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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. Basically - density and quality of civil society






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






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






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






5. 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'






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






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






8. 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






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






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






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






12. 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






13. 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






14. 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






15. 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.






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






17. A government with a one house legislature.






18. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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19. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






20. 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






21. The use of force by states or non-state actors to achieve political goals






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






23. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






24. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






25. 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






26. 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






27. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






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






29. Shared sets of meanings






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






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






32. Force + Legitimacy






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






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






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






36. 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.






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






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






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






40. 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






41. 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?






42. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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






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






45. 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.






46. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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47. 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






48. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






49. 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






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