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. Government by religious leaders - who claim divine guidance.






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






3. Elections in which voters elect officeholders.






4. Unlimited amounts of money that political parties previously could raise for party-building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state and local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts.






5. A decision made by a higher court such as a circuit court of appeals or the Supreme Court that is binding on all other federal courts.






6. Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates.






7. Quality or state of a work that taken as a whole appeals to a prurient interest in sex by depicting sexual conduct in a patently offensive way and that lacks serious literary - artistic - political - or scientific value.






8. Clause in the Constitution that states that 'Congress should have the power to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers. . . .' This clause is also known as the elastic clause as is a major and significant p

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9. A career government employee.






10. Segregation imposed by law.






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






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






13. Weakening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of independents.






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






15. 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.






16. Legislative or executive review of a particular government program or organization. Can be in response to a crisis of some kind or part of routine review.






17. Election in which voters choose party nominees.






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






19. A person who is employed by and acts for an organized interest group or corporation to try to influence policy decisions and positions in the executive and legislative branches.






20. A formal agreement between the U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that does not require Senate approval.






21. 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.'






22. Federal laws (starting with the Sherman Act of 1890) that tried to prevent a monopoly from dominating an industry and restraining trade.






23. The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals - groups - and parties can spend unlimited amounts in campaigns for or against candidates as long as they operate independently from the candidates. When an individual - group - or party does so - they are






24. 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.






25. Candidate or party with the most votes cast in an election - not necessarily more than half.






26. A PAC formed by an officeholder that collects contributions from individuals and other PACs and then makes contributions to other candidates and political parties.






27. In a criminal action - the person or party accused of an offense.






28. A minor party that believes in extremely limited government. Libertarians call for a free market system - expanded individual liberties such as drug legalization - and a foreign policy of nonintervention - free trade - and open immigration.






29. People who favor national action over action at the state and local levels.






30. Efforts by government to alter the free operation of the market to achieve social goals such as protecting workers and the environment.






31. A government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free - fair - and relatively frequent elections.






32. A policy-making alliance that involves a very strong ties among a congressional committee - an interest group - and a Federal Department or agency.






33. The total amount of money the Federal government has borrowed to finance deficit spending over the years.






34. A congressional district created to include a majority of minority voters; ruled constitutional so long as race is not the main factor in redistricting.






35. The principle of a two-house legislature.






36. Trial or punishment for the same crime by the same government; forbidden by the Constitution.






37. An election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins.






38. Power of a government to take private property for public use; the U.S. Constitution gives national and state governments this power and requires them to provide just compensation for property so taken.






39. A policy-making alliance among loosely connected participants that comes together on a particular issue - then disbands.






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






41. 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.






42. A meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and in some cases to select party candidates for public office.






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






44. An opinion disagreeing with a majority in a Supreme Court ruling.






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






46. Promoting a particular position or an issue by interest groups or individuals but not candidates. Much issue advocacy is often electioneering for or against a candidate and - until 2004 had not been subject to regulation.






47. The belief that nations must engage in international problem solving.






48. The candidate or party that wins more than half the votes cast in an election.






49. The study of the characteristics of populations.






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