American Government CLEP Ex n n n
am Latest Version 2025| 300 Que
n n n n n
stions and Verified Answers 100
n n n n
% Verified Answersn n
AccordingntonthenConstitution,nCongressnmaynnot
(A) Disciplinenitself
(B) Grant ntitlesnofnnobility
(C) Regulateninterstate ncommerce
(D) Declarenwar
(E) Govern nWashington,nD.C.nCORRECTnANSWER:n(B)nGrant ntitlesnofnnobility
Which nofnthenfollowingnbest ndescribesnthenrelationshipnbetween nthenmedianandncitizens?
(A) Most nmedianarenindependentnandnunbiased,nallowingncitizensntonformntheir nown
nopinions.
(B) Thenmedianarenregulatednbynthengovernment ntonensurenthat nconsumersnreceive
nfactually naccurate ninformation.
(C) Thenmedianhavengreaterninfluencenin nshapingnthenpolitical nideologynofncitizensnthan
nanynother nfactor ndoes.
(D) Citizensnhavenlittlenchoicenabout nhowntonconsumenmedianbecausenofnthenconsolidation
nofnmedianownership.
(E) Citizensntendntonseeknout nmedianthat nreinforcenrathernthannchallengenexistingnid
eological nviews.nCORRECTnANSWER:n(E)nCitizensntendntonseeknout nmedianthat nr
einforcenrather nthan nchallengenexistingnideological nviews.
ThenSupremenCourt'sndecisionninnArizonanv.nUnitednStatesn(2012),nwhichnheldnthat nCongr
ess,nnot nthenstates,nhasnthensolenauthorityntonregulatenimmigration,nbest nillustratesnwhich n
ofnthenfollowingnfeaturesnofnthenConstitution?
(A) Federalism
(B) Republicanism
(C) Popular nsovereigntyn(D)nChecksnandnbalancesn(E)nSeparation nofnpowersnCORRECT
nANSWER:n(A)nFederalism
When njudicialnnomineesncomenbeforenthenSenatenJudiciarynCommitteentontestify,nthenSena
tenisnfulfillingnwhich nofnitsnroles?
(A) Oversight
(B) Advicenandnconsent
(C)nAppropriations
(D)nJudicial nreview
(E)nRatification nCORRECTnANSWER:n(B)nAdvicenandnconsent
,ThenSupremenCourt ndecision nin nMcDonaldnv.nCitynofnChicagon(2010),nwhich nupheldnthe
nSecondnAmendment nright nto nkeepnandnbear narmsnfornself-
defense,nbest nexemplifiesnthendoctrinenof
(A)nfreedom nofnassociation n(B)nprivilegesnandnimmunitiesn(C)nequalnprotection
(D)nselectivenincorporationn(E)nselectivenexclusivenessnCORRECTnANSWER:n(D)
nselective nincorporation
Which nofnthenfollowingnbestndescribesnthenimpact nthat npublicnpolicynissuesnhavenon ncampa
ignsnandnelectionsnin nthenUnitednStates?
(A) Candidatesnrunningnfornofficenrarelyntakenpolicynpositionsnon nissuesnthat nmatterntonthe
ngeneral npublic.
(B) Candidatesnwith nsophisticatednpolicynpositionsnhistoricallynwinnmorenelectionsnthan
ntheir nopposition.
(C) Duringncampaign nseason,nthenmedianprovidenthenpublicnwith nandetailednandnthorough
neducation non neach ncandidate's npolicy nplatform.
(D) Ancandidate'snabilityntonrelatentonvotersnhasnangreaternimpact non nthencandidate's
nsuccess nthan ndoesncommandnofnpolicy nissues.
(E) Candidatesnarenrequiredntonhavenpublicndebatesnonnpolicynissuesnduringnthengeneral
nelection ncycle nofntheir npolitical ncampaigns.nCORRECTnANSWER:n(D)nA ncandidate's
nability nto nrelate nto nvotersnhasnangreaternimpact non nthe ncandidate's nsuccessnthan ndoesnco
mmandnofnpolicynissues.
Which nofnthenfollowingnisnanconsequencenofnthenincreaseninnthennumbernofnpolitical naction n
committeesn(PACs)n?
(A) Challengersnarenwinningnmorenelectionsnthan nincumbents.
(B) Morencitizensnarenturningnout ntonvotenin nmid-term nelections.
(C) Therenisnmorencooperation nandnbipartisanshipnin nCongress.
(D) Therenhasnbeen nan nexpansion nofncorporateninfluencenin nelections.
(E) Thennumber nofnregisterednindependentsnhasnincreased.nCORRECTnANSWER:n(D)
nThere nhasnbeen nan nexpansion nofncorporate ninfluence nin nelections.
DuringnthenCivilnRightsnera,nwhennthenNationalnAssociation nfornthenAdvancementnof
ColorednPeoplen(NAACP)nwasnunsuccessfulnat ntraditionalnlobbyingntechniques,nthey
turnedntonwhich nofnthenfollowingnstrategiesntoninfluencenpublicnpolicy?
(A) Litigation nin nthenfederal ncourts
(B) Massnmailingncampaigns
(C) Providingninformation ntonlawmakersnon nthenbenefitsnofntheir nproposals
(D) Entertainingnlawmakersnwith nexpensive nfoodnandndrink
(E) Givingncampaign ncontributionsntonmembersnofnCongressnCORRECTnANSWER:n(A)
nLitigation nin nthe nfederal ncourts
Allnofnthenfollowingnhelpntonexplain nthenpresident'sndifficultynin ncontrollingncabinet-
level nagenciesnEXCEPT:
(A) Agenciesnoften nhavenpolitical nsupport nfrom ninterest ngroups.
(B) Agencynstaffnoften nhaveninformation nandntechnical nexpertisenthatnthenpresidentnand
npresidential nadvisers nlack.
,(C) Thenpresident ncannot ndismissnappointeesnafterntheynhavenbeennconfirmednbynthe
nSenate.
(D) Civil nservantsnwhonremain ninntheir njobsnthroughnchangesnofnadministrationndevelop
nloyalties nto ntheir nagencies.
(E) Congressnisnancompetitornforninfluencenover nthenbureaucracynCORRECTnANSWER:
C
In nthenConstitutionnasnoriginallynratifiedninn1788,nthenprovisionsnregardingnwhich nofnthenfo
llowingnmost ncloselynapproximatenpopular,nmajoritarian ndemocracy?
(A) Election nofnmembersnofnthenHousenofnRepresentatives
(B) Election nofnmembersnofnthenSenate
(C) Election nofnthenpresident
(D) Ratification nofntreaties
(E) Confirmation nofnpresidential nappointmentsnCORRECTnANSWER:nA
Thenmost nlikelynandnoftennthenmostnpowerful npolicyncoalition nofninterestsnisnlikelyntoninclu
denanfederal nagencynplusnwhich nofnthenfollowing?
(A) Relatednagenciesnin nthenbureaucracynandnancongressional ncommitteenchairperson
(B) Congressnandnthenpresident
(C) An ninterest ngroupnandnthenpresident
(D) An ninterest ngroupnandnancongressional nsubcommittee
(E) An ninterest ngroupnandnthenmajoritynpartynCORRECTnANSWER:nD
Throughoutnmostnofnthentwentiethncentury,nwhich nofnthenfollowingnwasnmost nlikelyntonocc
urnin nmidterm ncongressional nelections?
(A) Thenpartynofnthenpresidentntypicallynlost nseatsnin nCongress,nregardlessnofnwhether nthe
npresident nwasnanRepublican nor nanDemocrat.
(B) ThenpartynofnthenpresidentntypicallyngainednseatsninnCongress,nregardlessnofnwhether
nthe npresident nwasnanRepublican nor nanDemocrat.
(C) ThenDemocraticnPartyngainednseatsnin nCongress,nwhereasnthenRepublican nPartynlost
nseats.
(D) ThenRepublican nPartyngainednseatsninnCongress,nwhereasnthenDemocraticnPartynlost
nseats.
(E) Voter nturnout nwasntypicallynhigher nthan nin npresidential nelections.nCORRECT
nANSWER:nA
DelegatesntonthenRepublicannandnDemocraticnnational nconventionsnarenprimarilynchosen
(A) bynlocal npartynleaders
(B) in nprimaries
(C) in nstatencaucuses
(D) bynmembersnofnCongress
(E) bynlotterynCORRECTnANSWER:nB
TRUSTnINnTHEnFEDERALnGOVERNMENTnVERSUSnYOURnOWNnSTATEnGOVERNME
NTnTOnDOnAnBETTERnJOB nRUNNING nTHINGS
TOTAL:nStaten=n63,nFederal n=n25nLIBERA
L:nStaten=n49,nFederal n=n37
, DEMOCRATS:nStaten=n48,nFederal n=n36nREPUBLIC
ANS:nStaten=n70,nFederal n=n17nCONSERVATIVES:nSt
aten=n71,nFederal n=n16nADULTS:nStaten=n72,nFederal n
=n21
Thenchart nabovensupportsnwhich nofnthenfollowingnstat
ements?
I. Both nRepublicansnandnDemocratsnhavenmore
ntrust nin nthe nfederal ngovernment nto ndo na
better njobnthan nstatengovernments.
II. Most ngroupsntrust ntheirnownnstate
ngovernments nmore nthannthe nfederal
ngovernment.
III. Democratsntrust nthenfederal ngovernment
nmore nthan nRepublicans.
IV. Liberalsnbelievenin nbigngovernment.
(A) Inonly
(B) IIInonly
(C)nIInandnIIInonly
(D)nIInandnIVnonly
(E)nI,nII,nIII,nandnIVnCORRECTnANSWER:nC
Which nofnthenfollowingnpolitical nphilosophersnmost ninfluencednthenwritingnofnthenUnitedn
StatesnConstitution?
(A) Plato
(B) Machiavelli
(C) Locke
(D) Rousseau
(E) MarxnCORRECTnANSWER:nC
Thenconcept nofnresponsiblenpartyngovernment nemphasizesnwhich nofnthenfollowingnabout nel
ections?
(A) Political npartiesnwill ntakenpositionsnsimilar ntoneach nother.
(B) Political npartiesnwill ntakenclear,nunambiguousnpositions.
(C) Votersnwillndecidenhowntonvotenon nthenbasisnofnhownwell nthenincumbent npartynsatisfied
nthem.
(D) Votersnwill nvotenmostlynaccordingntonpast nidentification.
(E) Special ninterest ngroupsnprovidenplatformsnandnpolicynpositionsntonpolitical nparties
nandntheir ncandidates.nCORRECTnANSWER:nB
Which nofnthenfollowingnisnandifferencenbetween nthenHousenofnRepresentativesnandnthenSen
ate?
(A) Senioritynisnmorenimportant nin nthenSenatenthan nin nthenHouse.
(B) Leadershipnisnmorencentralizednin nthenSenatenthan nin nthenHouse.
(C) ThenSenatenhasnthenexclusive npower ntonratifyntreaties.
(D) ThenSenatenhasnmorencommitteesnthan ndoesnthenHouse.
(E) ThenSenatenmaynvetonlawsnpassednbynthenHouse,nbutnthenHousenmaynnot nveto
nsenatorial nlegislation.nCORRECTnANSWER:nC
am Latest Version 2025| 300 Que
n n n n n
stions and Verified Answers 100
n n n n
% Verified Answersn n
AccordingntonthenConstitution,nCongressnmaynnot
(A) Disciplinenitself
(B) Grant ntitlesnofnnobility
(C) Regulateninterstate ncommerce
(D) Declarenwar
(E) Govern nWashington,nD.C.nCORRECTnANSWER:n(B)nGrant ntitlesnofnnobility
Which nofnthenfollowingnbest ndescribesnthenrelationshipnbetween nthenmedianandncitizens?
(A) Most nmedianarenindependentnandnunbiased,nallowingncitizensntonformntheir nown
nopinions.
(B) Thenmedianarenregulatednbynthengovernment ntonensurenthat nconsumersnreceive
nfactually naccurate ninformation.
(C) Thenmedianhavengreaterninfluencenin nshapingnthenpolitical nideologynofncitizensnthan
nanynother nfactor ndoes.
(D) Citizensnhavenlittlenchoicenabout nhowntonconsumenmedianbecausenofnthenconsolidation
nofnmedianownership.
(E) Citizensntendntonseeknout nmedianthat nreinforcenrathernthannchallengenexistingnid
eological nviews.nCORRECTnANSWER:n(E)nCitizensntendntonseeknout nmedianthat nr
einforcenrather nthan nchallengenexistingnideological nviews.
ThenSupremenCourt'sndecisionninnArizonanv.nUnitednStatesn(2012),nwhichnheldnthat nCongr
ess,nnot nthenstates,nhasnthensolenauthorityntonregulatenimmigration,nbest nillustratesnwhich n
ofnthenfollowingnfeaturesnofnthenConstitution?
(A) Federalism
(B) Republicanism
(C) Popular nsovereigntyn(D)nChecksnandnbalancesn(E)nSeparation nofnpowersnCORRECT
nANSWER:n(A)nFederalism
When njudicialnnomineesncomenbeforenthenSenatenJudiciarynCommitteentontestify,nthenSena
tenisnfulfillingnwhich nofnitsnroles?
(A) Oversight
(B) Advicenandnconsent
(C)nAppropriations
(D)nJudicial nreview
(E)nRatification nCORRECTnANSWER:n(B)nAdvicenandnconsent
,ThenSupremenCourt ndecision nin nMcDonaldnv.nCitynofnChicagon(2010),nwhich nupheldnthe
nSecondnAmendment nright nto nkeepnandnbear narmsnfornself-
defense,nbest nexemplifiesnthendoctrinenof
(A)nfreedom nofnassociation n(B)nprivilegesnandnimmunitiesn(C)nequalnprotection
(D)nselectivenincorporationn(E)nselectivenexclusivenessnCORRECTnANSWER:n(D)
nselective nincorporation
Which nofnthenfollowingnbestndescribesnthenimpact nthat npublicnpolicynissuesnhavenon ncampa
ignsnandnelectionsnin nthenUnitednStates?
(A) Candidatesnrunningnfornofficenrarelyntakenpolicynpositionsnon nissuesnthat nmatterntonthe
ngeneral npublic.
(B) Candidatesnwith nsophisticatednpolicynpositionsnhistoricallynwinnmorenelectionsnthan
ntheir nopposition.
(C) Duringncampaign nseason,nthenmedianprovidenthenpublicnwith nandetailednandnthorough
neducation non neach ncandidate's npolicy nplatform.
(D) Ancandidate'snabilityntonrelatentonvotersnhasnangreaternimpact non nthencandidate's
nsuccess nthan ndoesncommandnofnpolicy nissues.
(E) Candidatesnarenrequiredntonhavenpublicndebatesnonnpolicynissuesnduringnthengeneral
nelection ncycle nofntheir npolitical ncampaigns.nCORRECTnANSWER:n(D)nA ncandidate's
nability nto nrelate nto nvotersnhasnangreaternimpact non nthe ncandidate's nsuccessnthan ndoesnco
mmandnofnpolicynissues.
Which nofnthenfollowingnisnanconsequencenofnthenincreaseninnthennumbernofnpolitical naction n
committeesn(PACs)n?
(A) Challengersnarenwinningnmorenelectionsnthan nincumbents.
(B) Morencitizensnarenturningnout ntonvotenin nmid-term nelections.
(C) Therenisnmorencooperation nandnbipartisanshipnin nCongress.
(D) Therenhasnbeen nan nexpansion nofncorporateninfluencenin nelections.
(E) Thennumber nofnregisterednindependentsnhasnincreased.nCORRECTnANSWER:n(D)
nThere nhasnbeen nan nexpansion nofncorporate ninfluence nin nelections.
DuringnthenCivilnRightsnera,nwhennthenNationalnAssociation nfornthenAdvancementnof
ColorednPeoplen(NAACP)nwasnunsuccessfulnat ntraditionalnlobbyingntechniques,nthey
turnedntonwhich nofnthenfollowingnstrategiesntoninfluencenpublicnpolicy?
(A) Litigation nin nthenfederal ncourts
(B) Massnmailingncampaigns
(C) Providingninformation ntonlawmakersnon nthenbenefitsnofntheir nproposals
(D) Entertainingnlawmakersnwith nexpensive nfoodnandndrink
(E) Givingncampaign ncontributionsntonmembersnofnCongressnCORRECTnANSWER:n(A)
nLitigation nin nthe nfederal ncourts
Allnofnthenfollowingnhelpntonexplain nthenpresident'sndifficultynin ncontrollingncabinet-
level nagenciesnEXCEPT:
(A) Agenciesnoften nhavenpolitical nsupport nfrom ninterest ngroups.
(B) Agencynstaffnoften nhaveninformation nandntechnical nexpertisenthatnthenpresidentnand
npresidential nadvisers nlack.
,(C) Thenpresident ncannot ndismissnappointeesnafterntheynhavenbeennconfirmednbynthe
nSenate.
(D) Civil nservantsnwhonremain ninntheir njobsnthroughnchangesnofnadministrationndevelop
nloyalties nto ntheir nagencies.
(E) Congressnisnancompetitornforninfluencenover nthenbureaucracynCORRECTnANSWER:
C
In nthenConstitutionnasnoriginallynratifiedninn1788,nthenprovisionsnregardingnwhich nofnthenfo
llowingnmost ncloselynapproximatenpopular,nmajoritarian ndemocracy?
(A) Election nofnmembersnofnthenHousenofnRepresentatives
(B) Election nofnmembersnofnthenSenate
(C) Election nofnthenpresident
(D) Ratification nofntreaties
(E) Confirmation nofnpresidential nappointmentsnCORRECTnANSWER:nA
Thenmost nlikelynandnoftennthenmostnpowerful npolicyncoalition nofninterestsnisnlikelyntoninclu
denanfederal nagencynplusnwhich nofnthenfollowing?
(A) Relatednagenciesnin nthenbureaucracynandnancongressional ncommitteenchairperson
(B) Congressnandnthenpresident
(C) An ninterest ngroupnandnthenpresident
(D) An ninterest ngroupnandnancongressional nsubcommittee
(E) An ninterest ngroupnandnthenmajoritynpartynCORRECTnANSWER:nD
Throughoutnmostnofnthentwentiethncentury,nwhich nofnthenfollowingnwasnmost nlikelyntonocc
urnin nmidterm ncongressional nelections?
(A) Thenpartynofnthenpresidentntypicallynlost nseatsnin nCongress,nregardlessnofnwhether nthe
npresident nwasnanRepublican nor nanDemocrat.
(B) ThenpartynofnthenpresidentntypicallyngainednseatsninnCongress,nregardlessnofnwhether
nthe npresident nwasnanRepublican nor nanDemocrat.
(C) ThenDemocraticnPartyngainednseatsnin nCongress,nwhereasnthenRepublican nPartynlost
nseats.
(D) ThenRepublican nPartyngainednseatsninnCongress,nwhereasnthenDemocraticnPartynlost
nseats.
(E) Voter nturnout nwasntypicallynhigher nthan nin npresidential nelections.nCORRECT
nANSWER:nA
DelegatesntonthenRepublicannandnDemocraticnnational nconventionsnarenprimarilynchosen
(A) bynlocal npartynleaders
(B) in nprimaries
(C) in nstatencaucuses
(D) bynmembersnofnCongress
(E) bynlotterynCORRECTnANSWER:nB
TRUSTnINnTHEnFEDERALnGOVERNMENTnVERSUSnYOURnOWNnSTATEnGOVERNME
NTnTOnDOnAnBETTERnJOB nRUNNING nTHINGS
TOTAL:nStaten=n63,nFederal n=n25nLIBERA
L:nStaten=n49,nFederal n=n37
, DEMOCRATS:nStaten=n48,nFederal n=n36nREPUBLIC
ANS:nStaten=n70,nFederal n=n17nCONSERVATIVES:nSt
aten=n71,nFederal n=n16nADULTS:nStaten=n72,nFederal n
=n21
Thenchart nabovensupportsnwhich nofnthenfollowingnstat
ements?
I. Both nRepublicansnandnDemocratsnhavenmore
ntrust nin nthe nfederal ngovernment nto ndo na
better njobnthan nstatengovernments.
II. Most ngroupsntrust ntheirnownnstate
ngovernments nmore nthannthe nfederal
ngovernment.
III. Democratsntrust nthenfederal ngovernment
nmore nthan nRepublicans.
IV. Liberalsnbelievenin nbigngovernment.
(A) Inonly
(B) IIInonly
(C)nIInandnIIInonly
(D)nIInandnIVnonly
(E)nI,nII,nIII,nandnIVnCORRECTnANSWER:nC
Which nofnthenfollowingnpolitical nphilosophersnmost ninfluencednthenwritingnofnthenUnitedn
StatesnConstitution?
(A) Plato
(B) Machiavelli
(C) Locke
(D) Rousseau
(E) MarxnCORRECTnANSWER:nC
Thenconcept nofnresponsiblenpartyngovernment nemphasizesnwhich nofnthenfollowingnabout nel
ections?
(A) Political npartiesnwill ntakenpositionsnsimilar ntoneach nother.
(B) Political npartiesnwill ntakenclear,nunambiguousnpositions.
(C) Votersnwillndecidenhowntonvotenon nthenbasisnofnhownwell nthenincumbent npartynsatisfied
nthem.
(D) Votersnwill nvotenmostlynaccordingntonpast nidentification.
(E) Special ninterest ngroupsnprovidenplatformsnandnpolicynpositionsntonpolitical nparties
nandntheir ncandidates.nCORRECTnANSWER:nB
Which nofnthenfollowingnisnandifferencenbetween nthenHousenofnRepresentativesnandnthenSen
ate?
(A) Senioritynisnmorenimportant nin nthenSenatenthan nin nthenHouse.
(B) Leadershipnisnmorencentralizednin nthenSenatenthan nin nthenHouse.
(C) ThenSenatenhasnthenexclusive npower ntonratifyntreaties.
(D) ThenSenatenhasnmorencommitteesnthan ndoesnthenHouse.
(E) ThenSenatenmaynvetonlawsnpassednbynthenHouse,nbutnthenHousenmaynnot nveto
nsenatorial nlegislation.nCORRECTnANSWER:nC
