• 53 questions

AP Government Civil Rights Practice Test

Unofficial practice on Unit 3 of AP Government: civil rights and civil liberties, the amendments and the required cases.

Which of these is a civil rights question, as opposed to a civil liberties question?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the College Board. Bank checked October 11, 2026.

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All 53 questions

Topics 3.1 and 3.7: Bill of Rights and incorporation 6

  • District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) struck down a handgun ban in a federal district. What did McDonald v. Chicago (2010) add? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, required cases, McDonald v. Chicago (2010); Wikipedia, "District of Columbia v. Heller"; course topic 3.7
  • The First Amendment begins "Congress shall make no law." Before the Fourteenth Amendment, which governments did the Supreme Court say the Bill of Rights limited? Wikipedia, "Incorporation of the Bill of Rights"; course topic 3.7
  • Gitlow v. New York (1925) matters to the story of incorporation because the Court held that Wikipedia, "Gitlow v. New York"; course topic 3.7
  • Through which clause have protections in the Bill of Rights been applied to the states? Wikipedia, "Incorporation of the Bill of Rights"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.7.A.1; course topic 3.7
  • What is selective incorporation? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.7.A.1; course topic 3.7
  • Which amendments make up the Bill of Rights, and when were they ratified? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.1.B.1; National Archives, "The Bill of Rights: A Transcription"; course topic 3.1
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Topic 3.2: Freedom of religion 5

  • A state has public schools open each day with a short prayer that names no denomination, and students who object may leave the room. Under Engel v. Vitale (1962), is this constitutional? U.S. Courts, "Facts and Case Summary: Engel v. Vitale"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, required cases; course topic 3.2
  • Amendment I: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." What are the two religion clauses called? National Archives, "The Bill of Rights: A Transcription"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.2.A.1; course topic 3.2
  • How do the holdings in Engel v. Vitale and Wisconsin v. Yoder differ? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, required cases; course topic 3.2
  • In Employment Division v. Smith (1990), two workers were fired for using peyote in a religious ceremony and were refused unemployment benefits. What did the Court hold? Wikipedia, "Employment Division v. Smith"; course topic 3.2
  • In Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972), Amish parents challenged a state law that compelled school attendance past the eighth grade. Whose claim won? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, required cases, Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972); Wikipedia, "Wisconsin v. Yoder"; course topic 3.2

Topics 3.3 and 3.4: Speech and the press 9

  • A city bans loudspeakers in residential streets after 10 p.m., whatever the message. What kind of limit on speech is this? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.3.A.2; course topic 3.3
  • A newspaper prints a false statement of fact that harms a private person's reputation. Which term names this kind of defamation? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.3.A.2; course topic 3.3
  • The armbands in Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) carried no words. Why did the First Amendment still protect them? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.3.A.1 and required cases; course topic 3.3
  • Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) refined the clear and present danger test. Under Brandenburg, when may government punish speech that advocates breaking the law? Wikipedia, "Brandenburg v. Ohio"; course topic 3.3
  • In Morse v. Frederick (2007), a principal took down a student's banner at a school-supervised event. Why did the school win when the school in Tinker lost? U.S. Courts, "Facts and Case Summary: Morse v. Frederick"; course topic 3.3
  • In New York Times Co. v. United States (1971), the government asked the courts to stop newspapers from printing a classified history of the Vietnam War. Why did the government lose? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, required cases, New York Times Co. v. United States (1971); Wikipedia, "New York Times Co. v. United States"; course topic 3.4
  • In Schenck v. United States (1919), the Court upheld a conviction for handing out flyers against the military draft in wartime. Which test did it apply? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, required cases, Schenck v. United States (1919); Wikipedia, "Schenck v. United States"; course topic 3.3
  • Under Tinker v. Des Moines, when may a public school stop a student's expression? U.S. Courts, "Facts and Case Summary: Tinker v. Des Moines"; Wikipedia, "Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District"; course topic 3.3
  • What is a prior restraint? Wikipedia, "Prior restraint"; course topic 3.4

Topics 3.5 and 3.6: Arms, punishment and safety 5

  • Court decisions on whether a death penalty law is constitutional turn mainly on which amendment? National Archives, "The Bill of Rights: A Transcription"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.6.A.1; course topic 3.6
  • The debate over government collection of telephone and internet metadata chiefly concerns which amendment? National Archives, "The Bill of Rights: A Transcription"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.6.A.2; course topic 3.6
  • In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), how did the Court read the Second Amendment? Wikipedia, "District of Columbia v. Heller"; course topic 3.5
  • The Second Amendment reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." What is the debate about firearm laws, as the course frames it? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.6.A.2; National Archives, "The Bill of Rights: A Transcription"; course topic 3.6
  • What did the USA Freedom Act of 2015 do? Wikipedia, "USA Freedom Act"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.8.A.3; course topics 3.6 and 3.8

Topics 3.8 and 3.9: Due process and privacy 11

  • A lawyer argues that a right can be protected even though the Constitution never names it. Which amendment gives the most direct support in its text? National Archives, "The Bill of Rights: A Transcription"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.9.A.1; course topic 3.9
  • A man charged with a felony in a state court cannot pay for a lawyer, and the judge refuses to appoint one. Which case says the state must provide counsel? U.S. Courts, "Facts and Case Summary: Gideon v. Wainwright"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, required cases; course topic 3.8
  • A town cancels a resident's business license with no notice and no hearing. Which guarantee has the town most plainly ignored? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.8.A.2 and EK 3.9.A.1; course topics 3.8 and 3.9
  • Amendment VI gives the accused "the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury." Which other right does the same amendment state? National Archives, "The Bill of Rights: A Transcription"; course topic 3.8
  • Before questioning a suspect in custody, police read the Miranda warnings. Which amendments do the warnings protect? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.8.A.2; U.S. Courts, "Facts and Case Summary: Miranda v. Arizona"; course topic 3.8
  • Both the Fifth and the Fourteenth Amendments have a due process clause. How do the two differ? National Archives, Amendment XIV, Section 1; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.8.A.1; course topic 3.8
  • Police arrest a driver and, without a warrant, read through the messages and photos on his phone. Under Riley v. California (2014), was the search lawful? Wikipedia, "Riley v. California"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.8.A.3; course topic 3.8
  • Police chase an armed suspect into a grocery store, find his holster empty and, before any warning, ask where the gun is. He answers. Why may the answer be used at trial? Wikipedia, "New York v. Quarles"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.8.A.2; course topic 3.8
  • Police search a house with no warrant and no legal ground and find stolen goods. Under the exclusionary rule, what happens at trial? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.8.A.4; Wikipedia, "Mapp v. Ohio"; course topic 3.8
  • What did the Supreme Court hold in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022)? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.9.A.2; Wikipedia, "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization"; course topic 3.9
  • Which unenumerated right did the Supreme Court recognize in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.9.A.2; course topic 3.9

Topics 3.10 and 3.11: Civil rights movements 10

  • A university that receives federal money offers athletic scholarships to men and none to women. Which law does this most directly violate? U.S. Department of Justice, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. 1681; course topic 3.11
  • Amendment XIV, Section 1: "nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Whose action does this clause limit? National Archives, Amendment XIV, Section 1; course topic 3.10
  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 both answered the civil rights movement. Which two routes of government response do they show? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.11.A.1; course topic 3.11
  • In "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" (1963), what does Martin Luther King Jr. say to those who told the movement to wait for the courts? Wikipedia, "Letter from Birmingham Jail"; course topic 3.10
  • In 1965 a privately owned hotel refuses rooms to Black travelers. Which act of Congress does it break? National Archives, "Civil Rights Act (1964)"; course topic 3.11
  • In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which part of the Constitution did the Court say race-based school segregation violates? National Archives, "Brown v. Board of Education (1954)"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, required cases; course topic 3.11
  • The National Organization for Women, founded in 1966, belongs to which movement named in the course? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.10.A.2; Wikipedia, "National Organization for Women"; course topic 3.10
  • The opinion in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) says that in public education one doctrine "has no place." Which doctrine? National Archives, "Brown v. Board of Education (1954)"; course topic 3.11
  • The Voting Rights Act of 1965 describes itself as an act to enforce one amendment to the Constitution. Which amendment? National Archives, "Voting Rights Act (1965)"; course topic 3.11
  • Which of these is a civil rights question, as opposed to a civil liberties question? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.10.A.1 and EK 3.1.A.2; course topic 3.10

Topics 3.12 and 3.13: Minority rights 7

  • In Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), what did the Court decide about a medical school that set aside 16 of 100 seats for minority applicants? Wikipedia, "Regents of the University of California v. Bakke"; course topic 3.13
  • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld a Louisiana law that required separate railway cars for white and Black passengers. What does the case show about the Court and minority rights? National Archives, "Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)"; College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.12.A.1; course topic 3.12
  • Shaw v. Reno (1993) concerned majority-minority districts drawn under the Voting Rights Act. What did the Court say voters may do? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, required cases, Shaw v. Reno (1993); course topic 3.12
  • The Supreme Court's debate about affirmative action has centered on which question? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.13.A.1; course topic 3.13
  • What did the Thirteenth Amendment do that the Emancipation Proclamation had not done? National Archives, "Emancipation Proclamation (1863)" and Amendment XIII; course topic 3.12
  • What does the term "affirmative action" refer to? College Board, AP U.S. Government and Politics course description, EK 3.13.A.1; course topic 3.13
  • Which pair of cases shows the Supreme Court first allowing a restriction on the rights of a minority group and later forbidding it? National Archives, "Brown v. Board of Education (1954)"; course topic 3.12

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to Unit 3, Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (topics 3.1 to 3.13), in the College Board's AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, effective fall 2026, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-us-government-and-politics-course-and-exam-description.pdf, read 2026-10-11. Each fact was read on 2026-10-11 in the public page named under its question: the National Archives transcripts of the Bill of Rights and the later amendments and its milestone document pages; the case summaries of the U.S. Courts; the text of Title IX at the Department of Justice; an essential knowledge statement or a required case holding of the course description; or a Wikipedia article. Licence: Own work. Short quotations from the public documents named under each question.

How it works

This AP Government civil rights practice test has 53 questions of our own on Unit 3, Civil Liberties and Civil Rights. It is unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by the College Board.

Read the full guide

What the test covers

Unit 3 has thirteen topics in the College Board's course description for fall 2026, read October 11, 2026. Civil rights, topics 3.10 to 3.13, come first with 17 questions: social movements, the laws and rulings that answered them, minority rights and affirmative action. Civil liberties, topics 3.1 to 3.9, have 36: the Bill of Rights and incorporation (6), religion (5), speech and the press (9), arms, punishment and safety (5), due process and privacy (11). The split is ours.

Sources you can open

Each answer links to the page it was checked on: the National Archives' text of the amendments and its pages on the civil rights laws, the federal courts' case summaries, the course description's list of required cases, or a Wikipedia article.

  • For each required case, learn one line: the clause, who won, and why.
  • Civil liberties limit what government may do to a person. Civil rights ask whether it treats groups of people equally.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between civil rights and civil liberties in AP Gov?

Civil liberties are freedoms guarded against arbitrary government interference, such as speech and religion. Civil rights protect people from discrimination based on traits such as race or sex. The first question in the bank asks you to tell them apart.

Is this also an AP Government civil liberties practice test?

Yes. Thirty-six of the 53 questions are on civil liberties: the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Ninth Amendments and selective incorporation. The Start from menu lists them as five topics.

Which required Supreme Court cases does the test ask about?

Nine: Schenck v. United States, Brown v. Board of Education, Engel v. Vitale, Gideon v. Wainwright, Tinker v. Des Moines, New York Times Co. v. United States, Wisconsin v. Yoder, Shaw v. Reno and McDonald v. Chicago.

How much of the AP Government exam is Unit 3?

Between 13 and 18% of the multiple-choice section, by the College Board's course page.

Are these real AP Government exam questions?

No. The College Board owns the real questions, and none appears here even in other words. Every question on this page was written for it from the unit's topic statements and the public documents named.

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