AP U.S. Government & Politics Practice Exam
Section I (Multiple-Choice Questions)
Time—45 minutes
60 Questions

Directions: There are five possible answer choices for each question or incomplete statement. Choose the one answer choice that best answers the question or completes the statement. I'll post the answers at the end


1. Until the Constitution was ratified, the document that established and defined the government of the United States was the
A. Declaration of Independence
B. Bill of Rights
C. Mayflower Compact
D. Articles of Confederation
E. Treaty of Friendship and Unity

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true of the Supreme Court’s decision in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?
A. It held that state governments could pass a law negating a federal law within their boundaries if they believed the federal law was unconstitutional.
B. It confirmed the supremacy of the federal government over state governments.
C. It determined that states could not levy taxes on federal government operations.
D. It interpreted the “necessary and proper” powers clause of the Constitution to mean that the federal government has implied powers not specifically stated in the Constitution.
E. It upheld the constitutionality of the national bank established by the federal government.

3. Which of the following is a clause of the Constitution that gives the federal government broad powers in many policy areas?
A. Interstate Commerce Clause
B. Tenth Amendment
C. Free-Exercise Clause
D. Establishment Clause
E. Fiscal Federalism Clause

4. While the practice of separate schools for black and white students was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), segregation in restaurants, stores, hotels, and other public accommodations remained legal until
A. the Supreme Court’s decision in Loving v. Virginia (1967)
B. the ratification of the Twenty-Fourth Amendment (1964)
C. the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
D. state legislatures eventually changed the laws permitting segregation
E. President Lyndon Johnson issued an executive order ending all segregation by race

5. Which is a reason the power of the two major parties is in decline in the United States?
A. The number of people voting for third parties has risen sharply.
B. In most states, parties no longer select the candidates for the general election.
C. Parties no longer have state and local organizations.
D. Parties no longer conduct get-out-the-vote drives.
E. Candidates now raise most of their campaign funds themselves and do not heavily rely on funds from their party.

6. The Supreme Court’s power of judicial review was established by
A. the Bill of Rights
B. the Constitution
C. the Court’s decision in Griswold v. Connecticut
D. the Court’s decision in Marbury v. Madison
E. the Court’s decision in Gibbons v. Ogden

7. Which one of the following groups is MOST likely to participate in an election?
A. African Americans
B. people with college degrees
C. Hispanic voters
D. people under age 35
E. people in households with below-average income

8. A filibuster occurs when
A. a majority of either the House of Representatives or the Senate support a bill but cannot get the two-thirds majority needed for cloture to end debate and vote
B. the Senate and House cannot agree on final language for legislation both houses have passed in different versions, and debate continues endlessly
C. the president announces he will veto a bill, but a group of senators keep the bill alive by continuing to debate it
D. a senator or small group of senators want to draw public attention to bill so it will gain support and pass
E. a majority the Senate supports a bill, but the majority is not large enough to produce the 60 votes needed to end debate on the bill in the Senate

9. Which of the following actions of the president has no basis in the Constitution?
A. issuing executive orders
B. serving as leader of his political party
C. stationing U.S. troops at bases abroad
D. negotiating free trade agreements with other countries
E. proposing legislation to Congress

11. Which of the following is an independent federal regulatory agency?
A. U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
B. FBI
C. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
D. Department of Veterans Affairs
E. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

12. Which of the following outcomes are NOT possible in the Electoral College system?
A. The Electoral College could choose a president who did not have the most electoral votes.
B. The House of Representatives could choose the president.
C. The Electoral College could choose a president who did not get the most votes of the people.
D. The Electoral College could choose a president who did not win the most states.
E. Some electors could vote for a third-party candidate for president.

13. The Supreme Court’s decision in Texas v. Johnson, which overturned a state law against flag-burning, was based on
A. the First Amendment right to peacefully assemble to protest
B. The Free-Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
C. the First Amendment right of freedom of speech
D. the restrictions on search and seizure of the Fourth Amendment
E. the establishment clause of the First Amendment

14. Which statement best describes American political culture?
A. The dominant political culture depends on which political party is in power.
B. Due to its ethnic diversity, there are different political cultures in the United States.
C. American political culture is a melting pot of different political ideals from around the world.
D. Liberals and conservatives in the United States have different political cultures.
E. The American political culture is comprised of beliefs—such as individual rights, majority rule, and limited government—that are shared by virtually all Americans.

16. Which of the following is a concurrent power in the American system of federalism?
A. the power to make treaties with foreign governments
B. the power to levy taxes
C. the power to make monetary policy
D. the power to establish local governments (cities, counties, school districts, etc.)
E. the power to regulate interstate commerce

17. The House of Representatives and the Senate are most similar to each other in
A. the checks they have on the power of the president
B. the way they select their presiding officer
C. the number of members they have
D. the power standing committees have in the legislative process
E. the power of the Rules Committee to set the rules for floor debate

18. Which of the following give(s) a reason why the power of the federal government has grown relative to state governments?
I. the devolution of power
II. the conditional funding the federal government can provide to state governments
III. the growth of interstate commerce
IV. the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution

A. statement I only
B. statements II and IV only
C. statements III and IV only
D. statements II, III, and IV only
E. statements I, II, III, and IV

19. What is an open seat in a congressional election?
A. a seat in a congressional district that is evenly divided between Republican and Democratic voters, making it likely that either party could win
B. a seat in which redistricting has redefined the district’s boundaries in a way to make it unfavorable to the reelection of the incumbent
C. a seat for which there is no incumbent running
D. a seat where the incumbent has been accused of a crime and is unlikely to win reelection
E. a seat where the incumbent belongs to a different party than the majority of his/her constituents

20. Which one of the following does NOT describe a reason why Congress generally fails to perform the function of national leader as the Constitutional Convention intended?
A. Congress is usually slow to act.
B. Congress is often gridlocked and can’t agree on action.
C. Congress has little actual power.
D. No one in Congress represents the country as a whole.
E. Congressional leadership is divided among a number of people.