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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 two Senate standing committees have existed - largely unchanged - since 1816.






2. 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.






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






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






5. The overall public has a ___________ view of PACS in terms of bought votes and adding to the cost of running for office






6. President Hoover's laissez-faire approach to the economy during the Great Depression left many poor voters disenfranchised by the Republican Party. They left to join the _______________ Party.






7. A law passed in 1966 that requires federal executive branch and regulatory agencies to make information available to journalists - scholars - and the public unless it falls into one of several confidential categories.






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






9. The 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act - the 1965 Highway Beautification Act and the 1964 Civil Rights Act are all examples of ____________________.






10. Most modern political scientists believe there is ________________ between politics and government.






11. The 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act banned contributions of soft money to______________.






12. Voting based on looking back and making judgments about the way things have gone and the kind of government experienced during a political leader's time in office.






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






14. Included are Agriculture - Nutrition - and Forestry; Appropriations; Armed Services; Banking - Housing and Urban Affairs; Commerce - Science and Transportation; Energy and Natural Resources; Environment and Public Works; Finance; Health - Education -






15. Year of the 2nd Continental Congress.






16. Most states have ___________ legislatures.






17. A power of the president to kill a bill by taking no action (if Congress adjourns during the 10-day period after the president receives the bill). Some court rulings have suggested that a president may exercise a pocket veto only when Congress adjour






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






19. An economy in which most economic decisions result from the interaction of buyers and sellers in markets - but in which the government plays a significant role in the allocation of resources.






20. Legislative house whose members were intended to represent the people.






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






22. 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






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






24. Leader of the House of Representatives - elected by the majority party. 2nd in line of succession for the Presidency.






25. The 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine that prompted King George III's Prohibitory Act and the sending of mercenaries to the colonies.






26. American politics is dominated by a small ___________ who is responsible for most of the important policy decisions






27. A federal law passed by Congress in 1939 to restrict political activities by federal workers. The law prevents federal employees while on duty from taking an active part in party politics or campaigns and also bars federal employees from running for






28. The estimated number of illegal aliens living in the US.






29. Lobbyists for special interest groups have found ____________________ to be the most direct and effective method to secure their objectives in Congress.






30. In Johnson v. Texas (1989) - the Supreme Court ruled that burning the flag in a manner that does not pose a threat to people or property is allowed as this type of freedom of speech.






31. A system in which the national government sets requirements that are then implemented by state and local governments.






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






33. After analyzing 1 -795 platform pledges over a 10-year period - Gerald M. Pomper concluded that almost ____________ of these promises were fulfilled






34. Which two British Acts - passed in 1764 - caused American colonists for the first time to organize protests against the injustices of British rule - and sparked the rallying cry 'no taxation without representation'?






35. As part of the negotiations concerning the Constitution - the South fought for and won an agreement forbidding the imposition of _______________.






36. A compulsory national insurance program - financed by taxes on employers and employees. The insurance falls into four categories: old-age and survivors insurance - disability insurance - Medicare - and unemployment insurance.






37. During the 1800's and early 1900's - some state and local party committees became ________________ dominating party activities. Committee members would promise new recruits money - jobs - and other benefits for joining and voting the straight party t






38. Courts of original jurisdiction in federal crimes - civil suits under federal law - civil suits between citizens of different states where the amount in question exceeds $50 -000 - bankruptcy proceedings - cases involving some federal administrative






39. The view advocated by Supreme Court Justices Hugo Black and William O. Douglas that there are provisions of the Bill of Rights that cannot be diluted by judicial decisions.






40. Federal and State Courts function in a _____________manner so that federal courts may receive appeals from state courts.






41. Head of the Supreme Court.






42. Executive office responsible for negotiating trade with foreign powers.






43. The absent colony at the 2nd Continental Congress.






44. 1974 Act mandating that all government files about private citizens be kept confidential.






45. A declaration by the President in 1823 that warned European powers to keep out of the Western Hemisphere and pledged that the United States would not intervene in the internal affairs of Europe.






46. 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.






47. To an extent - the press and the government have a relationship that is _______________ and mutually dependent.






48. Colonies in which the proprietors (who had obtained their patents from the king) named the governors - subject to the king's approval.






49. Form of obstruction in the Senate where an attempt is made to infinitely extend debate upon a proposal in order to delay the progress or completely prevent a vote on the proposal taking place.






50. In Schenck v. US (1919) - The Supreme Court ruled that government may prohibit speech that creates an immediate threat of criminal action. Essentially established different standards for speech during wartime than in peacetime. Thus - establishing th







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