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. The power to tax is an example of _______________ powers.






2. In Woodson v. North Carolina - the Supreme Court struck down mandatory sentencing of capital punishment as ______________________ because it does not allow for any discretion.






3. 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






4. Which of the following factors is likely to be the weakest indicator of an individual's political beliefs and opinions? Age - Race - Intelligence - or Religion






5. Responsible for assigning bills to committee in the Senate.






6. The 1803 case in which the Supreme Court - by declaring a portion of an act of Congress unconstitutional - first firmly set forth and established the power of judicial review.






7. 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






8. 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






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






10. 1974 Act mandating that all government files about private citizens be kept confidential.






11. A group of independent states or nations that come together for a common purpose and whose central authority is usually limited to defense and foreign relations.






12. A provision in a deed to real property prohibiting its sale to a person of a particular race or religion. Judicial enforcement is unconstitutional.






13. In addition to the doctrine of implied powers - Chief Justice Marshall - in his decision in the Supreme Court case of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) - established the key concept of:






14. A pluralist theory by C. Wright Mills where a small number of wealthy elite wield most of the power. Fundamental to all governments around the world - the elite rule while they make the lower classes feel like they are involved in democracy. The elit






15. The tendency of presidents to lose support over time.






16. Guarantees that citizens cannot be compelled by the government to act in a way that is contrary to their religious beliefs. (ex. Conscientious objection to military service required by the draft is the execution of ______________)






17. A system in which national and state government have shared or overlapping powers. FDR's New Deal legislation established this system in the US.






18. An annual meeting held in the spring in many New England towns - at which the townspeople come together to elect a board of selectmen and to discuss local policy questions. It has become a symbol of participatory democracy.






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. The 15th Amendment - also know as _________________ - was intended to help recently freed blacks from unconstitutional state laws designed to circumvent federal laws.






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






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






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






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






25. A broadly based coalition that attempts to gain control of the government by winning elections in order to exercise power and reward its members.






26. Presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that Congress authorized and appropriated.






27. A test established by Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes - Jr. - in 1919 to define the point at which speech loses the protection of the First Amendment.






28. Members of this party typically include women who support liberal policies on abortion and equal pay - Jews - Catholics - Blacks and other minorities - Blue-collar working class - urban - labor unions - and intelligensia






29. 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






30. Executive Check on the Legislative Branch.






31. A place of work in which any person may be hired provided that he or she joins the union within a specified time.






32. This contraversial legal technicality intended to protect civil liberties has allowed criminals to remain free when the courts refuse to admit evidence that may have been obtained illegally.






33. In Sweatt v. Painter (1950) - The Supreme Court upheld that ___________________ was inherently not the case as is applied to the University of Texas Law School.






34. Th joint listing of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ballot as required by the twelfth amendment






35. Committees created by Congress to conduct special investigations. Although normally temporary - some become - in effect - permanent.






36. Age Requirement for House of Representatives.






37. Senators are re-elected every ___ years with 1/3 of the Senate being up for election every 2 years.






38. Established by President Hoover - It is the _______________ job to keep the press informed and orchestrate press conferences






39. 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.






40. Capital punishment is also known as the _________________.






41. The coming to power of a new coalition - replacing an old dominant coalition of the other party






42. The philosophy that government should intervene as little as possible in economic affairs.






43. 1946 Act requiring bureaucratic agencies to appeal to the affected parties before adopting new policies. Legislative check on Bureaucracy.






44. Constitutionally required address by the President typically given in a joint session of Congress.






45. First Executive Branch






46. Committees of Congress composed of both representatives and senators.






47. This 1964 case established strict standards for proving slander and libel - court must prove intent of malice on the part of the publisher.






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






49. Broadly worded warrants used by British soldiers during colonial America to search for contraband and prevent smuggling.






50. The concept that political power rests with the people who can create - alter - and abolish government. People express themselves through voting and free participation in government