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






2. 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






3. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






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






5. 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.






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






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






8. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






9. 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?






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






11. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






13. 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.






14. 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






15. 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






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






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






18. The making of collectively binding decisions






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






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






21. Force + Legitimacy






22. 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






23. 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






24. Shared sets of meanings






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






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






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






28. 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






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






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






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






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






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






34. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






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






36. 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






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






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






39. 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






40. A government with a one house legislature.






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






42. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






43. Efficiency vs. representativeness


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






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






46. 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.






47. 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'






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