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CLEP Political Science

Subjects : clep, political-science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. (Voluntary) allocation (production and distribution) of goods and services






2. A formal document that sets up the basic rules of the political game






3. America's two ideologies (Liberal and Conservative) are two versions of classic liberalism






4. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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5. Number of Parties 2 - Constitutional Review: Parliamentary supremacy - Number of chambers: Unicameral/weak bicameral - Federalism: Unitary






6. The use of force by states or non-state actors to achieve political goals






7. Monarchies - Single-party regimes - Military regimes - Oligarchies - Theocracies - Personalistic regimes






8. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






9. Utility: self-interest - but what constitutes self-interest? Material self-interest? Economics - Politics. Example: vote maximization - The gospel Failures of rationality - Really incomplete information & satisfaction - Intransitivity and other cogni






10. Number of Parties 2 - Constitutional Review: Judicial Review - Number of chambers: bicameral - Federalism: Federal






11. Compiling a body of data based on direct observation that can be utilized both to explain what has been observed and to form valid generalizations.






12. A political organization that primarily uses lobbying - Currency/instrument: money - information - numbers






13. Individual rationality does not always lead to collective rationality - Walking on the grass - Policy implementation is problematic - Voting; protests; interest groups; etc. are underprovided (Olson's point)






14. A government with a one house legislature.






15. A civil war (...) in which one party is the state - the insurgents win - the insurgents have a lot of popular support - and the insurgents implement 'wholesale political change'






16. No or low citizen accountability ('subjects' rather than 'citizens') - Reciprocal relationship between leader and selectorate - Totalitarianism vs. authoritarianism






17. Historical origins. A reaction to liberalism - Central assumption: 'The highest good of society [is] the maintenance of ordered community and of common values' (p. 28) One of the 3 big idealogies






18. Tactics An organization that seeks to influence government through 'contentious' or 'disruptive' politics - Currency/instrument: show of force - numbers - brinkmanship - Organization A (non-hierarchical) network of organizations and individuals worki






19. Think of this as 'gender as cause'. Gender roles change and/or mix of women in politics changes; what is the consequence? Key finding: having more women in public office changes the policy agenda - i.e. - more focus on women's issues






20. equality in political decision making: one vote per person - with all votes counted equally






21. Public administration (civil service). All (non-military) government workers not elected to their posts - but hired (United States beginning in 1880s)






22. it works better in the long run - less risk/variability






23. A consciously derived - coherent set of beliefs that offers a comprehensive political program






24. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






25. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






26. Ideology An ideology that seeks the active reshaping of minds of individuals and believes this can/must be done by force - Coercive mobilization - No social or political pluralism






27. Regime where the rulers are accountable to the ruled.






28. A historical exploration of the major contributions to political thought from the ancient Greeks to the contemporary theorists. It also involves the philosophical and speculative consideration of the political world.






29. Shared sets of meanings






30. Public vs. private goods - Non-exclusivity. The owner can't deny access - Inexhaustability. The good is never used up - Jointness of supply. Its existence depends on our combined contribution; truly 'collective' - Free riding. We generally fail to co






31. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






32. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






33. An identity-based community - where the identity is strong enough that we think we should probably be sovereign...






34. Energy or righteous zeal wins large numbers of participants - Nimble in framing issues and changing tactics






35. You see a puzzle - You come up with a potential explanation (a 'theory') - You test it with evidence (data drawn from the 5 senses) - You share the results with others and get their feedback - Repeat steps 2 through 4 until you publish






36. A systematic study of the structures of two or more political systems (such as those of Britain and the People's Republic of China) to achieve an understanding of how different societies manage the realities of governing. Also considered are politica






37. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






38. A basic plan that outlines the structure and functions of the national government. Clearly rooted in Western political thought - it sets limits on government and protects both property and individual rights.






39. Historical origins. A response to the old feudal order and the rise of modern capitalism - 'The highest good of society [is] the ability of the members of that society to develop their individual capacities to the fullest extent' (p. 26) One of the 3






40. An organization that seeks elective office - Currency/instrument: votes






41. Think of this as gender as outcome; what factors - esp. political ones - lead to changes in gender roles? Key finding: politics does matter - especially who has an organized voice. Formal rules - number/identity of parties - etc.






42. Force + Legitimacy






43. Situation where all fully qualified citizens have an equal say






44. The rules about making the rules - often embodied in a constitution.






45. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






46. Long-lived - Extreme lack of social pluralism - Well-defined ideology - Against capitalism - Based on Marxist arguments about class solidarity - economic determinism - Socialism run amok?






47. Historical origins. Failure of liberalism to address shortcomings of capitalist industrialization; Marx - Central assumption: All persons are of equal value - but they cannot develop themselves alone






48. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






49. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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50. The set of relationships among parties in a country - Often categorized by the effective number of parties.