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






2. 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.






3. 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






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






5. 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






6. A government with a one house legislature.






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






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






9. 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






10. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






11. The making of collectively binding decisions






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






13. Shared sets of meanings






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






15. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






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






17. 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?






18. Concentration vs. dispersal of power


19. 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






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






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






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






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






24. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






25. 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






26. 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






27. 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






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






29. Basically - density and quality of civil society






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






31. 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






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






33. 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






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






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






36. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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






38. 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






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






40. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






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






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






44. 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.






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






46. 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)






47. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






48. 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






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






50. 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.