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






2. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






3. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






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






6. 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?






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






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






9. Concentration vs. dispersal of power


10. 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






11. 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






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. 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






14. 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'






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






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






17. 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)






18. 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.






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






20. A government with a one house legislature.






21. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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






23. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






24. Basically - density and quality of civil society






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






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






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






28. 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






29. 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.






30. The making of collectively binding decisions






31. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






32. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






33. 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






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






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






36. 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.






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






38. The organized study of government and politics. It borrows from the related disciplines of history - philosophy - sociology - economics - and law.






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






40. 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






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






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






43. 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






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






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






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






47. Describes the principal characteristics of what has been studied.






48. 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






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






50. Efficiency vs. representativeness