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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. 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






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






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






4. The set of relationships among parties in a country - Often categorized by the effective number of parties.






5. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






6. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






7. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






8. 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






9. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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






11. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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






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






14. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






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






17. 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.






18. 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?






19. 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.






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






21. 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






22. A non-meritocratic system in which jobs and contracts are distributed according to partisan support - (The U.S. 'spoils system' of the 19th century')






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. 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






25. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






26. 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






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






28. Basically - density and quality of civil society






29. The making of collectively binding decisions






30. 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






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






32. 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)






33. 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






34. 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






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






36. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






37. Number of Parties 2 - Constitutional Review: Parliamentary supremacy - Number of chambers: Unicameral/weak bicameral - Federalism: Unitary






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






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






40. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






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






42. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






43. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






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






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






46. 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






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






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






49. A government with a one house legislature.






50. 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.







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