Use these CLEP American Government sample questions to review constitutional principles, federal institutions, civil liberties and civil rights, political parties and interest groups, elections, public opinion, and political behavior. The set also includes a simple data-interpretation question.
Topics Covered
- Constitutional compromises and federalism
- Enumerated and implied powers
- Checks and balances
- Congress, the presidency, and the federal courts
- Judicial review
- Civil liberties and incorporation
- Civil rights and equal protection
- Interest groups and grassroots lobbying
- Presidential elections
- Public opinion and polling
- Political data interpretation
Sample Questions
- A. The president would be elected directly by a national popular vote.
- B. House representation would be based on population, while each state would have equal representation in the Senate.
- C. Federal judges would be elected for fixed terms.
- D. State governments would control interstate commerce.
- E. Congress would consist of only one legislative chamber.
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The Great Compromise created a bicameral Congress.
Representation in the House is based on population, while every state has two senators. The arrangement balanced the interests of more populous and less populous states.
- A. The full faith and credit clause
- B. The establishment clause
- C. The necessary and proper clause
- D. The privileges and immunities clause
- E. The ex post facto clause
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The necessary and proper clause authorizes Congress to make laws needed to carry out the powers granted to the federal government.
It is the constitutional basis for many implied powers of Congress.
- A. A simple majority in the House only
- B. A simple majority in both houses
- C. Three-fifths of the Senate
- D. Two-thirds of both the House and the Senate
- E. Three-fourths of the state legislatures
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A presidential veto can be overridden only when two-thirds of the members voting in each chamber support the bill.
This requirement is an example of checks and balances between the legislative and executive branches.
- A. Marbury v. Madison
- B. McCulloch v. Maryland
- C. Brown v. Board of Education
- D. Gideon v. Wainwright
- E. United States v. Nixon
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In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court asserted its authority to determine whether federal laws conflict with the Constitution.
That authority is known as judicial review.
- A. The commerce clause
- B. The supremacy clause
- C. The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
- D. The Tenth Amendment
- E. The guarantee clause
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Through selective incorporation, the Supreme Court has applied most Bill of Rights protections to the states.
The Court has generally done so through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
- A. Congress may regulate all local education decisions.
- B. State-mandated racial segregation in public schools violates the Equal Protection Clause.
- C. School prayer is required when approved by a local majority.
- D. The federal government must provide identical funding to every school district.
- E. Private schools are prohibited by the Fourteenth Amendment.
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The Court held that state-required racial segregation in public schools denied students equal protection of the laws.
The decision rejected the idea that legally segregated public schools could be genuinely equal.
- A. A federal court invalidates a law.
- B. A president negotiates with a foreign leader.
- C. A regulatory agency writes a technical rule.
- D. An interest group encourages its members to contact legislators about a bill.
- E. A congressional committee issues a subpoena.
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Grassroots lobbying attempts to influence public policy by mobilizing ordinary supporters or constituents.
Encouraging members to call, write, or meet with legislators is a standard example.
- A. The Supreme Court selects the president.
- B. The Senate selects both the president and vice president.
- C. A new national popular election is held.
- D. The incumbent president remains in office for another term.
- E. The House chooses the president from the leading candidates, with each state delegation casting one vote.
Show Answer
Under the Twelfth Amendment, the House conducts a contingent election if no candidate wins an electoral-vote majority.
The House chooses from the three leading presidential candidates, and each state delegation casts one vote.
| Party Identification | Support Policy | Oppose Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 72% | 28% |
| Independent | 54% | 46% |
| Republican | 28% | 72% |
- A. Party identification is the only factor that can affect opinions about the policy.
- B. Support for the policy differs substantially among the three party-identification groups.
- C. Every Democrat supports the policy, and every Republican opposes it.
- D. The policy caused respondents to choose their party identification.
- E. Independent voters are evenly divided on every political issue.
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The table shows a large difference between Democratic and Republican respondents, with independents falling between them.
The data demonstrate an association in this survey, but they do not establish that party identification is the only influence or that one variable caused the other.
- A. Select eligible voters through a probability-based random sample.
- B. Post a voluntary poll on a political campaign’s website.
- C. Interview only people attending one party’s convention.
- D. Survey the first 500 callers to a radio program.
- E. Ask legislators to predict what voters believe.
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A probability-based random sample gives members of the target population a known chance of selection and reduces selection bias.
Voluntary-response polls and samples drawn from politically active or self-selected groups are less likely to represent the full electorate.
How to Use These Questions
For institutional and constitutional questions, identify the relevant branch, amendment, clause, or governmental process before evaluating the choices. Distinguish formal constitutional powers from informal political influence.
For public-opinion and data questions, describe only what the evidence supports. An observed relationship between two variables does not by itself prove that one caused the other.
These practice questions are not official CLEP questions and are not endorsed by the College Board.
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