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. 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






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






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






4. Process or moment of changing from one regime type to another Ex: Arab Springs (Causes: cultural or economice - or military culture) - (int'l factors: U.S. foreign policy - Soviet foreign policy - Changes to Catholic doctrine - EU accession - Globali






5. The making of collectively binding decisions






6. 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






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






8. 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






9. 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






10. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






11. 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






12. 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.






13. 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






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






15. Shared sets of meanings






16. 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






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






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






19. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






20. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






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






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






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






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






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






27. 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?






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






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






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






31. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






32. 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.






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






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






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






36. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






37. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






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






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






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






42. A government with a one house legislature.






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






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






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






46. 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






47. Basically - density and quality of civil society






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






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






50. 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