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 Supreme Court practice of applying most of the provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states under the 14th Amendment.






2. 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






3. The Democrats control over politics during the 20th century ended with this President's unpopular handling of the Vietnam War.






4. The right to renounce one's citizenship.






5. California measure designed to deny welfare and other benefits to illegal aliens. Overwhelmingly passed the popular vote - but overturned in federal court because it extending beyond the bounds of state rights to attempt to control immigration.






6. The 23rd Amendment guaranteed voting rights to whom?






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






8. 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.






9. 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.






10. 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.






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






12. When neither political party is dominant.






13. A controversial law overwhelmingly passed by Congress in October 2001 - after the terrorist attacks of September 11 on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It greatly expanded the power of federal law enforcement authorities to move against suspe






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






15. The expansion of cable and satellite tv has _________________ the president's power to influence public opinion.






16. Devolutionary system in which the national government returns tax dollars to the state and local governments primarily in the form of block grants.






17. 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






18. These dissenting Republicans won 17% of the popular vote in 1924 on a platform for public control of national resources and railways - tax reductions - and changes to the staff of the executive department


19. The claim by presidents of an inherent right to withhold information from Congress and the judiciary.






20. A policy of avoiding foreign involvement.






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






22. 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.






23. Control of a market by a single company.






24. Guarantees the right to bare arms.






25. 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.






26. This powerful House committee is in charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor.






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






28. Passed in 1883 - it created a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage.






29. Most house committees are limited to _____ subcommittees.






30. 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.






31. Individual contributions to PACs are limited to ______________ dollars per candidate per election with primaries - general and special elections counting separately.






32. 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.






33. 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.






34. 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.






35. Legislative house responsible for impeachment trials.






36. Raise Public Awareness - Create Policy Agenda - Prioritize Agenda - Enact Policy - Public Evaluation






37. Legislature bills that affect all citizens.






38. Since 1960 - there has been a general trend of ______________ participation in elections.






39. Private groups that attempt to influence the government to respond to the shared attitudes of their members.






40. The right to privacy is ___________ in the Constitution.






41. The chair and the heads of the three armed services - and - when Marine Corps matters are under consideration - the commandant of the marines. By law - they advise the president and the secretary of defense and are the chiefs of their respective mili






42. ________________ of the Constitution governs the relationships of the states.






43. Voter turnout is usually ____________ when there is a binding referendum on the ballot.






44. The 24th amendment banned _____________ - making it harder for states to discriminate against poor and minority voters.






45. A tax on voting abolished by the Twenty-fourth Amendment in 1964 - long used by southern states to keep blacks (and - in some cases - poor whites) from participating in elections.






46. The constitutional requirement (in article II - sec 3) that presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed - even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws






47. Cabinet department responsible for insuring mortgages and providing housing subsidies. Established in 1965






48. Minimum number of voters per state in the Electoral College.






49. 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






50. Electoral college system and other campaign practices make it exceedingly difficult for even popular ______________ candidates to successfully run for the presidency.