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Test your basic knowledge |
CLEP American Government
Start Test
Study First
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. The spread of nuclear weapons to more nations.
Public Bills
Party of Economic Protest
Nuclear Proliferation
Concurrent Powers
2. This author of Leviathon posited that government is necessary because people are generally in a state of conflict.
Federalist Papers
Thomas Hobbes
Bundling
Little Difference
3. 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.
Hyperpluralism
Select Committee
General Election
Independent Expenditures
4. This type of government suits a large country with a diverse population
Balance of Payments
Federal
Clean bill
Poll Tax
5. Federal grants in which the recipient has little discretion over how the money is spent. The national government sets narrowly defined rules for use of funds and often requires the states or local governments to provide matching funds. These grants a
Categorical Grant
Exclusionary Rule
National
Logrolling
6. The response of the rest of society to actions by the authorities.
Thomas Hobbes
Feedback
8th Amendment
Marshall Plan
7. Formerly known as the Anti-Federalist - this party lead by Thomas Jefferson advocated states rights pressing the causes of the common people and agrarian interest. Dominated the political arena until the Civil War.
Inverse
Legislative
Nationalism
Democratic-Republicans
8. A public policy that takes something away from one person or group and gives it to another person or group.
Ratification
12
Lemon Test
Redistributive Policy
9. Spending by the national committees of the political parties to support the election of congressional candidates is known as
Department of State
Delegated Powers
Coordinated Spending
Furman v. Georgia
10. A system in which national and state governments are competitors with distinct powers. This system was prominent in the US from the during the 19th century until 1937.
Dual / Layer Cake Federalism
Majority Rule
Constitutional Initiative
National Debt
11. These party members take active non-leadership roles such as working polls or contributing money to campaigns. Tend to compromise on important issues and are mostly concerned about winning elections.
Public hearing
Party Regulars
Civil Cases
External Efficacy
12. The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 restructured the number of ______________ in both the House and Senate.
Political Efficacy
Electoral Votes
Television
Committees
13. A broadly based coalition that attempts to gain control of the government by winning elections in order to exercise power and reward its members.
Federal Register
Major Political Party
Conference Committee
Cruel and Unusual
14. These dissenting Republicans won 17% of the popular vote in 1924 on a platform for public control of national resources and railways - tax reductions - and changes to the staff of the executive department
15. 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.
Clear and Present Danger
Implied Powers
Regulatory Agencies
527 Organizations
16. 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.
W.E.B. DuBoise
Recorded Vote
Political Machines
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
17. The house armed services and foreign affairs committees each have ___ subcommittees.
Bicameral
7
Pluralist Theory
Veteran's Affairs
18. How groups form and organize to pursue their goals or objectives - including how to get individuals and groups to participate and cooperate.
Wallace's Progressives
Collective Action
Third Party
External Efficacy
19. The total amount of money that the United States owes to its creditors.
Elite
Flexible Construction
National Debt
Winston Churchill
20. Guarantees the right to bare arms.
Initiative
Private Bills
Supreme Court
2nd Amendment
21. Government employees who publicly expose evidence of official waste or corruption that they have learned about in the course of their duties.
Speaker of the House
Whistle-blowers
Plain View
8th Amendment
22. Theory of democracy in which competition among common interest groups promote ideas to influence politics
Critical Election
Affirmative Action
Federal Courts
Pluralist Theory
23. A study of Bennington College students in the 1930s illustrated that the influence of the family on political attitudes tends to ______________ as they grow older and come into contact with other groups.
National Political Parties
Diminish
Electoral Votes
Thomas Hobbes
24. An unwritten custom by which individual senators who belong to the same political party as the president exercise an informal veto power over presidential appointments in their states.
Administrative Procedure Act
States
Proprietary Colonies
Senatorial Courtesy
25. While these voters have traditionally supported the Democrats - some have begun to support Republicans in light of the Democrats liberal policies on abortion.
Catholics
Regulatory Federalism
Affirmative Action
Due Process of Law
26. An annual meeting held in the spring in many New England towns - at which the townspeople come together to elect a board of selectmen and to discuss local policy questions. It has become a symbol of participatory democracy.
Budget Resolutions
Town Meeting
Supply Side Economics
Exit Polls
27. Responsible for assigning bills to committee in the Senate.
Attorney General
Unicameral
Majority and Minority Leader
Reverse Discrimination
28. A judicial opinion agreed to by a majority of the members of a court. A majority opinion sets forth the decision of the court and an explanation of the rationale behind the court's decision.
Majority Opinion
Dissenting Opinion
Speech Plus
Reverse Discrimination
29. Executive Check on the Legislative Branch.
Presidential Veto
US Trade Representatives
John Locke
Civilian Supremacy
30. A nation's set of fundamental beliefs about how government and politics should be conducted.
It Failed to be Ratified
Political Culture
Socialism
Civilian Supremacy
31. The belief that one is effective when participating in politics - for example that the government will respond to one's demands
External Efficacy
Literacy Tests
Permanent Registration
Hold
32. Between conventions - the governing body of a major political party. Members of this group are chosen in the states and formally elected by the party
Supports
Unlimited
Double Jeopardy
National Committee
33. Lobbyists for special interest groups have found ____________________ to be the most direct and effective method to secure their objectives in Congress.
legislative and executive
Bicameral
Campaign Contributions
Lose
34. James Madison proposed to deal with the threat of political factions by ______________________.
Selective exposure
Libel
Separation of Powers
Demands
35. 1946 Act requiring bureaucratic agencies to appeal to the affected parties before adopting new policies. Legislative check on Bureaucracy.
Administrative Procedure Act
Rousseau
Initiative
Vice President
36. Concurrent resolution - adopted by both Houses of Congress - that sets forth a Congressional budget plan for the budget year and at least four out-years.
Budget Resolution
Independent expenditures
Executive Privilege
CORE
37. The introductory statement of the U.S. Constitution - setting forth the general principles of American government and beginning with the words - 'We the people of the United States - in order to form a more perfect union. ...'
Permanent Registration
President
Feedback
Preamble
38. Tips the balance between two leading candidates by attracting a minority of voters who otherwise might have voted for one of the leading candidates.
Spoiler Candidate
Third Parties
Federalist Papers
Due Process of Law
39. A policy of avoiding foreign involvement.
14
Isolationism
Interstate Compact
New Jersey Plan
40. Overall spending targets set by the Congress.
Monopoly
Legislative
Charter Colonies
Budget Resolutions
41. An extraordinary writ commanding an official to perform a ministerial act that the law recognizes as an absolute duty and not a matter for the official's discretion
Elastic Clause
Government
Writ of Mandamus
Private Bills
42. The philosophy that government should intervene as little as possible in economic affairs.
Exit Polls
Political Machines
Decreased
Laissez-Faire
43. A provision of the Federal Communications Act that requires broadcasters to provide the same amount of exposure to all legally qualified political candidates.
Line-Item Veto
Horse race
Exit Polls
Equal Time
44. A system of voter registration in which voters must register every year or at other stated intervals.
Senior Executive Service
Periodic Registration
Lobbying
Low
45. A primary in which any registered voter is able to vote for candidates from more than one party. A voter - for example - may vote for a Democrat for U.S. senator and for a Republican for governor. In 2000 - the Supreme Court struck down the blanket p
Blanket Primary
Thomas Hobbes
Categorical Grant
1964 Civil Rights Act
46. 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
Criminal Cases
Primary
Supports
2
47. _____________ was the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in controlling New York City politics and helping immigrants (most notably the Irish) rise up in American politics from the 1790s to the 1960s.
Article VI
Open rule
Hatch Act
Tammany Hall
48. Guarantees that citizens cannot be compelled by the government to act in a way that is contrary to their religious beliefs. (ex. Conscientious objection to military service required by the draft is the execution of ______________)
Pork Barrel Spending
Hatch Act
Free Exercise Clause
Commonwealth
49. Raise Public Awareness - Create Policy Agenda - Prioritize Agenda - Enact Policy - Public Evaluation
Patriot Act
Free Exercise Clause
Pluralist
Policy Making Cycle
50. The primary purpose of _______________consolidate the nation's disability laws and provide for strong federal enforcement of a strengthened disability rights mandate
Electoral Votes
Social Regulation
Labor
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990