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. Opponents of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government - generally.






2. The formal process for making regulations.






3. The joint listing of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ballot as required by the Twelfth Amendment.






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






5. Championed by Ronald Reagan - presumes that the power of the federal government is limited in favor of the broad powers reserved to the states.

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6. A company with a labor agreement under which union membership is a condition of employment.






7. Relationships among interest groups - congressional committees and subcommittees - and the government agencies that share a common policy concern.






8. 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.






9. 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.






10. Authority given by Congress to the Federal bureaucracy to use reasonable judgment in implementing the laws.






11. The power of a court to refuse to enforce a law or a government regulation that in the opinion of the judges conflicts with the U.S. Constitution or - in a state court - the state constitution.






12. A provision attached to a bill






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






14. The principle of a two-house legislature.






15. 30-second statements on the evening news shows. The media have been accused of simplifying complicated political issues by relying on sound bites to explain them to the public.






16. Election in which voters choose party nominees.






17. Money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party-building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state or local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts.






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






19. 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.






20. The desire to avoid international entanglement altogether.






21. 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.






22. An agency of Congress that analyzes presidential budget recommendations and estimates the cost of proposed legislation.






23. A belief that limited government insures order competitive markets and personal opportunity.






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






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






26. Congress appropriates a certain sum - which is allocated to state and local units and sometimes to nongovernmental agencies - based on applications from those who wish to participate. Examples are grants by the National Science Foundation to universi






27. 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.






28. An individual who does not to join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence.






29. Elections held midway between presidential elections.






30. Promoting a particular position or an issue paid for 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 any regulation.






31. 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.






32. 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.






33. A formal writ used to bring a case before the Supreme Court.






34. The distribution of individual preferences or evaluations of a given issue - candidate - or institution within a specific population.






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






36. 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.






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






38. The widespread belief that the United States is a land of opportunity and that individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success.






39. A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.






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






41. 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.






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






43. The powers expressly given to Congress in the Constitution.






44. An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official.






45. Money government provides to parents to pay their children's tuition in a public or private school of their choice.






46. Interpretation of the First Amendment that holds that freedom of expression is so essential to democracy that governments should not punish persons for what they say - only for what they do.






47. Contributions to a state or local party for party-building purposes.






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






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






50. The right of a federal law or a regulation to preclude enforcement of a state or local law or regulation.