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. Gave authority over atomic energy from military to civilians.






2. Practice by which voters of one party crossing over and voting in the primary of another party - effectively allowing a party to help choose its opposition's candidate.






3. Prohibits the use of cruel or unusual punishment.






4. A policy adopted by the United States after the Second World War that assumed that if enough nuclear weapons were deployed by the United States - an enemy would not attack for fear of being destroyed in retaliation.






5. 1966 Act allowing citizens to inspect all government records with the exception of classified military or intelligence documents - trade secrets or private personnel files.






6. When the minority party becomes stronger than the majority party - usually the result of winning a critical election.






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






8. A term often used to describe the economic and political ties between the military establishment and the defense-aerospace industry.






9. Total number of Representatives apportioned to the states based on population and reapportioned with the census every 10 years






10. A powerful alliance of mutual benefit among an agency or unit of the government - an interest group - and a committee or subcommittee of Congress. Also called a triangle or iron triangle.






11. This controversial clause of the 9th Amendment has allowed government to expand rights to suit its needs.






12. ____________________ define Congressional voting districts acting within constraints set down by Congress and the Supreme Court.






13. The foreign policy of the United States during the period after the Second World War - designed to contain the expansion of Soviet power.






14. Age requirement for President






15. This house committee is responsible for Supervising the authority of the federal government to borrow money - Raising the revenue required to finance the federal government by levying taxes - Overseeing Social Security and other social insurance prog






16. 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






17. It the job of _________ committees of a political party to hold voter registration drives - recruit new party members and final candidates for city and county positions.






18. 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






19. Dissenting Democrats focused on foreign affairs. Aligned with the US Communist Party.

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20. 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






21. 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.






22. A broad concept that may be defined in many ways - but the term is generally used to refer to the basic protection and defense of the nation.






23. Cabinet department that includes the FAA and the National Hwy Traffic Safety Administration. Established in 1966.






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






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






26. The right of the Supreme Court - under the Constitution - to hear certain kinds of cases directly - such as cases involving foreign diplomats - or cases in which one of the 50 states is a party.






27. The head of a national political party






28. This 1967 Supreme Court case prohibited illegal eavesdropping and extending the zone of privacy to include the home - office - person - and immediate public arena.






29. Colonies in which freely elected legislatures chose the governor and the king could not veto laws.






30. Guaranteed women the right to vote.






31. Guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial.






32. Laws must be reasonable. The Supreme Court has abandoned this concept in regards to business matters citing that it is the responsibility of Congress to regulate economic matters. The court has continued to apply this to matters of civil liberties an






33. The single biggest item in campaign spending at the presidential level is ___________________.






34. A policy that takes something away from one person and gives it to someone else -






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






36. This group of voters historically supported Republicans - a party founded on an anti-slavery platform. During the 1930's they began supporting the New Deal policies of the Democratic party.






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






38. First African American appointed to the Supreme Court






39. Which branch has the power to stop an executive order?






40. 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.






41. Units of government under the president - within the executive branch - that are not part of a cabinet department.






42. Legislative house whose membership was intended to represent the state.






43. The spread of nuclear weapons to new nations






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






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






46. A federal tax on imports.






47. Committees that pull members from both the house and the senate who meet to discuss major policy issues such as economy and taxation.






48. Important during the Revolution - these bodies organized by the local governments of the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution for the purposes of coordinating written communication outside of the colony.






49. Committees appointed for investigative or crisis situations.






50. A ruling by the Supreme Court in 1857