CLEP American Government Detailed Review Questions with
Complete Answers (Latest 2025/2026)
The clear-and-present-danger test devised by the Supreme Court was
designed to define the conditions under which public authorities could
__________.
A) ban obscene materials
B) suspend habeas corpus protections
C) mobilize the National Guard
D) limit free speech
E) commit troops to situations of potential foreign combat - correct answer D)
limit free speech
As originally ratified, the United States Constitution included provisions
designed to __________.
A) limit the importation of foreign manufactured goods
B) increase the economic importance of the agrarian sector relative to that of
the manufacturing sector
C) increase the economic powers of the central government
D) expand the states' powers to regulate their own commerce with foreign
countries
E) guarantee the states a greater role in economic policy-making - correct
answer C) increase the economic powers of the central government.
The main difference between elite theories and pluralist theories of politics in
the United States is that the elite theories _________; pluralist theories
__________.
,A) concentrate on the role of interest groups; emphasize the role of individuals
B) argue that a single minority dominates politics in all policy areas; argue that
many minorities compete or power in different policy areas
C) argue that social status is the major source of political power; argue that
wealth is the major source
D) emphasize the multiple access points that interest groups have to public
officials; stress the limits in the number of effectiveness of such access points
E) view government as efficient; view it as slow and wasteful - correct
answer B) argue that a single minority dominates politics in all policy areas;
argue that may minorities complete for power in different policy areas
A committee chair in the House of Representatives is always __________.
A) the member with the longest service on the committee
B) the member with the longest service in the House
C) a representative of the Speaker
D) a member of the majority party in the chamber
E) a trusted ally of the President - correct answer E) a trusted ally of the
President
It is true that independent regulatory agencies __________.
A) tend to have larger budgets than cabinet departments
B) are directly supervised by cabinet departments
C) provide a product or service directly to the public
D) are insulated from contact with interest groups
,E) tend to be freer from presidential control than are cabinet departments -
correct answer E) tend to be freer from presidential control than are cabinet
departments
Which of the following are differences between the legislative process in the
House of Representatives and that in the Senate?
I. Debate is more restricted on the House floor than on the Senate floor.
II. The amendment process is more restricted in the House than in the
Senate.
III. Bills are more likely to bypass committee consideration in the House than
in the Senate.
IV. A Rules Committee sets the guidelines for floor debate in the House but
not in the Senate.
A) III only
B) I, II
C) II, IV
D) I, II, IV
E) I, II, III, IV - correct answer D) I, II, IV
Communication between congressional representatives and constituents
occurs mainly through __________.
A) committee hearings
B) the media
C) the personal staffs of representatives
D) the federal bureaucracy
E) staff members of congressional committees - correct answer C) the
personal staffs of representatives
, The Supreme Court's decision about abortion in Roe v. Wade was based on
__________.
A) the right to privacy implied in the Bill of Rights
B) guarantees of freedom of religion contained in the First Amendment
C) the due process clause in the Fifth Amendment
D) the equal protection clause in the Fourteenth Amendment
E) a federal statute legalizing abortion - correct answer A) the right to privacy
implied in the Bill of Rights
Which of the following trends was evident in presidential elections in the
1980's?
A) The decline of Republican party strength among Black northerners.
B) The decline of Democratic party strength among White southerners.
C) The gradual decline of Democratic party strength among suburban voters
D) A Democratic majority in partisan self-identification
E) A gender gap, with women's support of Republicans sharply declining -
correct answer B) The decline of Democratic party strength among White
southerners
Which of the following statements about incumbent senators running for re-
election is correct?
A) The senators with the best chances of re-election are those who have
served the longest.
B) The amount of money spent by a challenger has little bearing on an
incumbent's re-election chances.
Complete Answers (Latest 2025/2026)
The clear-and-present-danger test devised by the Supreme Court was
designed to define the conditions under which public authorities could
__________.
A) ban obscene materials
B) suspend habeas corpus protections
C) mobilize the National Guard
D) limit free speech
E) commit troops to situations of potential foreign combat - correct answer D)
limit free speech
As originally ratified, the United States Constitution included provisions
designed to __________.
A) limit the importation of foreign manufactured goods
B) increase the economic importance of the agrarian sector relative to that of
the manufacturing sector
C) increase the economic powers of the central government
D) expand the states' powers to regulate their own commerce with foreign
countries
E) guarantee the states a greater role in economic policy-making - correct
answer C) increase the economic powers of the central government.
The main difference between elite theories and pluralist theories of politics in
the United States is that the elite theories _________; pluralist theories
__________.
,A) concentrate on the role of interest groups; emphasize the role of individuals
B) argue that a single minority dominates politics in all policy areas; argue that
many minorities compete or power in different policy areas
C) argue that social status is the major source of political power; argue that
wealth is the major source
D) emphasize the multiple access points that interest groups have to public
officials; stress the limits in the number of effectiveness of such access points
E) view government as efficient; view it as slow and wasteful - correct
answer B) argue that a single minority dominates politics in all policy areas;
argue that may minorities complete for power in different policy areas
A committee chair in the House of Representatives is always __________.
A) the member with the longest service on the committee
B) the member with the longest service in the House
C) a representative of the Speaker
D) a member of the majority party in the chamber
E) a trusted ally of the President - correct answer E) a trusted ally of the
President
It is true that independent regulatory agencies __________.
A) tend to have larger budgets than cabinet departments
B) are directly supervised by cabinet departments
C) provide a product or service directly to the public
D) are insulated from contact with interest groups
,E) tend to be freer from presidential control than are cabinet departments -
correct answer E) tend to be freer from presidential control than are cabinet
departments
Which of the following are differences between the legislative process in the
House of Representatives and that in the Senate?
I. Debate is more restricted on the House floor than on the Senate floor.
II. The amendment process is more restricted in the House than in the
Senate.
III. Bills are more likely to bypass committee consideration in the House than
in the Senate.
IV. A Rules Committee sets the guidelines for floor debate in the House but
not in the Senate.
A) III only
B) I, II
C) II, IV
D) I, II, IV
E) I, II, III, IV - correct answer D) I, II, IV
Communication between congressional representatives and constituents
occurs mainly through __________.
A) committee hearings
B) the media
C) the personal staffs of representatives
D) the federal bureaucracy
E) staff members of congressional committees - correct answer C) the
personal staffs of representatives
, The Supreme Court's decision about abortion in Roe v. Wade was based on
__________.
A) the right to privacy implied in the Bill of Rights
B) guarantees of freedom of religion contained in the First Amendment
C) the due process clause in the Fifth Amendment
D) the equal protection clause in the Fourteenth Amendment
E) a federal statute legalizing abortion - correct answer A) the right to privacy
implied in the Bill of Rights
Which of the following trends was evident in presidential elections in the
1980's?
A) The decline of Republican party strength among Black northerners.
B) The decline of Democratic party strength among White southerners.
C) The gradual decline of Democratic party strength among suburban voters
D) A Democratic majority in partisan self-identification
E) A gender gap, with women's support of Republicans sharply declining -
correct answer B) The decline of Democratic party strength among White
southerners
Which of the following statements about incumbent senators running for re-
election is correct?
A) The senators with the best chances of re-election are those who have
served the longest.
B) The amount of money spent by a challenger has little bearing on an
incumbent's re-election chances.
