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. A veto exercised by the president after Congress has adjourned; if the president takes no action for 10 days - the bill does not become law and does not return to Congress for possible override.






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






3. 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






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






5. 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.






6. 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






7. 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.






8. 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.






9. A legislative practice that assigns the chair of the committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee.






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






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






12. The total output of all economic activity in the nation - including goods and services.






13. Something given with the expectation of receiving something in return.






14. The rule of precedent - whereby a rule or law contained in a judicial decision is commonly viewed as binding on judges whenever the same question is presented.






15. A formal decision to reject the bill passed by Congress.






16. The principle of a two-house legislature.






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






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






19. A policy promoting cutbacks in the amount of Federal regulation in specific areas of economic activity.






20. Consumer tax on a specific kind of merchandise - such as tobacco.






21. The widely shared beliefs - values - and norms about how citizens relate to governments and to one another.






22. 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.






23. 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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24. Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators.






25. The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not conform to their own biases.






26. Presidential staff agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies.






27. Media that emphasize the news.






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






29. A social division based on national origin - religion - language - and often race.






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






31. Election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote.






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






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






34. Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form.






35. The clause in the Constitution (Article 1 - Section 8 - Clause 1) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations.






36. A commission created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws. It consists of six commissioners appointed by president and confirmed by the Senate. Its duties include overseeing disclosure of camp






37. Voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected.






38. Largely banned party soft money - restored a long-standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using general treasury funds for electoral purposes - and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy.






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






40. Usually the largest organization in government with the largest mission; also the highest rank in Federal hierarchy.






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






42. 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






43. Procedure whereby a certain number of voters may - by petition - propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters.






44. Attempting to overthrow the government by force or use violence to interrupt its activities.






45. Compromise between northern and southern states at the Constitutional Convention that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.






46. Elections in which voters determine party nominees.






47. Primary election in which only persons registered in the party holding the primary may vote.






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






49. 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.






50. Election in which voters choose party nominees.