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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 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.






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






3. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






5. 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?






6. 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)






7. 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






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






9. 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






10. 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






11. Compiling a body of data based on direct observation that can be utilized both to explain what has been observed and to form valid generalizations.






12. 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.






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






14. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






15. 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






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






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






18. 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






19. 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






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






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






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






23. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






24. 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






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






26. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






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






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






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






30. Concentration vs. dispersal of power


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






32. 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'






33. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






34. Shared sets of meanings






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






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






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






38. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






39. The making of collectively binding decisions






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






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






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






43. 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






44. 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.






45. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






46. 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






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






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






49. 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






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