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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. Force + Legitimacy






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






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






4. 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






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






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






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






8. 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






9. 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.






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






11. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






12. 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.






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






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






15. 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






16. (Voluntary) allocation (production and distribution) of goods and services






17. 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






18. 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






19. 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'






20. 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






21. 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






22. 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






23. Efficiency vs. representativeness


24. About agency: we deserve freedom and need to be held meaningfully accountable






25. 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.






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






27. Utility maximization - Preferences: Comparability/Completeness - Transitivity - Probability - Incomplete information and uncertainty about future - Mathematical modeling






28. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






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






30. 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






31. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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






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






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






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






36. 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






37. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






38. 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






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






40. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






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






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






43. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






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






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






47. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






48. 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






49. The making of collectively binding decisions






50. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.