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. Information sent out in order to observe the reaction of an audience. Used by politicians who deliberately leak information on a policy change under consideration.






2. Something given in exchange for something else; swap






3. Cabinet department responsible for collective bargaining and union activity. Established in 1913






4. Number of Senators elected at large per state -






5. 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.






6. The European political philosophers whose writings influenced the concepts of liberty and government contained in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution belonged to the intellectual and cultural movement known as






7. Redefined Presidential succession and disability.






8. Tests of a voter's ability to read and write - which were often used to keep recent immigrants and blacks from voting.






9. When the President's own party gains power and influence - it more puts pressure on the President to conform to the will of the party - leading to________________ between the President and the party to define their public identities






10. The net balance or relationship between total income and total expenditures by the nation in its dealings with the rest of the world - including trade - loans - and investments.






11. When the population's overall feeling of political efficacy is low - voter turnout is _______.






12. Age requirement for President






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






14. In Reynolds v. US (1879) - the Supreme Court denied this right to Reynolds because his religion's practice of polygamy violated federal law.






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






16. 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.






17. The formal source of all authority in each major political party. It nominates the party candidates for president and vice president - writes a platform - settles disputes - writes rules - and elects the members of the national committee.






18. 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.






19. Economists generally agree that the major responsibility for promoting prosperity and full employment falls on ________________.






20. Organizations or groups - such as labor unions or fraternal - professional - or religious groups - that may influence an individual's opinion.






21. Overall spending targets set by the Congress.






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






23. A word that comes from two Greek roots - demos - 'the populace -' and kratia - 'rule'






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






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






26. This type of government suits a large country with a diverse population






27. Established in 1947 as a combined Department of War and Navy.






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






29. The kinds of cases that a court has the authority to decide.






30. This amendment includes the due process clause - the equal protection clause - and gave rights to former slaves.






31. States that arrestees must be informed of their right to remain silent - that anything they say can be held against them in a court - that they have a right to an attorney and that an attorney will be appointed to them if they cannot afford one.






32. Law enacted by Congress - or by state legislatures or local legislative bodies.






33. The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 restructured the number of ______________ in both the House and Senate.






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






35. In this case - a gay man from Georgia charged with committing sodomy in his own home with a consenting adult. The court ruled that the Constitution does not explicitly grant the right for homosexuals to practice their lifestyle and that laws against






36. Polls taken as people leave voting places. In the past - television networks sometimes used these polls to predict election outcomes before the polls close. In 1992 - the television networks agreed not to project the winner in a state until the major






37. A system - until modified and reformed in the 1970s - that automatically resulted in the selection as committee chair of those members of the majority party in Congress who had the longest continuous service on a committee.






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






39. (1781-1789) The written framework for the government of the original 13 states before the Constitution was adopted. Under this - the national government was weak and dominated by the states. There was a unicameral legislature - but no national execut






40. This 1963 case extended the right to counsel to all felony cases.






41. The party-column ballot - or Indiana ballot - encourages _______________.






42. 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.






43. The separation of people by race.






44. The expression of attitudes about government and politics.






45. Test whereby the Supreme Court established criteria by which state may provide aid to religious groups.






46. Capital punishment is also known as the _________________.






47. Prompted by FDR's 4th election to the Presidency - the 22nd Amendment limited the number of Presidential terms to _____ terms.






48. This act prohibited Discrimination because of race - color - sex - religion - or national origin by employers or labor unions; The adoption by voting registrars of different standards for black and white applicants; and Racial or religious discrimina






49. 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






50. Theory that a government requires the consent of the governed.