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






2. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






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






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






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






6. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






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






9. 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'






10. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






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






12. 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.






13. Shared sets of meanings






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






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






16. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






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






18. 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






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






20. 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






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






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






23. The making of collectively binding decisions






24. 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






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






26. 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.






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






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






29. 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?






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






31. 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






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






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






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






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






36. 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






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






38. 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.






39. Ideology An ideology that seeks the active reshaping of minds of individuals and believes this can/must be done by force - Coercive mobilization - No social or political pluralism






40. 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






41. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






42. 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






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






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






45. 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






46. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






47. Efficiency vs. representativeness


48. Basically - density and quality of civil society






49. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






50. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy