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CLEP Political Science

Subjects : clep, political-science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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  • 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. America's two ideologies (Liberal and Conservative) are two versions of classic liberalism






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






3. 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






4. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






5. Historical origins. A response to the old feudal order and the rise of modern capitalism - 'The highest good of society [is] the ability of the members of that society to develop their individual capacities to the fullest extent' (p. 26) One of the 3






6. Force + Legitimacy






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






8. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






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






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






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






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






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. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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






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






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






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






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






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






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






23. 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






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






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






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






27. 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






28. 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?






29. 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






30. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






31. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






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






33. The making of collectively binding decisions






34. 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.






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






36. 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






37. 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






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






39. 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






40. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






41. 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.






42. 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






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






44. A government with a one house legislature.






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






46. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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






48. Shared sets of meanings






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






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