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. Method whereby representatives of the union and employer determine wages - hours - and other conditions of employment through direct negotiation.






2. People who favor state or local action rather than national action.






3. 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.






4. A government agency that operates like a business corporation - created to secure greater freedom of action and flexibility for a particular program.






5. Period at the beginning of the new president's term during which the president enjoys generally positive relations with the press and Congress - usually lasting about six months.






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






7. Constitutional arrangement in which power is distributed between a central government and subdivisional governments - called states in the United States. The national and the subdivisional governments both exercise direct authority over individuals.






8. 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






9. 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.






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






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






12. An economic and governmental system based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange.






13. Party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature.






14. The boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot - especially the president.






15. The list of potential cases that reach the Supreme Court.






16. Electoral system used in electing the president and vice president - in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for particular party's candidates.






17. Elections in which voters elect officeholders.






18. 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.






19. A tax whereby people with lower incomes pay a higher fraction of their income than people with higher incomes.






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






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






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






23. A court order requiring explanation to a judge why a prisoner is being held in custody.






24. A technique of Congress to establish federal regulations. Federal grants may establish certain conditions that extend to all activities supported by federal funds - regardless of their source. The first and most famous of these is Title VI of the 196






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






26. A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government.






27. Agreement signed by the United States - Canada - and Mexico in 1992 to form the largest free trade zone in the world.






28. A dispute growing out of an actual case or controversy and that is capable of settlement by legal methods.






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






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






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






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






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






34. A procedure for terminating debate - especially filibusters - in the Senate.






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






36. Literally - a 'friend of the court' brief - filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case.






37. Initial proposal at the Constitutional Convention made by the Virginia delegation for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature dominated by the big states.






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






39. 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.






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






41. Conceives of federalism as a marble cake in which all levels of government are involved in a variety of issues and programs - rather than a layer cake - or dual federalism - with fixed divisions between layers or levels of government.






42. 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.






43. A permanent committee established in a legislature - usually focusing on a policy area.






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






45. Words that by their very nature inflict injury on those to whom they are addressed or insight them to acts of violence.






46. 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.






47. The effort to slow the growth of the federal government by returning many functions to the states.






48. Congress appropriates funds for a specific purpose - such as school lunches or for building airports and highways. These funds are allocated by formula and are subject to detailed federal conditions - often on a matching basis; that is - the local go






49. Denial of export - import - or financial relations with the target country in an effort to change that nation's policies.






50. 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.