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






2. 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






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






4. 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






5. Force + Legitimacy






6. 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






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






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






9. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






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






11. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






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






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






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






15. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






16. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






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






18. 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.






19. 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






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






21. 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






22. 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






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






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






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






27. 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






28. 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






29. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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30. Basically - density and quality of civil society






31. 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.






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






33. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






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






36. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






37. 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.






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






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






40. 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






41. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






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






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






44. A government with a one house legislature.






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






46. The making of collectively binding decisions






47. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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. 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?