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. In which case did the Supreme Court rule that the concept of privacy included the right to a legal abortion?






2. Agencies that were at one time semi-autonomous but that through legislation have been placed under presidential control since 1945.






3. The 24th amendment banned _____________ - making it harder for states to discriminate against poor and minority voters.






4. 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:






5. In the 1990 case OR State Employment Division v. Smith 1990 - the Supreme court allowed the state to fire employees who use peyote during native American religious ceremonies because it is in violation of drug laws. In this case - which clause of the






6. Under this governing document - national government lacked authority to set up tariffs - regulate commerce - levy taxes - control international relations - establish common currency






7. Includes expressive conduct/assembly/actions and symbolic behavior (ex. Picketing or burning the flag) Based on our country history of symbolic acts such as the Boston Tea Party - courts almost always uphold symbolic acts of speech unless they are cr






8. Capital punishment is also known as the _________________.






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






10. The federal fiscal year begins ___________.






11. Prohibits the use of cruel or unusual punishment.






12. Repealed by the 21st Amendment - this Amendment prohibited alcohol.






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






14. The view of the majority of the Supreme Court that First Amendment rights must be weighed against the competing needs of the community to preserve order.






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






16. Overturning unjust laws is the responsibility of _________________.






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






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






19. The Articles of Confederation established a ________________ legislature.






20. Presidential management model in which corporate CEO tactics are used employing committees - task forces - and special advisors. Successfully utilized by Clinton and G W Bush.






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






22. 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






23. 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






24. Committees that pull members from both the house and the senate who meet to discuss major policy issues such as economy and taxation.






25. First Roman Catholic elected President.






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






27. The expression of attitudes about government and politics.






28. 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.






29. Spending determined by the number of qualified recipients and their legally determined need is called






30. _____________ is responsible for monetary policy.






31. Serious crimes - such as murder - arson - or rape.






32. Disapproval of a bill by a chief executive - such as the president or a governor.






33. 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.






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






35. Tips the balance between two leading candidates by attracting a minority of voters who otherwise might have voted for one of the leading candidates.






36. Smith v. Allwight (1994) was the first vase in which the Supreme Court upheld the voting rights of _____________ in state primary elections.






37. The foreign policy of the United States during the period after the Second World War - designed to contain the expansion of Soviet power.






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






39. Which office serves as a watchdog into waste or fraud in the bureaucracy and conducts investigations at the request of congressional committees






40. 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_______________.






41. Federal and State Courts function in a _____________manner so that federal courts may receive appeals from state courts.






42. 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.






43. 1974 Act mandating that all government files about private citizens be kept confidential.






44. A White House council created under the National Security Act of 1947 to advise the president and help coordinate American military and foreign policy.






45. The Jacksonian Era marked an important change in the process used to nominate Presidential candidates with the emergence of party _________________ - eliminating caucuses.






46. A tactic in which PACs collect contributions from like-minded individuals and present them to a candidate or political party as a 'bundle -' thus increasing the PAC's influence.






47. Cabinet department responsible for regulating and promoting trade and maintaining the census Established in 1913..






48. There are 11 circuit ____________________ who have no original jurisdiction.






49. 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






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