will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration






17. Senators are re-elected every ___ years with 1/3 of the Senate being up for election every 2 years.






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






19. Number of years a Senator must reside in the US prior to taking office






20. 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.






21. Voting based on looking back and making judgments about the way things have gone and the kind of government experienced during a political leader's time in office.






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






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






24. ______________ refers to the differences in political attitudes and voting behavior between men and women






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






26. Laws must be reasonable. The Supreme Court has abandoned this concept in regards to business matters citing that it is the responsibility of Congress to regulate economic matters. The court has continued to apply this to matters of civil liberties an






27. Clause in the 14th Amendment that forbids any state to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The 5th Amendment also imposes this limitation on the national government.






28. A system in which the national government provides grants-in-aid to states using conditions to elicit control.






29. Finding that enough evidence exists to warrant a criminal trial.






30. Federal grants in which the recipient has little discretion over how the money is spent. The national government sets narrowly defined rules for use of funds and often requires the states or local governments to provide matching funds. These grants a






31. 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.






32. Cabinet department that includes the FAA and the National Hwy Traffic Safety Administration. Established in 1966.






33. 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.






34. The doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group






35. 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.






36. How groups form and organize to pursue their goals or objectives - including how to get individuals and groups to participate and cooperate.






37. ____________ often influence political appointments in an effort to influence bureaucracy.






38. Number of current cabinet positions under GW Bush.






39. Elections that may lead to a basic shift in the party identification of the electorate.






40. A technique polling organizations use in which several people from the same neighborhood are interviewed.






41. Includes the 13th - 14th - and 15th Amendments. Abolished slavery and guaranteed due process and equal protection to all citizens.






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






43. A world economy characterized by the free movement of goods - capital - labor - and information across national borders.






44. The 23rd Amendment guaranteed voting rights to whom?






45. 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'?






46. Number of justices of the Supreme Court.






47. Washington v. Chrisman (1982) established the _________________ - allowing police officers to seize evidence without a warrant if the evidence is in obvious sight.






48. A system in which national and state governments are competitors with distinct powers. This system was prominent in the US from the during the 19th century until 1937.






49. Largest interest group in the US.






50. 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.