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






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






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






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






5. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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6. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






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






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






9. 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.






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






11. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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






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






15. 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'






16. 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.






17. 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.






18. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






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






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






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






22. 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






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






24. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






25. 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






26. 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






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






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






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






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






31. 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






32. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






33. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






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






35. 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






36. 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






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






38. 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






39. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






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






41. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






42. 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.






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






44. Shared sets of meanings






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






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






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






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






49. The making of collectively binding decisions






50. 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