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






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






3. The formal instructions that government issues for implementing laws.






4. A court with appellate jurisdiction that hears appeals from the decisions of lower courts.






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






6. Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group.






7. 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.






8. 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.






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






10. An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote.






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






12. 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






13. Divisions within society that cut across demographic categories to produce groups that are more heterogeneous or different.






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






15. A law that defines crimes against the public order.






16. 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.






17. A specific course of action taken by government to achieve a public goal.






18. 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.






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






20. Tax required to vote; prohibited for national elections by the Twenty-Fourth Amendment (1964) and ruled unconstitutional for all elections in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966).






21. 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






22. 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.






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






24. The power to keep executive communications confidential - especially if they relate to national security.






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






26. Philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect current conditions and values.






27. Presidential power to strike - or remove - specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.






28. The set of arrangements - including checks and balances - federalism - separation of powers - rule of law - due process - and a bill of rights - that requires our leaders to listen - think - bargain - and explain before they act or make laws. We then






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






30. Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.






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






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






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






34. 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.'






35. Powers that grow out of the very existence of government.






36. 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.






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






38. A widely shared and consciously held view - like support for homeland security.






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






40. Constitutional arrangement in which sovereign nations or states - by compact - create a central government but carefully limit its power and do not give it direct authority over individuals.






41. The residents of a congressional district or state.






42. Through different grant programs - slices up the marble cake into many different pieces - making it even more difficult to differentiate the functions of the levels of government.






43. A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.






44. How groups form and organize to pursue their goals or objectives - including how to get individuals and groups to participate and to cooperate. The term has many applications in the various social sciences such as political science - sociology - and






45. A local or judicial election in which candidates are not selected or endorsed by political parties and party affiliation is not listed on ballots.






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






47. A minor party dedicated to the environment - social justice - nonviolence - and the foreign policy of nonintervention. Ralph Nader ran as the Green party's nominee in 2000.






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






49. Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment that forbids any state to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. By interpretation - the Fifth Amendment imposes the same limitation on the national government. This clause is t






50. An election during periods of expanded suffrage and change in the economy and society that proves to be a turning point - redefining the agenda of politics and the alignment of voters within parties.







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