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. A jury of 6 to 12 persons who determine guilt or innocence in a civil or criminal action






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






3. The term 'Reagan Democrats' has become a generic term for






4. The sum of the goals - decisions - and actions that govern a nation's relations with the rest of the world.






5. The binding decisions that the government makes whether in the form of laws -regulations - or judicial decisions






6. The Jacksonian Era marked an important change in the process used to nominate Presidential candidates with the emergence of party _________________ - eliminating caucuses.






7. An official document - published every weekday - which lists the new and proposed regulations of executive departments and regulatory agencies.






8. _______________ indicates a citizens' faith and trust in government and their own belief that they can understand and influence political affairs






9. This category of interest groups has been the strongest and most effective in lobbying Washington






10. Because there is no Senate Rules Committee - Senators can debate a bill for an _________________ time.






11. Assigns bills to the appropriate House committee.






12. Signed the executive order banning segregation in the armed forces.






13. Federal categorical grants in which the granting agency has much discretion over how the recipient spends the money.






14. The primary purpose of _______________consolidate the nation's disability laws and provide for strong federal enforcement of a strengthened disability rights mandate






15. Voters tendency to identify with a party that shares their views on important issues ignoring the party's stance on issues they deem less important. to be life-long unless there is a major change in the party's platform. 2. Influenced by ra






16. Spending by the national committees of the political parties to support the election of congressional candidates is known as






17. Literally meaning 'right of soil' - confers citizenship by place of birth.






18. The 5th amendment protect against _____________.






19. A federal tax on imports.






20. This branch of government checks Bureaucracy through its control over budget and appointments of leadership.






21. Committees appointed for investigative or crisis situations.






22. A ruling by the Supreme Court in 1857






23. A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill.






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






25. 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.






26. 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.






27. Powers of government that the national government may exercise simply because it exists as a government - such as the right to conduct foreign relations.






28. There are 11 circuit ____________________ who have no original jurisdiction.






29. Political party lead by Andrew Jackson from 1828 to 1856. Campaigned against strong central government and fought to end elitism.






30. This called for three-fifths of all slaves in a state were counted for purposes of apportioning representation in the House of Representatives.






31. Year of the 2nd Continental Congress.






32. Smith v. Allwight (1994) was the first vase in which the Supreme Court upheld the voting rights of _____________ in state primary elections.






33. He United States Constitution was opposed by which group?






34. An individual who does not join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence.






35. When neither political party is dominant.






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






37. (1945-1991) The period after the Second World War marked by rivalry and tension between the two nuclear superpowers - the United States and the communist government of the Soviet Union. The Cold War ended when the Soviet government collapsed in 1991.






38. Prohibits conviction of a crime that occurred before the act became illegal






39. The concept that all people are of equal worth - even if not of equal ability.






40. Elects the President if no candidate receives 270 Electoral College votes.






41. High School Dropouts - Blacks - Hispanics - Recent immigrants - and People under 25 or over 75 tend to have a _________ voter turnout.






42. Article I of the Constitution establishes the ___________________ branch.






43. In 1943 - The Supreme Court upheld the Jehovah's Witnesses right to refrain from saluting the American flag based on their right to _____________.






44. After analyzing 1 -795 platform pledges over a 10-year period - Gerald M. Pomper concluded that almost ____________ of these promises were fulfilled






45. The proceeding before a judge in which the formal charges of an indictment or information are read to an accused person - who may plead guilty or not guilty.






46. Presides over the Senate without voting privileges except in the case of a tie.






47. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was somewhat undermined by racist practices in the real estate market such as _____________ and ______________ - which continued illegally in many areas following passage of the Act.






48. This 1973 ruling gave local communities the authority to determine obscenity - established three part test for obscene material. To qualify as obscene - speech must be considered obscene by the 'average' person - depict or describe material that is a






49. 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






50. Define US Citizenship as any person born or naturalized in the United States.