Test your basic knowledge |

CLEP American Government

Subjects : clep, civics
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. Assigns bills to the appropriate House committee.






2. A power of the president to kill a bill by taking no action (if Congress adjourns during the 10-day period after the president receives the bill). Some court rulings have suggested that a president may exercise a pocket veto only when Congress adjour






3. This 1964 case established strict standards for proving slander and libel - court must prove intent of malice on the part of the publisher.






4. Today the South is is a two-party battleground - in which the ______________ often have the upper hand






5. Government employees who publicly expose evidence of official waste or corruption that they have learned about in the course of their duties.






6. A place of work in which only union members may be hired.






7. Largest interest group in the US.






8. First African American appointed to the Supreme Court






9. According to the Constitution - the electors in the Electoral College shall be appointed in a manner to be determined by the






10. Most likely to board a foreign ship suspected of drug trafficking at a U.S. port






11. The 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act banned contributions of soft money to______________.






12. Agencies that were at one time semi-autonomous but that through legislation have been placed under presidential control since 1945.






13. An election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election. In other words - one means by which a political party nominate candidates for the following general election.s






14. Year of the 2nd Continental Congress.






15. Government regulation of the economy through its control over taxes and government spending. Controlled by the Department of Treasury.






16. The fundamental flaw in plural theory contends that pluralism weakens the backbone of democracy with too many common interest groups attempt to wield power - often leading to standstill because of unwillingness to compromise.






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






18. In the 1990 case OR State Employment Division v. Smith 1990 - the Supreme court allowed the state to fire employees who use peyote during native American religious ceremonies because it is in violation of drug laws. In this case - which clause of the






19. The issue of slavery split the Democratic Party into what two factions?






20. The action - or actions - taken by government to carry out a policy.






21. Colonies controlled by the British king through governors appointed by him and through the king's veto power over colonial laws.






22. In this essay - James Madison recognized that reconciling the competing interests of various groups was what legislation was all about






23. The yearly value of goods and services produced within a country.






24. Presides over any impeachment trial.






25. In order to win support for ratification of the Constitution - the Federalists had to promise that the first order of business under a new government would be to _______________.






26. International agreements between the president and foreign heads of state that - unlike treaties - do not require Senate approval.






27. The body composed of electors from the 50 states who formally have the power to elect the president and vice president of the United States. Each state has a number of electors and electoral votes equal to its number of senators and representatives i






28. The right to renounce one's citizenship.






29. This group of voters historically supported Republicans - a party founded on an anti-slavery platform. During the 1930's they began supporting the New Deal policies of the Democratic party.






30. Libel - obscenity - fighting words - and commercial speech - which are not entitled to constitutional protection in all circumstances.






31. The European political philosophers whose writings influenced the concepts of liberty and government contained in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution belonged to the intellectual and cultural movement known as






32. The practice under which victorious politicians reward their followers with jobs.






33. Responsible for determining which bills will be considered on the House floor - and when they will be considered.






34. ________________ of the Constitution governs the relationships of the states.






35. This customary power allows the President to grant reprieves and pardons for federal offenses.






36. The pursuit and exercise of power.






37. The Articles of Confederation established a ________________ legislature.






38. Most Americans support ______________ primarily as part of their criticism of PACs






39. Under this governing document - national government lacked authority to set up tariffs - regulate commerce - levy taxes - control international relations - establish common currency






40. Capital punishment is also known as the _________________.






41. In Johnson v. Texas (1989) - the Supreme Court ruled that burning the flag in a manner that does not pose a threat to people or property is allowed as this type of freedom of speech.






42. Provisions tacked on to a piece of legislation that are not relevant to the bill.






43. Inherent powers of state governments to pass laws to protect health - safety - and welfare; the national government has no directly granted police powers but accomplishes the same goals through other delegated powers.






44. The vagueness of this phrase has allowed juries to exclude specific genders or races in order to affect the outcome of the verdict.






45. The principle - established by Chief Justice John Marshall in 1819 in the case of McCulloch v. Maryland - that the Constitution must be interpreted flexibly to meet changing conditions.






46. The power of some municipalities to modify their charters and run their affairs without approval by the state legislature.






47. The pursuit and exercise of power






48. The structure and set of regulations in place to control activity - usually in large organizations and government. it is represented by standardized procedure (rule-following) that dictates the execution of most or all processes within the body - for






49. A plan to provide billions of dollars of American aid to Western Europe to speed its economic and social recovery after the Second World War.






50. Independent agencies governed by an appointed and confirmed commission. Examples include the Food and Drug Administration - Environmental Protection Agency - and the Securities and Exchange Commission.