AP Gov Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. A presidential candidate wins more votes nationwide but loses the election. Which feature of the electoral system makes this outcome possible?
The House chooses every president by a simple majority vote
The Senate assigns electoral votes after the popular vote
Electoral votes are awarded through state-based contests rather than one national popular-vote total
The Supreme Court normally reallocates votes among close states
2. A polling organization wants its sample to reflect the voting-age population more accurately. Which change would most directly improve representativeness?
Survey only people who volunteer through the organization's website
Increase the number of questions while keeping a convenience sample
Use a probability-based random sample of the relevant population
Report only responses from people who follow political news daily
3. Congress funds a clean-water program, federal agencies set broad standards, and state governments administer the program. Which concept best describes this arrangement?
Dual federalism
Cooperative federalism
Judicial federalism
Unitary government
4. A federal court declares that a statute conflicts with the Constitution and refuses to enforce it. Which power is the court exercising?
Senatorial courtesy
Judicial review
Legislative oversight
Executive privilege
5. Congress directs an agency to protect workplace safety but leaves the agency to determine detailed exposure limits and inspection rules. This most clearly illustrates which bureaucratic feature?
Patronage
Legislative reapportionment
Executive immunity
Administrative discretion
6. A public school requires every student to participate in a teacher-led prayer at the start of class. Which constitutional protection is most directly implicated?
The Due Process Clause
The Free Exercise Clause
The Equal Protection Clause
The Establishment Clause
7. Inflation remains elevated, so the Federal Reserve raises its target interest rate to reduce borrowing and spending. This is an example of what kind of policy?
Expansionary fiscal policy
Contractionary fiscal policy
Contractionary monetary policy
Supply-side regulatory policy
8. Under the Constitution, where must a bill for raising revenue formally originate?
The House of Representatives
The Senate
The Department of the Treasury
A conference committee
9. An interest group offers members discounted insurance and reduced admission to professional conferences. These benefits primarily help the group address collective-action problems through what mechanism?
Policy feedback
Selective material incentives
Party realignment
Mandatory voting
10. A minority of senators prolongs debate to delay a vote on a bill. Which procedure can the Senate use to end that debate?
Cloture
Discharge petition
Line-item veto
Unanimous judicial review
11. Which concern was most closely associated with Anti-Federalist opposition to ratifying the U.S. Constitution?
The proposed national government could endanger state authority and individual liberty.
The proposed national government lacked enough power to regulate interstate commerce.
The Constitution created state governments that were too independent of voters.
The Constitution made the House of Representatives more powerful than every other branch.
12. The president vetoes a bill that passed both chambers of Congress. What constitutional action can Congress take to enact it without presidential approval?
Override the veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber
Pass it again with a simple majority in the House alone
Ask the Supreme Court to certify the bill
Send it to the states for approval by three-fourths of their legislatures
13. A state law prohibits political messages supporting one particular viewpoint while permitting opposing messages on the same subject. Which standard would a court generally use to review this content-based speech restriction?
Rational basis review
The clear error standard
The political question doctrine
Strict scrutiny
14. A defendant argues that a state violated a protection found in the Bill of Rights. Which constitutional doctrine has made many such protections applicable to state governments?
Popular sovereignty
Selective incorporation through the Fourteenth Amendment
Executive preemption
The political question doctrine
15. A citizen sues over a government policy but cannot show that the policy caused them a concrete, particularized injury. Which requirement is the court most likely to find unmet?
Cloture
Selective incorporation
Executive privilege
Standing
16. During redistricting, a party concentrates many opposition voters into a small number of districts so those voters win fewer districts overall. Which tactic is being used?
Logrolling
Cloture
Packing
Front-loading