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 Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments provide for _____________.






2. Colonies in which the proprietors (who had obtained their patents from the king) named the governors - subject to the king's approval.






3. Elections in which the majority party (according to party identification) is defeated in a temporary reversal.






4. Belief in the value of strong government to provide economic secruity and protection for civil rights - combined with a belief in personal freedom from government intervention in social conduct






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






6. The kinds of cases that a court has the authority to decide.






7. Members of this party typically include women who support liberal policies on abortion and equal pay - Jews - Catholics - Blacks and other minorities - Blue-collar working class - urban - labor unions - and intelligensia






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






9. 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.






10. California measure designed to deny welfare and other benefits to illegal aliens. Overwhelmingly passed the popular vote - but overturned in federal court because it extending beyond the bounds of state rights to attempt to control immigration.






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






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






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






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






15. According to the Constitution - the electors in the Electoral College shall be appointed in a manner to be determined by the






16. The amount of money available when the government's income is greater than what it spends in a fiscal year.






17. 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






18. Several Presidents have been elected without winning the popular vote. As a result - In 1970 and 1979 - Amendments were proposed to disband the ______________ - neither passed.






19. In addition to the doctrine of implied powers - Chief Justice Marshall - in his decision in the Supreme Court case of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) - established the key concept of:






20. Concurrent resolution - adopted by both Houses of Congress - that sets forth a Congressional budget plan for the budget year and at least four out-years.






21. Early civil rights leader established the Niagara Movement and helped to establish the NAACP.






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






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






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






25. Groups named for the section of the Internal Revenue Service code under which they must report their expenditures. The tax-exempt groups were created to exploit a loophole in the law regulating campaign finance.






26. A legislature with only one house.






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






28. The 19th Century __________ party platform was opposed to the spread of slavery - promoted preservation of the union - supported the abolition of slavery - and promoted post civil was reconstruction.






29. Year of the 2nd Continental Congress.






30. Voter turnout is usually ____________ when there is a binding referendum on the ballot.






31. There is an _____________ relationship between Presidential approval ratings and unemployment.






32. Programs of government - universities - and businesses designed to favor minorities and remedy past discrimination.






33. Executive office responsible for negotiating trade with foreign powers.






34. Established in 1947 as a combined Department of War and Navy.






35. Constitutional Article that establishes the Judicial Branch.






36. 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.






37. Inherent powers of state governments to pass laws to protect health - safety - and welfare; the national government has no directly granted police powers but accomplishes the same goals through other delegated powers.






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






39. Limitations on this freedom including prohibition of defamation and obscenity - limitation on commercial speech - and restriction of inciting words that may cause immediate danger.






40. Organizations or groups - such as labor unions or fraternal - professional - or religious groups - that may influence an individual's opinion.






41. The structure and set of regulations in place to control activity - usually in large organizations and government. it is represented by standardized procedure (rule-following) that dictates the execution of most or all processes within the body - for






42. Formerly known as the Anti-Federalist - this party lead by Thomas Jefferson advocated states rights pressing the causes of the common people and agrarian interest. Dominated the political arena until the Civil War.






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






44. Laws - rules - and government programs designed to protect individual rights and specific groups - as well as to benefit society as a whole in such areas as health - worker safety - consumer protection - and the environment.






45. Tests of a voter's ability to read and write - which were often used to keep recent immigrants and blacks from voting.






46. Polls taken as people leave voting places. In the past - television networks sometimes used these polls to predict election outcomes before the polls close. In 1992 - the television networks agreed not to project the winner in a state until the major






47. The Supreme Court is the only judicial body that may hear disputes between _________________.






48. A term often used to describe the economic and political ties between the military establishment and the defense-aerospace industry.






49. 6 In the view of Robert L. Lineberry - policy analysts focus on the _______________.






50. 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