20 CLEP American Government practice questions, with answers and video walkthroughs

Twenty practice questions for CLEP American Government, in the real exam's style. Score 16 of 20 here and you are in passing range. Miss more than four, and the pattern of your misses points straight at the topic to review next. Every question below is explained on video, including why the wrong answers trap most test-takers.

When I took CLEP American Government for my degree at Thomas Edison State University, the move that mattered was steady practice in the exam's format, with an explanation for every miss. Use these the same way: answer, check, and read why the wrong choices are tempting. For the full plan around them, see the CLEP American Government pillar guide.

Watch the full video walkthrough above, then test yourself on the twenty questions below. Each one is explained on the video, including why the wrong answers trap most test-takers.

Questions 1 to 5 (questions 1 to 5)

1. The supreme law of the United States is the: Constitution. The Constitution, written in 1787, is the supreme law of the land. The Declaration of Independence announced separation from Britain, but it is not law.

2. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the: Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments, guarantees freedoms like speech, religion, and a fair trial. It was added in 1791 to win support for the Constitution.

3. The weak first national government, which could not tax, was created by the: Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation created a national government with no power to tax, which is why the framers replaced it with the Constitution in 1787.

4. The division of power between the national and state governments is called: federalism. Federalism divides power between the national and state governments. Separation of powers, by contrast, divides power among the three branches of the national government.

5. The system that lets each branch limit the powers of the others is called: checks and balances. Checks and balances let each branch limit the others. For example, the president can veto laws and the Senate can reject appointments, so no branch dominates.

Questions 6 to 10 (questions 6 to 10)

6. The branch of government that makes the laws is the: legislative branch. Congress, the legislative branch, makes the laws. The executive branch enforces them and the judicial branch interprets them.

7. The two houses of the United States Congress are the House of Representatives and the: Senate. Congress has two houses: the House of Representatives, based on population, and the Senate, with two members per state regardless of size.

8. The power of the Supreme Court to strike down a law as unconstitutional is called: judicial review. Judicial review, established in 1803 by Marbury v. Madison, lets the Supreme Court strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution.

9. A president can reject a bill passed by Congress by issuing a: veto. The presidential veto rejects a bill, though Congress can override it with a two-thirds vote in both houses.

10. The number of justices on the United States Supreme Court is: nine. The Supreme Court has nine justices: one chief justice and eight associate justices. The number is set by Congress, not the Constitution.

Questions 11 to 15 (questions 11 to 15)

11. Freedom of speech, religion, and the press is protected by the: First Amendment. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, religion, the press, assembly, and petition. The Fifth, by contrast, protects against self-incrimination.

12. Powers not given to the federal government are reserved to the states by the: Tenth Amendment. The Tenth Amendment reserves to the states any powers the Constitution does not give to the federal government, a cornerstone of federalism.

13. The amendment guaranteeing equal protection of the laws to all citizens is the: Fourteenth Amendment. The Fourteenth Amendment grants citizenship and guarantees equal protection of the laws, the basis for many later civil rights rulings.

14. The right against unreasonable searches and seizures is protected by the: Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures and generally requires police to get a warrant based on probable cause.

15. The body that formally elects the president of the United States is the: Electoral College. The Electoral College formally elects the president. Each state's electoral votes equal its total members of Congress, and 270 are needed to win.

Questions 16 to 20 (questions 16 to 20)

16. The United States is dominated by how many major political parties: two. The United States has a two-party system, currently the Democratic and Republican parties, a pattern reinforced by winner-take-all elections.

17. The minimum age to be elected president of the United States is: thirty-five. The Constitution requires the president to be at least thirty-five years old, a natural-born citizen, and a resident for fourteen years.

18. Organizations that raise money to influence elections and policy are called: interest groups. Interest groups organize people with shared concerns to influence policy and elections, often through lobbying and campaign donations.

19. The term length for a member of the United States House of Representatives is: two years. House members serve two-year terms, so the entire House is up for election every two years. Senators, by contrast, serve six-year terms.

20. The process of formally changing the Constitution is called: amendment. The Constitution is changed through the amendment process, which requires approval by two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the states.

What to do with your score

The point of twenty questions is not the twenty, it is the pattern. When I scored a practice set, I marked which topic each miss came from, then spent my next session on that topic alone. None of it requires starting over, only tightening the spots that cost you points.

A single twenty-question set is a snapshot, not a study plan. To pass with margin you need volume: enough questions, in the exam's format, with explanations that turn a wrong answer into a correction. That is what Flying Prep's CLEP American Government practice is built for: every question explained, with a free trial before you decide.