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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. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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






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






4. 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






5. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






7. 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






8. 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






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






10. 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






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






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






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






14. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






15. 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






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






17. 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)






18. A government with a one house legislature.






19. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






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






21. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






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






23. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






24. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






25. The making of collectively binding decisions






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






27. 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






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






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






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






31. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






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






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






34. 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






35. An identity-based community - where the identity is strong enough that we think we should probably be sovereign...






36. 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






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






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






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






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






41. 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






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






43. Shared sets of meanings






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






45. 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.






46. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






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






48. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






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






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