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






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






3. 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?






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






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






6. 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






7. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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8. 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.






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






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






11. 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






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






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






15. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






16. 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






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






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






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






20. 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






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






22. 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.






23. 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






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






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






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






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






28. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






29. 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






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






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






32. 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






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






34. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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






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






37. 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






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






39. 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






40. 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






41. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






42. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






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






44. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






45. The making of collectively binding decisions






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






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






48. Force + Legitimacy






49. Shared sets of meanings






50. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.