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






2. An imbalance in international trade in which the value of imports exceeds the value of exports.






3. A rise in the general price level (and decrease in dollar value) owing to an increase in the volume of money and credit in relation to available goods.






4. The clause of the Constitution (Article I - Section 8 - Clause 3) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations.






5. A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy. Called a conference by the Republicans.






6. The idea that a just government must derive its powers from the consent of the people it governs.






7. Trade status granted as part of an international trade policy that gives a nation the same favorable trade concessions and tariffs that the best trading partners receive.






8. Money spent by individuals or groups not associated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office.






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






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






11. The precise legal definition of how government will implement a policy.






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






13. A philosophy that encourages individual nations tacked together to solve international problems.






14. The means by which individuals can express preferences regarding the development of public policy.






15. Alternative means of health care in which individuals make tax-deductible contributions to a special account that can be used to pay medical expenses.






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






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






18. A formal decision to reject a bill passed by Congress after it adjourns






19. Election in which voters choose party nominees.






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






21. Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents.






22. 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.






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






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






25. Interpretation of the First Amendment that holds that the government cannot interfere with speech unless the speech presents a clear and present danger that it will lead to evil or illegal acts.






26. Court order directing an official to perform an official duty.






27. The tendency of presidents to learn more about doing their jobs over time.






28. A minor party founded by Ross Perot in 1995. It focuses on national government reform - fiscal responsibility - and political accountability. It has recently struggled with internal strife and criticism that it lacks an identity.






29. Retroactive criminal law that works to the disadvantage of a person.






30. Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president.






31. Donations made to political candidates - party committees - or groups which - by law - are limited and must be declared.






32. Those citizens who follow public affairs closely.






33. Views the national government - 50 states - and thousands of local governments as competing with each other over ways to put together packages of services and taxes. Applies the analogy of the marketplace: we have some choice about which state and ci






34. The principle of a two-house legislature.






35. Assigning police to neighborhoods where they walk the beat and work with churches and other community groups to reduce crime and improve relations with minorities.






36. Political contributions given to a party - candidate - or interest group that are limited in amounts and fully disclosed. Raising such limited funds is harder than raising unlimited funds - hence the term 'hard money.'






37. Elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other - so the success of the party's candidate is almost taken for granted.






38. Philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect current conditions and values.






39. An informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood.






40. Philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect what the framers intended and what its words literally say.






41. Divisions within society that reinforce one another - making groups more homogenous or similar.






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






43. Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment that forbids any state to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. By interpretation - the Fifth Amendment imposes the same limitation on the national government. This clause is t






44. Written defamation of another person. For public officials and public figures - the constitutional tests designed to restrict libel actions are especially rigid.






45. A judicial system in which the court of law is a neutral arena where two parties argue their differences.






46. The process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules or spending.






47. Divisions within society that cut across demographic categories to produce groups that are more heterogeneous or different.






48. A theory of international relations that focuses on the hope the nations will act together to solve international problems and promote peace.






49. Constitutional requirement that governments proceed by proper methods; limits how government may exercise power.






50. Elections in which voters determine party nominees.