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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. Basically - synonymous for statistical method - Large numbers of observational data - 'Control' for confounding factors






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






3. Territorial monopoly over the legitimate use of force. Refers to the government + the people + the territory ('the country')






4. The mathematical formula used to allocate the seats according to the vote - Plurality or 'first-past-the-post' - various PR formulas - such as D'Hondt - largest remainders - St. Lague - etc.






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






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






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






8. 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)






9. 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






10. 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






11. Analyzing the data that has been collected and offering plausible general principles that can be drawn from what has been observed.






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






13. 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






14. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






15. Selective incentives - Small group size - Social (solidary) incentives - Homogeneity - Others? Duty and altruism? Love?






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






17. 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






18. Political violence by non-state actors against civilian targets






19. A political system controlled by rulers who deny popular participation in government






20. The identities that can become political are those formed very early in life or perhaps vaguely racial/genetic. Struggles to explain (rapid) cultural change - or which identities become politicized






21. 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






22. Force + Legitimacy






23. A government with a one house legislature.






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






25. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






26. when you must get a minimum percent of votes to have your votes count or (sometimes) to retain your party registration






27. 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






28. State of nature (collective action problem) - Hobbes' solution: the social contract






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






30. In social movements - rational choice and culture come together - Culture: the sense of a righteous - popular will that has been subverted ('framing'/'grievance') - Motivates collective action - But also determines the choice of organization and tact






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






32. A consideration of how nations interact with each other within the frameworks of law - diplomacy - and international organizations such as the United Nations.






33. 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






34. Concentration vs. dispersal of power


35. Basically - density and quality of civil society






36. The making of collectively binding decisions






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






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. Process or moment of changing from one regime type to another Ex: Arab Springs (Causes: cultural or economice - or military culture) - (int'l factors: U.S. foreign policy - Soviet foreign policy - Changes to Catholic doctrine - EU accession - Globali






40. Identities are malleable - and anything can become politicized. Struggles to explain fundamental patterns in political identity or their grasp on our souls. Can't really explain which identities become politicized either






41. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






42. A subset of culture - based on our ability to attach labels to ourselves and others - or to define ourselves in terms of the groups we belong to - Some political examples: Partisan identity - Class identity - Ethnic identity - National identity






43. Shorter-lived - Slightly less repressive - Ideology not so clear - In favor of capitalism - though with state involvement - Based more on Social Darwinism/racism/nationlsm - Conservatism run amok?






44. Efficiency vs. representativeness


45. Process tracing through case studies. Requires a well-developed theory and minute examination ('process tracing')






46. 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.






47. Warfare and military technology - Economic: development of trade and manufacturing and new financial/fiscal instruments - Cultural: Enlightenment - (There are also Environmental/geographic factors)






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






49. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






50. Hard to amass resources (money and information) - Short-lived - The dilemma of formalization