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. God's or nature's law that defines right from wrong and is higher than human law.






2. A type of policy that provides benefits to all Americans.






3. A close contest; by extension - any contest in which the focus is on who is ahead and by how much rather than on substantive differences between the candidates.






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






5. Constitutional grant of powers that enables each of the three branches of government to check some acts of the others and therefore ensure that no branch can dominate.






6. Powers expressly or implicitly reserved to the states.

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183


7. The idea that a just government must derive its powers from the consent of the people it governs.






8. Elections in which voters elect officeholders.






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






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






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






12. The right of women to vote.

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183


13. Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787 - protesting mortgage foreclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out.

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183


14. 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.






15. Democratic and civic habits of discussion - compromise - and respect for differences - which grow out of participation in voluntary organizations.






16. Voting by member of one party for a candidate of another party.






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






18. Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents.






19. 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.






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






21. The constitutional requirement (in Article II - Section 3) that presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed - even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws.






22. Proposal at the Constitutional Convention made by William Paterson of New Jersey for a central government with a single-house legislature in which each state would be represented equally.






23. Incumbents have an advantage over challengers in election campaigns because voters are more familiar with them - and incumbents are more recognizable.






24. Arrangement whereby public officials are hired to provide legal assistance to people accused of crimes who are unable to hire their own attorneys.






25. Powers that the Constitution gives to both the national and state governments - such as the power to levy taxes.






26. Lawsuit brought by an individual or group of people on behalf of all those similarly situated.






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






28. The head of the White House staff.






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






30. 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).






31. Programs in which eligibility is based on prior contributions to government - usually in the form of payroll taxes.






32. A jury of 12 to 23 persons who - in private - hear evidence presented by the government to determine whether persons shall be required to stand trial. If the jury believes there is sufficient evidence that a crime was committed - it issues an indictm






33. 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.






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






35. System designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents.






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






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






38. A theory that is based on creating enough military strength to convince other nations not to attack first.






39. A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations.






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






41. The precise legal definition of how government will implement a policy.






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






43. A formal decision to reject a bill passed by Congress after it adjourns






44. 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.






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






46. A technique of Congress to establish federal regulations. Direct orders must be complied with under threat of criminal or civil sanction. An example is the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 - barring job discrimination by state and local gover






47. The process by which we develop our political attitudes - values - and beliefs.






48. Advertisements and commercials for products and services; they receive less First Amendment protection - primarily to discourage false and misleading ads.






49. A decision by the president not to spend money appropriated by Congress - now prohibited under Federal law.






50. Essays promoting ratification of the Constitution - published anonymously by Alexander Hamilton - John Jay - and James Madison in 1787 and 1788.