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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. 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






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






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






4. Situation of stability - no party has incentive and ability to undermine the regime (Causes: cultural or economice - or military culture) - (Int'l Factors: U.S. foreign policy - Soviet foreign policy - Changes to Catholic doctrine - EU accession - G






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






6. A government with a one house legislature.






7. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






8. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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






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






11. 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






12. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






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






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






15. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






16. Comparative Politics - International Relations - American Politics - (normative) theory or Political Philosophy






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






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






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






20. Shared sets of meanings






21. 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.






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






23. 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






24. 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)






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






26. 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






27. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






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






29. 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






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






31. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






32. 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






33. 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






34. Force + Legitimacy






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






36. 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.






37. The making of collectively binding decisions






38. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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39. 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






40. 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.






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






42. 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.






43. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






44. 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?






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






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






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






48. 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






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






50. 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'