CLEP American Government Exam Prep Course

Prepare for the CLEP American Government exam with lessons, practice quizzes, labs, a full practice exam and a Final Exam. Covers the Constitution, institutions, political beliefs, civil rights and policy. Not affiliated with the College Board.

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Course curriculum

1. Syllabus
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1. 1.1 Government and Democracy: Power, Authority, and Legitimacy
2. Quiz 1.1
3. 1.2 Theories of Democracy: Majoritarian, Pluralist, Elite, and Participatory Models
4. Quiz 1.2
5. 1.2 Interactive Lab: Who Really Rules Harbor City?
6. 1.3 Roots of the Republic: English Traditions and the Declaration of Independence
7. Quiz 1.3
8. 1.4 The Articles of Confederation: A First Government and Its Weaknesses
9. Quiz 1.4
10. 1.5 The Constitutional Convention: Compromises That Built the Constitution
11. Quiz 1.5
12. 1.6 Ratification: Federalists, Anti-Federalists, and the Federalist Papers
13. Quiz 1.6
14. 1.6 Interactive Lab: From Independence to the Bill of Rights
1. 2.1 The Constitution's Blueprint: Preamble, Seven Articles, and Core Principles
2. Quiz 2.1
3. 2.2 Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances: Ambition Against Ambition
4. Quiz 2.2
5. 2.2 Interactive Lab: Who Checks Whom?
6. 2.3 Amending the Constitution: Formal and Informal Change
7. Quiz 2.3
8. 2.4 Federalism: Dividing Power Between the Nation and the States
9. Quiz 2.4
10. 2.4 Interactive Lab: Sorting the Powers of Government
11. 2.5 Federalism Over Time: Dual, Cooperative, and New Federalism
12. Quiz 2.5
13. 2.6 Intergovernmental Relations: Grants, Mandates, and State Cooperation
14. Quiz 2.6
1. 3.1 Congress: Structure, Membership, and Representation
2. Quiz 3.1
3. 3.2 Powers of Congress: The Purse, Oversight, and Exclusive Powers
4. Quiz 3.2
5. 3.3 Organization of Congress: Leaders, Parties, and Committees
6. Quiz 3.3
7. 3.4 How a Bill Becomes a Law: The Legislative Process
8. Quiz 3.4
9. 3.4 Interactive Lab: From Bill to Law
10. 3.5 Congressional Behavior: Representation Styles, Voting, and Gridlock
11. Quiz 3.5
12. 3.6 Redistricting and Gerrymandering: Drawing the Lines
13. Quiz 3.6
1. 4.1 The President: Qualifications, Terms, Succession, and Removal
2. Quiz 4.1
3. 4.2 Formal Powers of the President: Chief Executive, Commander in Chief, and Diplomat
4. Quiz 4.2
5. 4.3 Informal Powers of the President: Persuasion, Orders, and Privilege
6. Quiz 4.3
7. 4.3 Interactive Lab: Formal or Informal? Presidential Powers and Their Checks
8. 4.4 The Executive Branch Team: Cabinet, Executive Office, and White House Staff
9. Quiz 4.4
10. 4.5 Presidential Power Over Time: From Washington to the Modern Presidency
11. Quiz 4.5
1. 5.1 The Federal Bureaucracy: What It Is and How It Grew
2. Quiz 5.1
3. 5.2 Organizing the Bureaucracy: Departments, Agencies, Commissions, and Corporations
4. Quiz 5.2
5. 5.3 What Bureaucrats Do: Implementation, Discretion, and Rulemaking
6. Quiz 5.3
7. 5.4 Controlling the Bureaucracy: Oversight, Iron Triangles, and Issue Networks
8. Quiz 5.4
1. 6.1 The Federal Court System: Structure and Jurisdiction
2. Quiz 6.1
3. 6.2 Judicial Review: Marbury v. Madison and the Power of the Courts
4. Quiz 6.2
5. 6.3 How the Supreme Court Decides: From Certiorari to Opinion
6. Quiz 6.3
7. 6.3 Interactive Lab: Follow a Case to the Supreme Court
8. 6.4 Judicial Philosophy: Restraint, Activism, and Interpretation
9. Quiz 6.4
10. 6.5 Judicial Selection and Checks on the Courts
11. Quiz 6.5
1. 7.1 The Policy Process: From Agenda to Evaluation
2. Quiz 7.1
3. 7.2 The Federal Budget and Economic Policy: Who Controls the Money
4. Quiz 7.2
5. 7.3 Domestic and Foreign Policy: Social Welfare, Regulation, and National Security
6. Quiz 7.3
7. 7.4 Institutions in Interaction: Parties, Interest Groups, the Media, and Public Opinion
8. Quiz 7.4
9. 7.4 Interactive Lab: Who Acts, and Who Shapes It?
1. 8.1 Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights: Origins and Incorporation
2. Quiz 8.1
3. 8.2 Freedom of Religion: Establishment and Free Exercise
4. Quiz 8.2
5. 8.3 Freedom of Speech: From Clear and Present Danger to Symbolic Speech
6. Quiz 8.3
7. 8.4 Freedom of the Press, Assembly, and Petition, and the Right to Bear Arms
8. Quiz 8.4
9. 8.5 Rights of the Accused: Searches, Self-Incrimination, Counsel, and Punishment
10. Quiz 8.5
11. 8.5 Interactive Lab: From the Search to the Sentence: Rights of the Accused
12. 8.6 The Right to Privacy: Unenumerated Rights and Substantive Due Process
13. Quiz 8.6
1. 9.1 Equal Protection: From Plessy to Brown
2. Quiz 9.1
3. 9.2 The Civil Rights Movement and Voting Rights: Laws That Changed the Nation
4. Quiz 9.2
5. 9.2 Interactive Lab: Civil Rights Milestones and the Laws That Answered Them
6. 9.3 Equal Protection for Women and Other Groups: Scrutiny, Gender, and Disability
7. Quiz 9.3
8. 9.4 Affirmative Action: Equal Opportunity Debates in the Courts
9. Quiz 9.4
1. 10.1 American Political Culture: Core Values, Efficacy, and Trust
2. Quiz 10.1
3. 10.2 Political Socialization: How Citizens Learn About Politics
4. Quiz 10.2
5. 10.3 Ideology and Group Differences: Why Citizens Differ Politically
6. Quiz 10.3
7. 10.4 Measuring Public Opinion: Polls, Samples, and Margin of Error
8. Quiz 10.4
9. 10.4 Interactive Lab: Is the Lead Outside the Margin?
10. 10.5 Reading Political Data: Tables, Graphs, and Trends
11. Quiz 10.5
12. 10.5 Interactive Lab: What Do the Data Really Say?
13. 10.6 Public Opinion and Leaders: How Opinion Shapes Policy
14. Quiz 10.6
1. 11.1 Political Participation: Conventional and Unconventional Ways to Take Part
2. Quiz 11.1
3. 11.2 Voting and Turnout: Who Votes and How Voters Decide
4. Quiz 11.2
5. 11.3 The Mass Media: Gatekeeper, Scorekeeper, and Watchdog
6. Quiz 11.3
1. 12.1 Political Parties: Functions and Organization
2. Quiz 12.1
3. 12.2 Party History: Party Systems, Realignment, and Dealignment
4. Quiz 12.2
5. 12.2 Interactive Lab: Party Eras in Order: From Federalists to the Southern Realignment
6. 12.3 Two Parties and Third Parties: Why Two Dominate
7. Quiz 12.3
8. 12.4 Parties and Government Today: Polarization and Party Effects
9. Quiz 12.4
1. 13.1 Interest Groups: Types, Formation, and the Free-Rider Problem
2. Quiz 13.1
3. 13.2 Interest Group Tactics: Lobbying, Litigation, and Grassroots Pressure
4. Quiz 13.2
5. 13.3 Money in Politics: PACs, Super PACs, and Campaign Finance Law
6. Quiz 13.3
1. 14.1 Nominating Candidates: Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions
2. Quiz 14.1
3. 14.1 Interactive Lab: The Road to the White House, Step by Step
4. 14.2 The Electoral College: How Presidents Are Elected
5. Quiz 14.2
6. 14.3 Congressional Elections and Campaigns: Incumbency, Midterms, and Strategy
7. Quiz 14.3
1. Final Practice Exam - Instructions
2. Final Practice Exam
3. Final Exam - Instructions
4. Final Exam

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CLEP American Government Exam Prep Course

Course curriculum

Course Overview

Chapter 1: Foundations of American Government

Chapter 2: Constitutional Principles and Federalism

Chapter 3: Congress

Chapter 4: The Presidency

Chapter 5: The Federal Bureaucracy

Chapter 6: The Federal Courts

Chapter 7: Policymaking: The Institutions at Work

Chapter 8: Civil Liberties

Chapter 9: Civil Rights

Chapter 10: Political Culture and Public Opinion

Chapter 11: Participation, Voting, and the Media

Chapter 12: Political Parties

Chapter 13: Interest Groups and Money in Politics

Chapter 14: Elections and Campaigns

Chapter 15: Final Practice Exam and Final Exam

About this course

Discover your potential, starting today