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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. 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






2. 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






3. 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






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






5. Force + Legitimacy






6. 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.






7. 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






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






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






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






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






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






13. 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.






14. The making of collectively binding decisions






15. Basically - density and quality of civil society






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






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






18. A government with a one house legislature.






19. 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






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






21. 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?






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






23. 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






24. 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






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






26. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






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






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






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






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






31. 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






32. 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






33. 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'






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






35. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






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






37. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






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






40. 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






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. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






43. 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






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






45. 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






46. 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






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






48. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






49. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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