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






2. Laws - rules - and government programs designed to protect individual rights and specific groups - as well as to benefit society as a whole in such areas as health - worker safety - consumer protection - and the environment.






3. The state officer typically responsible for overseeing federal elections at the state level is the






4. 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






5. Ruling by the Supreme Court in 1954 that racial segregation in public schools violates the Fourteenth Amendment's requirement of equal protection of the laws for all persons.






6. The Supreme Court's broad interpretation of this clause has denied direct aid from the government for religious groups - but does allow religious groups to make use of government services such as police and fire.






7. Requests from people or groups for health care for the aged - loans for college students - equal opportunity for minorities - and higher subsidies for farmers are examples of:






8. Cabinet department oversees nuclear reactors.Established in 1973 in response to the Energy Crisis.






9. Groups whose views serve as guidelines to an individual's opinion. See also primary groups and secondary groups.






10. First Roman Catholic elected President.






11. 1925 Supreme Court case overturned Baron v. Baltimore and applied the Bill of Rights to states.






12. The relationship between the total cost of foreign goods imported to this country and sales of U.S. products overseas.






13. Article VI - Paragraph 2 - of the Constitution - which declares that the Constitution - and the laws and treaties of the United States made under it - are 'the supreme Law of the Land' and prevail over any conflicting state constitutions or laws.






14. In 2002 - a federal appeals court struck down the Pledge of Allegiance on the grounds that it violated ________________.






15. In Congress - _____________ are informal organizations of individual congressional representatives with like interests or constituencies. Members work together to promote the interests of the groups they represent through legislation - policy - and p






16. First governing document of the Plymouth Colony establishing freedom of religion.






17. This may be done by a national constitutional convention called by Congress on the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures OR By the passage of a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress






18. The oldest House committee still in existence.






19. Permitted court authorized wire-tapping and bugging by federal - state - and local authorities and use of such evidence in trial. Later reversed by the Supreme Court based on 4th Amendment rights.






20. The Supreme Court has sometimes used a narrow interpretation of the Establishment Clause allowing the government to provide aid to religious groups as long as it remains ______________ and does not promote one religion at the expense of another. This






21. Number of justices of the Supreme Court.






22. The class of independent voters who do not vote according to party affiliation - but who typically have a broader range of concerns than single-issue voters - are known colloquially as






23. Guaranteed women the right to vote.






24. Philosopher John Locke - in his 1690 work Civil Government (second treatise) - advised separation of government power between






25. According to the Speedy Trial Act of 1974 - federal trials must commence within _______ days of arrest with the exception of delay for mental health testing of the defendant and illness of the defendant or key witness.






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






27. A course of action chosen by government officials






28. Cabinet department that includes the Coast Guard - Border Patrol - FEMA - Transportation Security Administration - INS and the Secret Service. Established in 2001 in response to 9/11.






29. To an extent - the press and the government have a relationship that is _______________ and mutually dependent.






30. In which case did the Supreme Court rule that the 1964 Civil Rights Act does not prohibit private affirmative action programs?






31. Minor criminal offenses - such as speeding.






32. While the verbiage of the 4th Amendment is vague as to what constitutes 'reasonable'. Police departments must rely on _____________; they cannot act on unfounded suspicion.






33. The permanent committees of a legislature that consider bills and conduct hearings and investigations.






34. Programs mandated by law and not subject to annual review by Congress or the president.






35. In this 1972 case - the Supreme Court established four guidelines for determining if a trial was appropriately speedy and fair: cause of delay - length of delay - affect on the outcome - and the defendant's claim to a speedy trial.






36. Congress defined the steps for the creation and admission of new states. It forbade slavery while the region remained a territory although citizens could legalize it. First congress would appoint a territorial governor and judges. Second as soon as 5






37. Federal laws limit the amount of ___________ that can be donated directly to campaign coffers.






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






39. In 1992 - the television networks agreed not to release these until a majority of polling places had closed in each state






40. Groups named for the section of the Internal Revenue Service code under which they must report their expenditures. The tax-exempt groups were created to exploit a loophole in the law regulating campaign finance.






41. A nation's set of fundamental beliefs about how government and politics should be conducted.






42. Wisconsin Republican who exploited public concern for political gain during the 1950's through freewheeling investigations of alleged Communists.






43. Cabinet positions must be ____________ by the Senate






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






45. 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.






46. Early civil rights leader established the Niagara Movement and helped to establish the NAACP.






47. Designed to protect the individual against the arbitrary power of the state.






48. _____________ are expected to specialize in a few policy areas rather than claim expertise in the whole range of legislative concerns






49. A registered voter may vote in any party primary regardless of his own party affiliation. When voters do not register with a party before the primary - it is called a pick-a-party primary because the voter can select which party's primary he or she w






50. A world economy characterized by the free movement of goods - capital - labor - and information across national borders.






Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?



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