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. In Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969) - the Supreme Court established precedents for ___________________ in schools and government institutions.






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






3. A legislator who automatically mirrors the will of the majority of his or her constituents.






4. The 5th amendment protect against _____________.






5. An act of legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a trial. Constitutionally prohibited.






6. Devolutionary system in which the national government returns tax dollars to the state and local governments primarily in the form of block grants.






7. Political commercials that strongly attack a rival candidate.






8. Independent organizations - but more often the political arms of corporations - labor unions - or interest groups - established to contribute to candidates or to work for general political goals.






9. Cabinet department responsible for insuring mortgages and providing housing subsidies. Established in 1965






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






11. German sociologist theorized that the engine of government needs bureaucracies to provide expertise in a way that short-term elected or appointed official cannot.






12. The 1803 case in which the Supreme Court - by declaring a portion of an act of Congress unconstitutional - first firmly set forth and established the power of judicial review.






13. A White House council created under the National Security Act of 1947 to advise the president and help coordinate American military and foreign policy.






14. When the population's overall feeling of political efficacy is low - voter turnout is _______.






15. The pursuit and exercise of power






16. The process through which an individual acquires a set of political attitudes and forms opinions about political and social issues.






17. In the Federalist Papers - James Madison proposed that the states under the new Constitution would retain ____________ sovereignty.






18. _____________ is responsible for monetary policy.






19. New Jersey v. TLO (1985) established that school authorities may search students without _____________ as long as they are reasonable.






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






21. The vote cast by a person who does not like either candidate and so votes for the less objectionable of the two - putting a clothespin over his nose to keep out the unpleasant stench






22. In a 1943 case - the Supreme Court upheld the right to refuse to salute the American flag on the basis of the constitutional guarantee of _________________.






23. Bills that benefit legislators' home districts - or powerful corporate contributors - with sometimes wasteful or unnecessary public works or other projects.






24. In the year 2000 - the Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts of America had a constitutional right to ban _____________ members.






25. The belief that all people possess certain basic rights that may not be abridged by government.






26. Age requirement for President






27. Held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.






28. A broadly based coalition that attempts to gain control of the government by winning elections in order to exercise power and reward its members.






29. Constitutional protection of the accused to not be tried for the same crime twice.






30. Freedoms that protect the individual from the government.






31. Defamation by written or printed words - pictures - or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.






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






33. In the area of foreign affairs - _______________ often have the advantage because






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






35. Law intended to promote free competition in the market place by outlawing monopolies






36. Courts of original jurisdiction in federal crimes - civil suits under federal law - civil suits between citizens of different states where the amount in question exceeds $50 -000 - bankruptcy proceedings - cases involving some federal administrative






37. Number of Federal District courts across 50 states - DC and Puerto Rico.






38. The name commonly given to a private group - regardless of size - organized to elect political candidates. An organization becomes one by receiving contributions or making expenditures in excess of $1 -000 for the purpose of influencing a federal ele






39. Concept of government by the people in which everyone is free to vote - but normally whoever gets the most votes wins the election and represents all the people - including those who voted for the losing candidate.






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






41. These voters are registered as a party member but only participate by voting in primary and general elections. Tend to vote straight-party ticket and follow the leads of local party officials.






42. Southern whites prevented blacks from ____________ through use of poll taxes - literacy tests and intimidation tactics after the Civil War.






43. A philosophy that the Supreme Court should avoid constitutional questions when possible and uphold acts of Congress unless they clearly violate a specific section of the Constitution.






44. Direct oral or written speech directed at a specific individual or group






45. A federal law passed by Congress in 1939 to restrict political activities by federal workers. The law prevents federal employees while on duty from taking an active part in party politics or campaigns and also bars federal employees from running for






46. This Supreme Court case infamously decided that a slave was not a citizen but property to be 'used in subservience to the interests - the convenience - or the will of his owner'






47. 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.






48. Committees appointed for investigative or crisis situations.






49. A 1972 treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union limiting the number of defensive missiles each country could build. In 2001 President George W. Bush withdrew the United States from the treaty.






50. The ___________ aspects of Federalism include: conflicts between state and national government - economic and racial discrimination - uneven enforcement of law - and dominance of local governments by special interest groups