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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. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






3. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






4. 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.






5. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






6. The identities that can become political are those formed very early in life or perhaps vaguely racial/genetic. Struggles to explain (rapid) cultural change - or which identities become politicized






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






8. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






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






10. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






18. 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






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






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






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






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






24. A government with a one house legislature.






25. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






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






27. 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






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






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






30. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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






32. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






33. 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






34. 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.






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






36. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






37. Shared sets of meanings






38. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






39. 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






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






41. 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






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






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






44. 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.






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






46. 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






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






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






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






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