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. The political arm of an interest group that is legally entitled to raise funds on a voluntary basis from members - stockholders - or employees to contribute funds to candidates or political parties.






2. Those citizens who follow public affairs closely.






3. Clause of the Constitution (Article I - Section 10) originally intended to prohibit state governments from modifying contracts made between individuals; for a while interpreted as prohibiting state governments from taking actions that adversely affec






4. An official who is expected to vote independently based on his or her judgment of the circumstances; one interpretation of the role of the legislator.






5. The act of declaring party affiliation; required by some states when one registers to vote.






6. Policy of erecting trade barriers to protect domestic industry.






7. The study of the characteristics of populations.






8. Domination of an industry by a single company; also the company that dominates the industry.






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






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






11. Unlimited and undisclosed spending by an individual or group on communications that do not use words like 'vote for' or 'vote against -' although much of this activity is actually about electing or defeating candidates.






12. An economic system characterized by private property - competitive markets - economic incentives - and limited government involvement in the production - distribution - and pricing of goods and services.






13. The legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy - confers with other party leaders - and tries to keep members of the party in line.






14. Constitutional arrangement that concentrates power in a central government.






15. Review of all executive branch testimony - reports - and draft legislation by the Office of Management and Budget to ensure that each communication to Congress is in accordance with the president's program.






16. Synonymous with 'collective action -' it specifically studies how government officials - politicians - and voters respond to positive and negative incentives.






17. Programs such as Medicaid and welfare under which applicants must meet eligibility requirements based on need.






18. In this type of sample - every individual has unknown and random chance of being selected.






19. Democratic party primary in the old 'one-party South' that was limited to white people and essentially constituted an election; ruled unconstitutional in Smith v. Allwright (1944).






20. A division of population based on occupation - income - and education.






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






22. An agreement among two or more states. Congress must approve most such agreements.






23. Economic theory based on the principles of John Maynard Keynes stating that government spending should increase during business slumps and be curbed during booms.






24. Holding incumbents - usually the president's party - responsible for their records on issues - such as the economy or foreign policy.






25. The system created by Congress in 1913 to establish banking practices and regulate currency in circulation and the amount of credit available. It consists of 12 regional banks supervised by the Board of Governors. Often called simply the Fed.






26. A formal written statement from a grand jury charging an individual with an offense; also called a true bill.






27. Requirement that evidence unconstitutionally or illegally obtained be excluded from a criminal trial.






28. 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.






29. Views the Constitution as giving a limited list of powers—primarily foreign policy and national defense—to the national government - leaving the rest to the sovereign states. Each level of government is dominant within its own sphere. The Supreme Cou






30. Elections held midway between presidential elections.






31. The power to keep executive communications confidential - especially if they relate to national security.






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






33. A theory of international relations that focuses on the tendency of nations to operate from self-interest.






34. Financial contributions by individuals or groups in the hope of influencing the outcome of the election and subsequently influencing policy.






35. Agency that administers civil service laws - rules - and regulations.






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






37. Elections held in years when the president is on the ballot.






38. Domination of an industry by a single company that fixes prices and discourages competition; also - the company that dominates the industry by these means.






39. The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party - group - or incumbent.






40. Alternative means of health care in which people or their employers are charged a set amount and the HMO provides health care and covers hospital costs.






41. An ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on minimal government - promoting a free market economy - a noninterventionist foreign policy - and an absence of regulation in moral - economic - and social life.






42. A formal agreement between a U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that acquires approval by both houses of Congress.






43. The proportion of the voting age public that votes - sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote.






44. A court with appellate jurisdiction that hears appeals from the decisions of lower courts.






45. The principle of a two-house legislature.






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






47. Literacy requirements some states imposed as a condition of voting - generally used to disqualify black voters in the South; now illegal.






48. The formal instructions that government issues for implementing laws.






49. Elections in which voters determine party nominees.






50. The process - most notably in families and schools - by which we develop our political attitudes - values - and beliefs.