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. Court cases that concern crimes committed against the public order.






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






3. 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.






4. Bills that benefit legislators' home districts - or powerful corporate contributors - with sometimes wasteful or unnecessary public works or other projects.






5. The Jacksonian Era marked an important change in the process used to nominate Presidential candidates with the emergence of party _________________ - eliminating caucuses.






6. Method by which federal court judges may lose their position.






7. This author of Leviathon posited that government is necessary because people are generally in a state of conflict.






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






9. When neither political party is dominant.






10. A judicial opinion agreed to by a majority of the members of a court. A majority opinion sets forth the decision of the court and an explanation of the rationale behind the court's decision.






11. Executive office responsible for helping the President write the federal budget and monitoring federal spending.






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






13. Money spent by individuals or gorups not asociated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office






14. 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.






15. A Latin phrase meaning 'stand by past decisions -' a principle that judges often use in deciding cases. Ruling based on precedents.






16. Executive Check on the Legislative Branch.






17. This term refers to the gain in the polls that a candidate often enjoys after a national convention






18. The ___________ aspects of Federalism include: conflicts between state and national government - economic and racial discrimination - uneven enforcement of law - and dominance of local governments by special interest groups






19. The executive office established in response to intelligence lapses during WWI. Oversees American foreign policy and includes the President - Vice President - Secretary of State - Secretary of Defense and is lead by the National Security Advisor.






20. After hearings are complete - a congressional subcommittee will usually determine a bill's future in final deliberations known as






21. A law passed by Congress in 1973 in an effort to set a time limit on the use of combat forces abroad by a president.






22. First proposed in 1789 - this amendment passed in 1992 prohibits Congress from raising their own pay. Pay raises may not take affect until the beginning of the next term.






23. A course of action decided upon by a government






24. States that states may draw reasonable distinctions between the rights of residents and non-residents (ex. In state and out of state tuition)






25. The way things should be by law






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






27. Age requirement for President






28. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) - founded in 1932 by President Herbert Hoover to help combat the Great Depression - was the predecessor of which federal agencies?






29. This branch of government checks Bureaucracy through its control over lawsuits filed against the agency.






30. A term coined by President Lyndon B. Johnson to describe his own view of the relationship between Washington and the states.






31. 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






32. A federal program established in 1965 to provide hospital and medical services to older people through the Social Security system.






33. Agencies that were at one time semi-autonomous but that through legislation have been placed under presidential control since 1945.






34. 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.






35. Unwritten law based on custom and tradition.






36. An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other - so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted






37. Germany - Switzerland - and India are examples of countries with a _______________ system of government.






38. Southern whites prevented blacks from ____________ through use of poll taxes - literacy tests and intimidation tactics after the Civil War.






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






40. International agreements between the president and foreign heads of state that - unlike treaties - do not require Senate approval.






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






42. Guarantees the right to a civil trial by jury.






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






44. Clause of the Constitution (Article 1 - Section 10) intended to prohibit state governments from modifying contracts made between individuals; interpreted as prohibiting state governments from taking actions that adversely affect property rights.






45. 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 ______________)






46. These voters tend to have a high voter turnout because of their strong since of civic duty due to growing up during an era of political and civil unrest.






47. Inherent powers of state governments to pass laws to protect health - safety - and welfare; the national government has no directly granted police powers but accomplishes the same goals through other delegated powers.






48. The Equal Rights Amendment was defeated in 1982 because ____________________________.






49. Number of current cabinet positions under GW Bush.






50. Loose - competitive relationships among policy experts - interest groups - congressional committees - and federal agencies. Many observers argue that these have replaced iron triangles.