Test your basic knowledge |

AP Government

Subjects : civics, ap
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. Tax levied on imports to help protect the nation's industries - labor - or farmers from foreign competition. It can also be used to raise additional revenue.






2. Programs such as unemployment insurance - disaster relief - or disability payments that provide benefits to all eligible citizens.






3. Democratic and civic habits of discussion - compromise - and respect for differences - which grow out of participation in voluntary organizations.






4. A secret ballot printed by the state.






5. A writ issued by a magistrate that authorizes the police to search a particular place or person - specifying the place to be searched and the objects to be seized.






6. The right to keep executive communications confidential - especially if they relate to National Security.






7. A tactic in which PACs collect contributions from like-minded individuals (each limited to $2000) and present them to a candidate or political party as a 'bundle -' thus increasing the PAC's influence.






8. Deliberate refusal to obey law or comply with orders of public officials as a means of expressing opposition.






9. The inclination to focus on national issues - rather than local issues - in an election campaign. The impact of the national tide can be reduced by the nature of the candidates on the ballot who might have differentiated themselves from their party o






10. An organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy.






11. The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights.






12. Presidential power to strike - or remove - specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.






13. Government by the people - both directly or indirectly - with free and frequent elections.






14. Segregation resulting from economic or social conditions or personal choice.






15. Essays promoting ratification of the Constitution - published anonymously by Alexander Hamilton - John Jay - and James Madison in 1787 and 1788.






16. A formal - public agreement between the United States and one or more nations that must be approved by two thirds of the Senate.






17. The presiding officer in the House of Representatives - formally elected by the House but actually selected by the majority party.






18. A president's claim of broad public support.






19. Biological - chemical - or nuclear weapons that can cause a massive number of deaths in a single use.






20. Government in which the people elect those who govern and pass laws; also called a republic.






21. National Health Insurance program for the elderly and disabled.






22. State laws formerly pervasive throughout the South requiring public facilities and accommodations to be segregated by race; ruled unconstitutional.






23. An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official.






24. Governance divided between the parties - especially when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress.






25. A theory that government should control the money supply to encourage economic growth and restrain inflation.






26. Constitutional division of powers among the legislative - executive - and judicial branches - with the legislative branch making law - the executive applying and enforcing the law - and the judiciary interpreting the law.






27. Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling taxing and spending.






28. A company in which new employees must join a union within a stated time period.






29. A national meeting of delegates elected in primaries - caucuses - or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president - ratify the party platform - elect officers - and adopt rules.






30. An opinion that agrees with the majority in a Supreme Court ruling but differs on the reasoning.






31. Censorship imposed before a speech is made or a newspaper is published; usually presumed to be unconstitutional.






32. The powers expressly given to Congress in the Constitution.






33. Elections held midway between presidential elections.






34. Agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant that the defendant will plead guilty to a lesser offense to avoid having to stand trial for a more serious offense.






35. A term the founders used to refer to political parties and special interests or interest groups.






36. Presidential custom of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work.






37. A policy adopted by the Bush administration in 2001 that asserts America's right to attack any nation that has weapons of mass destruction that might be used against U.S. interests at home or abroad.






38. The idea that the rights of the nation are supreme over the rights of the individuals who make up the nation.






39. Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions.






40. Government by religious leaders - who claim divine guidance.






41. The process by which provisions of the bill of rights are brought within the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment and so applied to state and local governments.






42. Proposal at the Constitutional Convention made by William Paterson of New Jersey for a central government with a single-house legislature in which each state would be represented equally.






43. 30-second statements on the evening news shows. The media have been accused of simplifying complicated political issues by relying on sound bites to explain them to the public.






44. The authority of a court to hear a case 'in the first instance.'






45. A decision by the president not to spend money appropriated by Congress - now prohibited under Federal law.






46. Remedial action designed to overcome the effects of discrimination against minorities and women.






47. Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators.






48. A collection of people who share a common interest or attitude and seek to influence government for specific ends. Interest groups usually work within the framework of government and try to achieve their goals through tactics such as lobbying.






49. Through different grant programs - slices up the marble cake into many different pieces - making it even more difficult to differentiate the functions of the levels of government.






50. A policy that emphasizes a united front and cooperation between the major political parties - especially on sensitive foreign policy issues.