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






2. 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.






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






4. 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






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






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






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






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






9. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






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






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






12. State of nature (collective action problem) - Hobbes' solution: the social contract






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






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






15. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






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






17. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






18. 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






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






20. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






21. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






22. 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.






23. 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






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






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






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






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






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






30. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






31. 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






32. The making of collectively binding decisions






33. Basically - density and quality of civil society






34. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






35. Shared sets of meanings






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






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






38. 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






39. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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40. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






41. Force + Legitimacy






42. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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43. 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






44. 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






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. A government with a one house legislature.






47. 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






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






49. 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.






50. 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