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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. Force + Legitimacy






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






3. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






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






6. The making of collectively binding decisions






7. 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






8. 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?






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






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






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






12. 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






13. 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






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






15. 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.






16. 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.






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






18. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






19. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






20. 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






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






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






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






24. 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.






25. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






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






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






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






29. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






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






31. 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






32. 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






33. 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






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






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






36. 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'






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






38. 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.






39. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






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






42. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






43. 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






44. A government with a one house legislature.






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






46. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






47. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






48. Basically - density and quality of civil society






49. Individual rationality does not always lead to collective rationality - Walking on the grass - Policy implementation is problematic - Voting; protests; interest groups; etc. are underprovided (Olson's point)






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