In Federalist No. 10, James Madison argued that the dangers of factions are best controlled by
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About this test
This is a free 15-question AP Gov sampler, written by the StudyPDF team from the five units of the AP U.S. Government and Politics course. It covers the foundational documents, Congress, the presidency and the courts, civil liberties and civil rights, political beliefs, and participation, with several questions built on the required Supreme Court cases. You will meet multiple choice, select all that apply and fill in the blank. Answer all 15 questions, then check your score and read the explanation for every question.
All 15 questions at a glance
Prefer to read before you play? Every question in the sampler is listed below. Answers and explanations stay collapsed until you open them.
1.In Federalist No. 10, James Madison argued that the dangers of factions are best controlled by
- A. banning political parties and interest groups
- B. keeping government small enough for citizens to vote on every law
- C. a large republic with many competing interests, so that no single faction easily dominates
- D. letting each state decide which groups may organize
Answer: C. a large republic with many competing interests, so that no single faction easily dominates
Madison thought factions could not be removed without destroying liberty, so the goal was to control their effects. In a large republic with representatives and many different interests, it is harder for one faction to form a majority and impose its will. A small direct democracy was the model he warned against. Federalist No. 10 is a required foundational document, and it is usually paired with Brutus No. 1.
2.The Anti-Federalist essay Brutus No. 1 warned that the new Constitution would
- A. create a strong national government that would grow distant from the people and absorb the states
- B. give the states too much power to block national policy
- C. allow the president to be elected directly by voters
- D. limit Congress so much that it could not raise an army
Answer: A. create a strong national government that would grow distant from the people and absorb the states
Brutus argued that a free republic works best in a small territory where representatives know their voters. He feared that broad national powers, such as taxing and the Necessary and Proper Clause, would swallow the states and leave citizens with no real control. The other choices describe the opposite concern, which is closer to the problems the Federalists saw in the Articles of Confederation.
3.In McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), the Supreme Court ruled that Maryland could not tax the national bank. Which principle supports that ruling?
- A. States have the final say over any bank that operates inside their borders.
- B. The president may create federal agencies without Congress.
- C. The Tenth Amendment forbids Congress from creating any institution not named in the Constitution.
- D. Congress has implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause, and federal law is supreme over state action that conflicts with it.
Answer: D. Congress has implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause, and federal law is supreme over state action that conflicts with it.
The Court said the Constitution lets Congress create a national bank as a means of carrying out its listed powers, even though a bank is not named. A state tax that could destroy the bank would let a state defeat a federal institution, which the Supremacy Clause does not allow. The case is a core example of a broad reading of national power. United States v. Lopez is the usual contrast, because there the Court set a limit on the commerce power.
4.Which of these is a power given only to the Senate?
- A. Beginning impeachment by voting on articles of impeachment
- B. Approving treaties by a two-thirds vote
- C. Starting bills that raise revenue
- D. Overriding a presidential veto
Answer: B. Approving treaties by a two-thirds vote
Only the Senate ratifies treaties, with two-thirds of the senators present, and it also confirms major presidential appointments. The House votes on articles of impeachment and starts revenue bills. Overriding a veto takes a two-thirds vote in both chambers, so it is not exclusive to either one. A question that asks for the exclusive powers of each chamber is a common multiple-choice item.
5.A group of senators uses a filibuster to block a vote on a bill. Under Senate rules for legislation, what can end the debate?
- A. A simple majority of the House of Representatives
- B. A presidential order to the Senate
- C. A cloture vote by three-fifths of the Senate, which is 60 senators when all seats are filled
- D. A ruling by the Supreme Court
Answer: C. A cloture vote by three-fifths of the Senate, which is 60 senators when all seats are filled
Cloture is the Senate's way of ending debate, and for most legislation it takes three-fifths of the Senate. That is why a bill that has 51 supporters can still stall. The House has its own rules, including a Rules Committee that limits debate, and neither the president nor the courts can end a Senate debate. Be ready to explain how the filibuster makes the Senate different from the House.
6.Which of these are checks that Congress has on the executive branch?
Select all that apply.
- A. Overriding a veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses
- B. Declaring an executive action unconstitutional
- C. Confirming presidential appointments in the Senate
- D. Issuing executive orders
- E. Impeaching a president in the House of Representatives
Answer: A. Overriding a veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses, C. Confirming presidential appointments in the Senate, E. Impeaching a president in the House of Representatives
Veto overrides, Senate confirmation and impeachment are all ways Congress limits the president. Declaring an executive action unconstitutional is judicial review, which belongs to the courts. Issuing executive orders is something the president does, not a check on the president. Sorting each power into the branch that holds it is a basic skill for Unit 2.
7.Complete the sentence.
In _____ (1803), the Supreme Court established the power of judicial review, the authority to strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution.
Options for blank 1: Gideon v. Wainwright, Marbury v. Madison, Brown v. Board of Education, Baker v. Carr
Answer: Marbury v. Madison
Chief Justice John Marshall wrote that it is the duty of the courts to say what the law is, and that a law that conflicts with the Constitution cannot stand. The Constitution does not use the words judicial review, so this case is where the power comes from. It is one of the required cases, and it comes up often in questions about the strength of each branch.
8.Students wear black armbands to school to protest a war. The school suspends them, and they sue. Which required case is most relevant?
- A. Tinker v. Des Moines, which protects student speech unless it substantially disrupts school
- B. Schenck v. United States, which allows no speech during wartime
- C. Engel v. Vitale, which bans prayer on school grounds at any time
- D. Wisconsin v. Yoder, which gives students a right to skip school
Answer: A. Tinker v. Des Moines, which protects student speech unless it substantially disrupts school
In Tinker the Court held that students do not lose their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate, and that a school needs evidence of a substantial disruption to punish symbolic speech. The other choices misstate their cases. Schenck set a clear and present danger test and did not ban all wartime speech. Engel was about school-sponsored prayer, and Yoder gave a narrow religious exemption to Amish families.
9.Which of these statements about required Supreme Court cases are accurate?
Select all that apply.
- A. Engel v. Vitale held that a prayer written and led by a public school violates the Establishment Clause.
- B. Baker v. Carr held that courts may never hear cases about how legislative districts are drawn.
- C. In New York Times v. United States, the Court refused to block newspapers from publishing the Pentagon Papers.
- D. Wisconsin v. Yoder held that the Free Exercise Clause never protects a religious practice from a state law that requires school attendance.
- E. Schenck v. United States upheld a conviction for speech that created a clear and present danger.
Answer: A. Engel v. Vitale held that a prayer written and led by a public school violates the Establishment Clause., C. In New York Times v. United States, the Court refused to block newspapers from publishing the Pentagon Papers., E. Schenck v. United States upheld a conviction for speech that created a clear and present danger.
Engel, New York Times and Schenck are described correctly. Baker v. Carr went the other way: the Court said that unequal districts raise questions courts can hear, which opened the door to the one person, one vote cases. Yoder also went the other way: the Court said that Amish families could not be forced to send their children to school after eighth grade, because that conflicted with their free exercise of religion. Mixing up the direction of a ruling is a common trap.
10.Complete the sentence.
The Bill of Rights first limited only the national government. Through selective incorporation, the Supreme Court has applied most of its protections to the states by using the due process clause of the _____ Amendment.
Options for blank 1: Tenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Seventeenth
Answer: Fourteenth
The Fourteenth Amendment says that no state may deny any person life, liberty or property without due process of law. Over the twentieth century the Court read most of the Bill of Rights into that clause, one right at a time, in cases such as Gideon v. Wainwright and McDonald v. Chicago. The same amendment also contains the equal protection clause, which is the base of Brown v. Board of Education.
11.Which statements about civil rights in the AP Gov course are accurate?
Select all that apply.
- A. Brown v. Board of Education held that state-required segregation in public schools violates the equal protection clause.
- B. Shaw v. Reno held that a district drawn mainly on race, with a very odd shape, can be challenged under equal protection.
- C. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail argues that people have a moral duty to resist unjust laws by violence.
- D. The equal protection clause applies only to the federal government.
- E. The Letter from Birmingham Jail defends nonviolent civil disobedience against unjust laws.
Answer: A. Brown v. Board of Education held that state-required segregation in public schools violates the equal protection clause., B. Shaw v. Reno held that a district drawn mainly on race, with a very odd shape, can be challenged under equal protection., E. The Letter from Birmingham Jail defends nonviolent civil disobedience against unjust laws.
Brown and Shaw are described correctly, and the Letter from Birmingham Jail defends nonviolent direct action and open disobedience of unjust laws, with a willingness to accept the penalty. The letter does not call for violence. The equal protection clause is in the Fourteenth Amendment and limits the states, and Brown is the best-known example of that.
12.A news site posts an online poll about a new policy, and only visitors who choose to click can answer. Why can its result not be trusted to describe all adults?
- A. The sample is too large to be accurate.
- B. The poll asks about only one policy.
- C. People who choose to respond may differ from the public, so the sample is not random.
- D. Online polls always have a margin of error of zero.
Answer: C. People who choose to respond may differ from the public, so the sample is not random.
When respondents select themselves, people with strong opinions or an interest in the site are more likely to answer, which creates selection bias. A reliable poll draws a random sample so that every member of the population has a chance of being chosen, and then reports a margin of error. A bigger sample does not fix a biased one.
13.Citizens United v. FEC (2010) held that
- A. corporations may not take part in elections in any form
- B. the government may not ban independent political spending by corporations and unions, which is protected speech
- C. candidates must accept public funds to run for office
- D. political parties may not raise money from individuals
Answer: B. the government may not ban independent political spending by corporations and unions, which is protected speech
The Court ruled that independent expenditures, meaning spending not coordinated with a candidate, are protected by the First Amendment even when a corporation or union makes them. The ruling led to super PACs. It did not remove limits on direct contributions to candidates, and it is a core example of the debate over money and speech in Unit 5.
14.Which feature of the American electoral system is most often cited as a reason that third parties rarely win elections?
- A. The use of proportional representation in congressional elections
- B. A ban on candidates who do not belong to a party
- C. Free public funding for the two largest parties only
- D. Single-member districts where the candidate with the most votes wins
Answer: D. Single-member districts where the candidate with the most votes wins
In a winner-take-all system with one seat per district, a candidate who finishes second or third gets nothing, so voters tend to avoid a candidate who looks unlikely to win. This tends to produce two major parties. Proportional representation, which gives parties seats by their share of the vote, helps small parties, but it is not used for Congress. Ballot access rules and campaign funding also matter, though they are not the first reason given.
15.Complete the sentence.
Ratified in 1971, the _____ Amendment lowered the national voting age to 18.
Options for blank 1: Fifteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-fourth, Twenty-sixth
Answer: Twenty-sixth
The Twenty-sixth Amendment came during the Vietnam War, when many people argued that those old enough to be drafted were old enough to vote. The Fifteenth barred denying the vote on account of race, the Nineteenth gave women the vote, and the Twenty-fourth banned poll taxes in federal elections. Each voting amendment extended the electorate to a different group.
What the AP Gov exam looks like and how the units are weighted
The AP U.S. Government and Politics exam is fully digital and taken in the Bluebook app. When this page was last checked, in October 2026, College Board listed the 2027 exam for Tuesday, May 4, in Session 1. Section I has 55 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour 20 minutes and counts for 50 percent of the score. Section II has 4 free-response questions in 1 hour 40 minutes and counts for the other 50 percent: a concept application, a quantitative analysis, a SCOTUS comparison and an argument essay.
The multiple-choice section is weighted by unit. Unit 1, Foundations of American Democracy, is 15 to 22 percent. Unit 2, Interactions Among Branches of Government, is the biggest at 25 to 36 percent. Unit 3, Civil Liberties and Civil Rights, is 13 to 18 percent. Unit 4, American Political Ideologies and Beliefs, is the smallest at 10 to 15 percent. Unit 5, Political Participation, is 20 to 27 percent. This sampler touches all five units, so use the weights to decide where to spend extra review time.
The course also has a fixed reading list. College Board added four required foundational documents for 2026-27: the Emancipation Proclamation, Federalist No. 39, the Gettysburg Address and core principles from Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. They join the older required documents and the required Supreme Court cases, which the free-response questions and many multiple-choice sets build on. Check AP Central for the current list before you rely on any review book.
How to use this sampler and what to review first
Take all 15 questions in one sitting without notes, then read every explanation, including the ones you got right. Treat each miss as a topic, not a single fact. If you missed the Tinker question and the Engel question, the topic is how the Supreme Court applies the First Amendment, which is also what the SCOTUS comparison question asks you to do.
AP Gov rewards you for applying a case or a document to a situation you have not seen. For every required case, be able to say the facts in one sentence, the holding in one sentence and the constitutional clause it rests on. For every foundational document, be able to say who wrote it, what it argues and which other document it answers. Federalist No. 10 and Brutus No. 1 are a standard pair, because they disagree about whether a large republic protects liberty or threatens it.
When a question gives you a graph, a table or a poll, read the title and the labels before the choices. Then state the trend in one sentence. Many wrong answers describe something true about politics that the data does not show. Use the official free-response questions on AP Central for timed writing practice, because a multiple-choice sampler cannot do that.
How StudyPDF builds AP Gov practice tests from your class notes
Fifteen questions can show you which units are shaky. They cannot get you ready on their own, and a generic question bank rarely matches the cases and documents your teacher stressed.
StudyPDF works from your material instead. Upload your textbook chapters, your teacher's slides, your review packet or photos of your notes, press New material, and StudyPDF builds practice tests from those exact pages. Every question is grounded in your material and every explanation cites where the answer comes from, so you can go straight back to the page.
You do not need to upload anything to start. Name a topic instead, for example the required Supreme Court cases or Unit 2, and Bo sets it up with its key concepts so you can build quizzes and flashcards on it. Your results track which concepts you keep missing, so the next practice test can target them. Starting is free, and the free plan covers about four materials a week.
Written by the StudyPDF team. Last updated August 19, 2026.
Good to know
Is this AP Gov practice test free?
Yes. All 15 questions, the score screen and every explanation are free to play in your browser, and there is no paywall on this page.
Are these real AP Gov exam questions?
No. The StudyPDF team wrote every question and explanation from the published course units, the foundational documents and the required Supreme Court cases. None comes from a released exam, a vendor's bank or recalled items. StudyPDF is not affiliated with the College Board, and AP and Advanced Placement are College Board marks. The College Board does not endorse this page.
Does this sampler practice the free-response questions?
No. It practices the multiple-choice side, plus select all that apply and fill in the blank. The free-response section has four tasks: a concept application, a quantitative analysis, a SCOTUS comparison and an argument essay. For those, practice with the released questions and scoring guidelines on AP Central under a timer.
Can I get AP Gov questions built from my own class notes?
Yes. Upload your textbook chapters, slides or review packet to StudyPDF, and Bo builds practice tests from those exact pages, with explanations that cite where each answer came from. If you have nothing to upload, name a topic instead, for example the required Supreme Court cases or Unit 2.
Need more than a sampler?
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