CLEP American Government Practice Test 1 Answered 100% Correct

The Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954 - ANSWER-Ordered the racial desegregation of public schools A person who votes based on what a candidate says he or she will do in the future is said to be - ANSWER-engaging in prospective voting Should presidential candidates receive an equal number of electoral votes, the election is decided by - ANSWER-the House of Representatives A Democracy is - ANSWER-A form of government in which the people are the ultimate political authority New England's town meetings are an example of - ANSWER-direct democracy Under the pen name "Publius," Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote - ANSWER-The Federalist Papers A person who believes that the government should do what the majority of people in the country want to do is advocating - ANSWER-majoritarianism In the debates over the Constitution, Federalists and anti-federalists spoke of factions the way we today speak of - ANSWER-interest groups The English philosopher whose words are heavily drawn on in the Declaration of Independence was - ANSWER-John Locke As the Constitution is concerned, members of Congress receive payment from - ANSWER-the US Treasury The Constitution specifically empowers Congress to coin money, declare war, and admit new states. These powers are referred to as - ANSWER-Enumerated powers In which of the nation's founding documents could one point to an "elastic clause" to justify the existence of large government agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services - ANSWER-The Constitution The 10th Amendment states that government powers "not delegated to the US by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States," are reserved for - ANSWER-State legislatures and the people The term administrative discretion refers to - ANSWER-Congress sets guidelines for government agencies to follow The Real ID Act of 2005 was an example of - ANSWER-an unfunded mandate What do unanimous consent agreements accomplish - ANSWER-They end debate in the Senate To overturn a presidential veto - ANSWER-A 2/3 vote must occur in both Congressional chambers If a president neither signs nor vetoes a piece of legislation within 10 days and Congress remains in session, what becomes of the bill - ANSWER-It becomes law Gerrymandering is - ANSWER-creation of a Congressional district to ensure the election of a person from a certain political party or ethnic or racial group Which government position can most easily practice "homestyle" - ANSWER-Members of the House of Representatives Agreements between the US and foreign nations can be made by a president's admin., but for the agreement to go into effect it must have the concurrence of - ANSWER-2/3 of the Senate alone A state's representation in the electoral college most directly reflects - ANSWER-the combined number of the state's US representatives and senators In times of national emergency, or when the gov. needs to act quickly and flexibly, Congress has done what with its federal powers - ANSWER-Delegated them to the president According to the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, if both the president and vice president are incapacitated, who rises to the presidency - ANSWER-The most senior member of the majority party in the Senate The establishment clause - ANSWER-prohibits the federal government from promoting one religion as the religion of the state The Supreme Court case Engel v. Vitale (1962) - ANSWER-eliminated prayer organized by public schools Charles Schenck was arrested and charged with the federal crime of trying to inhibit military recruitment in a time of war. What was the Sup. Courts decision in the resulting case, Schenck v. United States (1919) - ANSWER-Schenck's speech and action had presented a public danger in time of was, and his conviction was not upheld