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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. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






2. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






3. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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






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






6. 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






7. 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






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






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






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






11. Force + Legitimacy






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






13. 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






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






15. 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'






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






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






18. 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.






19. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






27. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






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






29. 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






30. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






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






32. A government with a one house legislature.






33. Shared sets of meanings






34. 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






35. 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.






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






37. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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






39. 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.






40. 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.






41. 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






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






43. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






44. 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)






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






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






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






48. 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






49. 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






50. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district