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AP US Government and Politics Easy practice

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Question 1

The Senate filibuster — the practice of extended debate that prevents a bill from coming to a vote unless 60 senators agree to invoke cloture — is best understood as an example of which concept?

A.A constitutional requirement that major legislation pass by supermajorityB.An internal Senate rule that empowers the minority to block legislation unless a supermajority chooses to proceedC.A presidential power to delay Senate action on legislation the White House opposesD.A House rule requiring committee approval before any floor vote on major legislation

Question 2

A pollster conducts a telephone survey of 800 randomly selected likely voters and finds that 52% support a ballot measure, with a margin of error of ±3 points at a 95% confidence level. What does this mean?

A.There is a 3% chance that the true population support differs from 52%B.The pollster is 95% confident that the true level of voter support falls between 49% and 55%C.If the same poll were repeated 100 times, at least 95 times the result would be exactly 52%D.The ballot measure will pass with 52% of the final vote within ±3 points because the sample was random

Question 3

The president nominates a candidate for the Supreme Court. Under the Constitution, what must happen before the nominee can take their seat?

A.Both chambers of Congress must approve the nominee by a two-thirds supermajorityB.The Senate must confirm the nominee by a majority voteC.The nominee must be approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee by at least a three-vote marginD.The nominee must pass a public referendum in the state from which they come from

Question 4

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 was passed over President Nixon's veto primarily to:

A.Prohibit the United States from entering any military alliances without Senate approvalB.Reassert congressional authority over the commitment of U.S. forces abroad by requiring presidential notification and limiting deployments to 60 days without congressional authorizationC.Give Congress the power to declare war by simple majority rather than the two-thirds supermajority previously requiredD.Transfer command of the National Guard from state governors to the president during wartime

Question 5

The media's agenda-setting function, as described by political scientists, refers to which phenomenon?

A.The media's ability to directly cause voters to change their party identification through sustained propagandaB.The media's power to influence which issues the public considers important by choosing which stories to cover prominentlyC.Political parties using media contacts to set the congressional legislative calendarD.Reporters developing editorial agendas that must be disclosed to readers under federal transparency law

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Question 6

The Constitution's impeachment process requires the House to impeach (bring charges) and the Senate to try and convict. For a president to be removed from office, the Senate must convict by:

A.A simple majority of senators present and votingB.A two-thirds supermajority of senators presentC.A unanimous vote, since removal of a president is a political act requiring national consensusD.Three-fourths of all senators, the same threshold used for constitutional amendments

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of Congress exercising its oversight function over the executive branch?

A.Congress passes a bill setting the federal minimum wageB.The Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings to question the FBI director about an ongoing investigationC.The Supreme Court strikes down a federal agency regulation as exceeding statutory authorityD.The president issues an executive order directing all federal agencies to adopt new cybersecurity standards

Question 8

The Articles of Confederation differed from the Constitution most significantly in that the Articles:

A.Created a bicameral legislature with representation based on state populationB.Gave Congress no power to levy taxes directly on citizens or regulate interstate commerceC.Established a strong executive branch with a separately elected presidentD.Provided for federal courts to resolve disputes between states

Question 9

A senator argues: 'The president cannot simply impound (refuse to spend) funds Congress has appropriated. Once we pass an appropriations bill, the executive must spend the money as directed.' This argument relies on which constitutional principle?

A.The president's duty to faithfully execute laws includes spending appropriated funds as Congress directsB.The Supremacy Clause requires the executive to follow all statutes regardless of the president's policy preferencesC.The War Powers Resolution prohibits the president from redirecting military appropriations without congressional approvalD.Article I gives Congress sole power to regulate the currency, which includes controlling how federal dollars are spent

Question 10

The concept of judicial review — the power of courts to invalidate laws that violate the Constitution — was established by the Supreme Court in which landmark case?

A.McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), which upheld the constitutionality of the national bankB.Marbury v. Madison (1803), in which Chief Justice Marshall declared a section of the Judiciary Act unconstitutionalC.Fletcher v. Peck (1810), which was the first case invalidating a state law under the ConstitutionD.Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), which broadly interpreted the commerce clause

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Question 11

In Schenck v. United States (1919), the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of an anti-war pamphlet distributor under the Espionage Act. The Court's ruling introduced which famous legal standard?

A.The strict scrutiny test, which requires the government to prove a compelling interest before restricting speechB.The clear and present danger test, asking whether speech creates a risk of immediate serious harm that Congress has authority to preventC.The imminent lawless action standard, which requires proof that violence will result within moments of the speechD.The prior restraint doctrine, which prohibits government censorship of publications before they are distributed

Question 12

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) is significant in campaign finance law primarily because the Supreme Court held that:

A.Corporations and unions have the same First Amendment rights as natural persons and may spend unlimited amounts in independent political expendituresB.Political campaigns are required to disclose all donors, including those who give less than $200C.Individual donors may give unlimited amounts directly to campaigns provided the money is used only for advertisingD.The Federal Election Commission was abolished and replaced with a new nonpartisan campaign finance board

Question 13

The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution (Article VI) establishes that:

A.The Supreme Court has final authority over all questions of law, including decisions by state courtsB.The Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are the supreme law of the land, binding on state judges even if state law says otherwiseC.Federal executive orders automatically supersede all state statutes in any area where the president has actedD.States may not pass any law that touches on a subject Congress has the power to regulate, even if Congress has not acted

Question 14

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibits government from establishing religion. In Engel v. Vitale (1962), the Supreme Court applied this clause to rule that:

A.Public school students may not pray individually or in groups on school property during non-instructional timeB.Government-composed and school-sponsored prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause even if participation is voluntaryC.Religious instruction may take place in public schools during the school day as long as no student is compelled to participateD.Public schools must teach all major world religions equally to avoid favoring any single faith

Question 15

In Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), the Supreme Court ruled that students wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War was protected symbolic speech. The key principle established was that:

A.Students are adults for First Amendment purposes and have identical rights to adults outside of schoolB.Students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate, but schools may restrict speech that substantially disrupts school operationsC.Schools may only restrict student speech that is directly related to academic subjects being taught at the timeD.Symbolic speech receives no First Amendment protection in public schools because schools have a duty to maintain order

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