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






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






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






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






5. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






6. 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






7. 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






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






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






10. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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






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






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






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






15. 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






16. 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.






17. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






18. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






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






20. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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






22. 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






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






24. 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






25. 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?






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






27. 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.






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






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






30. Number of Parties 2 - Constitutional Review: Judicial Review - Number of chambers: bicameral - Federalism: Federal






31. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






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






34. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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






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






37. 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






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. Basically - density and quality of civil society






40. 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






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






42. 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






43. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






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






45. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






46. 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






47. 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






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






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






50. A government with a one house legislature.