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. These courts only hear appeals on cases from lower courts.






2. The attitudes and actions of people that sustain and buttress the political system at all levels and allows the political system to continue to work.






3. An economic system of free enterprise with private ownership of the means of production.






4. Several Presidents have been elected without winning the popular vote. As a result - In 1970 and 1979 - Amendments were proposed to disband the ______________ - neither passed.






5. 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 _________________.






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






7. Article II of the Constitution establishes the ______________ branch.






8. A court decision in an earlier case with facts and legal issues similar to a dispute currently before a court.






9. Court cases that involve relations between individuals and organizations - such as a divorce action - or a suit for damages arising from an automobile accident or for violation of a business contract.






10. A group of people - chosen by poll-takers - that is representative of the universe that is being polled.






11. The Medicaid and Food Stamp programs are examples of two very large






12. 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.






13. A meeting of party leaders to select candidates - elect convention delegates - etc






14. In the 1962 case of Robinson v. California - the Supreme Court ruled that incarcerating a drug addict is ______________________ because drug addiction is an illness.






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






16. In an election with more than 2 options - the number of votes for the candidate or party receiving the greatest number - but less that half of the votes.






17. The ___________ aspects of Federalism include: diversity/diffusion of power - more access points for political participation - fostering of experimentation and innovation - and allowing local governments to manage local problems effectively






18. A law passed by Congress in 1973 in an effort to set a time limit on the use of combat forces abroad by a president.






19. This 1932 case established that a case can be too speedy and under-counseled - providing defendants in a capital case the right to a reasonable amount of time to establish a defense.






20. In the 1925 Gitlow case - the Supreme Court began a process of ______________ of the Bill of Rights to the states.






21. Which committee assignments would confer the most power and influence on members of the Senate?






22. Number of original cabinet positions under George Washington.






23. Voters in a political district - or supporters of an elected official; or interest groups or client groups that are either directly regulated by the bureaucracy or vitally affected by its decisions.






24. A method of polling - considered less reliable than a random sample - in which interviewers are instructed to question members of a particular group in proportion to their percentage in the population as a whole.






25. The agency that provides Congress with evaluations of public policies is the






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






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






28. The President's role in the armed forces which during the 20th century has allowed Presidents to circumvent Congress' refusal to declare war.






29. Laws on Schools - Marriage - and owning property;Licensee Lawyers - Doctors - and Teachers.






30. Corporations formed by the government to act as a business to produce a product or service. Often monopolies with varying degrees of independence.






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






32. Government regulation of the economy through its control over the supply of money and the cost and availability of credit. Controlled by the Federal Reserve Board.






33. A political candidate who is thought to have only an outside chance of gaining the nomination.






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






35. ________________ of the Constitution dictates how the Constitution shall be amended.






36. 1976 Law requiring all governmental agency meetings to be open to the public unless classified information will be discussed.






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






38. The principle that the government - as provided in the Fifth Amendment - can take property for 'public use' with 'just compensation' to the owners.






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






40. State legislation designed to outlaw the union shop - passed by 21 states acting under Section 14B of the federal Taft-Hartley Act.






41. Senators have a __________ rate of re-election than Representatives primarily because of their larger constituency and lack of direct involvement with them.






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






43. Executive Check on the Legislative Branch.






44. Number of years a Representative must reside in the US prior to taking office






45. Which office serves as a watchdog into waste or fraud in the bureaucracy and conducts investigations at the request of congressional committees






46. Department established in 1988 by President G.H. Bush.

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47. A system of _______________ - as in Italy - encourages the existence of many parties by allotting seats to competing candidates according to the percentage of votes they win.






48. The total group from which poll-takers may select a random sample in order to measure public opinion.






49. The issuance of this document by a judge requires probably cause and must be worded so as to allow for the search and seizure of specific evidence.






50. Judges in Legislative Courts serve _______ terms and do not require impeachment.