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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. The making of collectively binding decisions






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






9. 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.






10. Force + Legitimacy






11. 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






12. 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






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






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






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






16. 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






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






18. Efficiency vs. representativeness


19. 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.






20. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






21. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






22. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






23. 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






24. 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.






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






26. 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






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






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






29. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






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






31. 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






32. 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






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






34. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






35. 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






36. 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'






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






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






39. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






41. Basically - density and quality of civil society






42. 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






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






44. 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






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






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






47. 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?






48. A government with a one house legislature.






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






50. monopoly over the legitimate use of force