American Government CLEP Exam
. In the electoral history of the United States, third parties have been effective
vehicles of protest when they
(A) aligned themselves with one of the major parties
(B) presented innovative programs in Congress
(C) dramatized issues and positions that were being ignored by the major
parties
(D) chose the president by depriving either of the major parties of an electoral
✅✅
college victory
(E) supported a political agenda that appealed especially to women - -C
(R) Coolidge 1923-29 = 93 Press conferences per year
(R) Hoover 1929-33 = 67
(D) Roosevelt 1933-45 = 85
(D) Truman 1945-53 = 41
(R) Eisenhower 1953-61 = 24
(D) Kennedy 1961-63 = 23
(D) Johnson 1963-69 = 26
(R) Nixon 1969-74 = 7
(R) Ford 1974-77 = 16
(D) Carter 1977-81 = 15
(R) Reagan 1981-89 = 6
(R) G.H.W. Bush 1989-93 = 35
(D) Clinton 1993-2001 = 23
(R) G.W. Bush 2001-04 = 22
According to the information in the chart above, which of the following
statements is true?
(A) Republican presidents held far fewer press
conferences per year than Democratic
presidents.
(B) The most recent presidents held fewer press
conferences per year than presidents in the
1920s and 1930s.
(C) President Clinton held more press conferences per year than his
predecessor.
(D) On average, President Nixon held more press conferences per year than
✅✅
President Johnson.
(E) President Kennedy held more press conferences per year than - -B
,13. The usefulness to the president of having cabinet members as political
advisers is undermined by the fact that
(A) the president has little latitude in choosing cabinet members
(B) cabinet members have no political support independent of the president
(C) cabinet members are usually drawn from Congress and retain loyalties to
Congress
(D) the loyalties of cabinet members are often divided between loyalty to the
president and loyalty to their own executive departments
✅✅
(E) the cabinet operates as a collective unit and individual members have no
access to the president - -D
A major difference between political parties and interest groups is that interest
groups generally do NOT
(A) suggest new legislation that is supportive of their interests
(B) try to influence the outcome of legislation
(C) occupy a place on the ballot
✅✅
(D) concern themselves with elections
(E) have a national organization - -C
A theoretical explanation of the operation of diverse interests in American
politics is found in
(A) the Virginia Plan
(B) John Stuart Mill's On Liberty
(C) The Federalist papers
✅✅
(D) the Declaration of Independence
(E) John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - -C
According to the Constitution, which of the following decides the presidential
election outcome in the event that a single candidate does not get a majority
of electoral votes?
(A) The Supreme Court
(B) The Senate
(C) The House of Representatives
✅✅
(D) Both houses of Congress
(E) The sitting president - -C
According to the United States Constitution, who has the right to create
inferior courts?
(A) The president
(B) The Supreme Court
, (C) The Congress
✅✅-C
(D) The bureaucracy
(E) The Department of Justice -
All of the following are constitutional rights that neither the federal government
nor the states can restrict EXCEPT the right to
(A) remain silent during questioning
(B) be represented by counsel
(C) be indicted by grand jury
✅✅
(D) not be tried for the same offense twice
(E) receive a trial by jury in a criminal case - -C
All of the following help to explain the president's difficulty in controlling
cabinet-level agencies EXCEPT:
(A) Agencies often have political support from interest groups.
(B) Agency staff often have information and technical expertise that the
president and presidential advisers lack.
(C) The president cannot dismiss appointees after they have been confirmed
by the Senate.
(D) Civil servants who remain in their jobs through changes of administration
✅✅
develop loyalties to their agencies.
(E) Congress is a competitor for influence over the bureaucracy - -C
All of the following issues were decided at the Constitutional Convention of
1787 EXCEPT
(A) representation in the legislature
(B) voting qualifications of the electorate
(C) the method of electing the president
✅✅
(D) congressional power to override a presidential veto
(E) qualifications for members of the House and Senate - -B
All of the following statements correctly describe judicial appointments at the
federal level EXCEPT:
(A) Congress nominates and confirms all appointments to the federal judiciary.
(B) Federal judicial appointments are typically evaluated by the American Bar
Association or the Federalist Society.
(C) If a senator is a member of the president's party, tradition may allow the
senator to exercise an informal veto over an individual being considered from
the senator's state.
. In the electoral history of the United States, third parties have been effective
vehicles of protest when they
(A) aligned themselves with one of the major parties
(B) presented innovative programs in Congress
(C) dramatized issues and positions that were being ignored by the major
parties
(D) chose the president by depriving either of the major parties of an electoral
✅✅
college victory
(E) supported a political agenda that appealed especially to women - -C
(R) Coolidge 1923-29 = 93 Press conferences per year
(R) Hoover 1929-33 = 67
(D) Roosevelt 1933-45 = 85
(D) Truman 1945-53 = 41
(R) Eisenhower 1953-61 = 24
(D) Kennedy 1961-63 = 23
(D) Johnson 1963-69 = 26
(R) Nixon 1969-74 = 7
(R) Ford 1974-77 = 16
(D) Carter 1977-81 = 15
(R) Reagan 1981-89 = 6
(R) G.H.W. Bush 1989-93 = 35
(D) Clinton 1993-2001 = 23
(R) G.W. Bush 2001-04 = 22
According to the information in the chart above, which of the following
statements is true?
(A) Republican presidents held far fewer press
conferences per year than Democratic
presidents.
(B) The most recent presidents held fewer press
conferences per year than presidents in the
1920s and 1930s.
(C) President Clinton held more press conferences per year than his
predecessor.
(D) On average, President Nixon held more press conferences per year than
✅✅
President Johnson.
(E) President Kennedy held more press conferences per year than - -B
,13. The usefulness to the president of having cabinet members as political
advisers is undermined by the fact that
(A) the president has little latitude in choosing cabinet members
(B) cabinet members have no political support independent of the president
(C) cabinet members are usually drawn from Congress and retain loyalties to
Congress
(D) the loyalties of cabinet members are often divided between loyalty to the
president and loyalty to their own executive departments
✅✅
(E) the cabinet operates as a collective unit and individual members have no
access to the president - -D
A major difference between political parties and interest groups is that interest
groups generally do NOT
(A) suggest new legislation that is supportive of their interests
(B) try to influence the outcome of legislation
(C) occupy a place on the ballot
✅✅
(D) concern themselves with elections
(E) have a national organization - -C
A theoretical explanation of the operation of diverse interests in American
politics is found in
(A) the Virginia Plan
(B) John Stuart Mill's On Liberty
(C) The Federalist papers
✅✅
(D) the Declaration of Independence
(E) John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - -C
According to the Constitution, which of the following decides the presidential
election outcome in the event that a single candidate does not get a majority
of electoral votes?
(A) The Supreme Court
(B) The Senate
(C) The House of Representatives
✅✅
(D) Both houses of Congress
(E) The sitting president - -C
According to the United States Constitution, who has the right to create
inferior courts?
(A) The president
(B) The Supreme Court
, (C) The Congress
✅✅-C
(D) The bureaucracy
(E) The Department of Justice -
All of the following are constitutional rights that neither the federal government
nor the states can restrict EXCEPT the right to
(A) remain silent during questioning
(B) be represented by counsel
(C) be indicted by grand jury
✅✅
(D) not be tried for the same offense twice
(E) receive a trial by jury in a criminal case - -C
All of the following help to explain the president's difficulty in controlling
cabinet-level agencies EXCEPT:
(A) Agencies often have political support from interest groups.
(B) Agency staff often have information and technical expertise that the
president and presidential advisers lack.
(C) The president cannot dismiss appointees after they have been confirmed
by the Senate.
(D) Civil servants who remain in their jobs through changes of administration
✅✅
develop loyalties to their agencies.
(E) Congress is a competitor for influence over the bureaucracy - -C
All of the following issues were decided at the Constitutional Convention of
1787 EXCEPT
(A) representation in the legislature
(B) voting qualifications of the electorate
(C) the method of electing the president
✅✅
(D) congressional power to override a presidential veto
(E) qualifications for members of the House and Senate - -B
All of the following statements correctly describe judicial appointments at the
federal level EXCEPT:
(A) Congress nominates and confirms all appointments to the federal judiciary.
(B) Federal judicial appointments are typically evaluated by the American Bar
Association or the Federalist Society.
(C) If a senator is a member of the president's party, tradition may allow the
senator to exercise an informal veto over an individual being considered from
the senator's state.
