Test your basic knowledge |

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. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






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






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






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






5. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






6. 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






7. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






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






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






10. 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.






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






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






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






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






15. 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






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






17. 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






18. 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)






19. Concentration vs. dispersal of power


20. 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






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






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






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






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






25. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






26. 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.






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






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






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






30. 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






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






32. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






33. A government with a one house legislature.






34. Basically - density and quality of civil society






35. 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






36. 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






37. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






38. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






40. Efficiency vs. representativeness


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






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






43. 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






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






45. 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






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






47. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






48. 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.






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






50. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district