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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. 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






2. 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






3. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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






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






6. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






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






8. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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






10. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






17. 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.






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. Shared sets of meanings






20. 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






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






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






23. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






24. 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.






25. A government with a one house legislature.






26. 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






27. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






29. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






31. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






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






33. 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.






34. Basically - density and quality of civil society






35. 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






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






38. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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






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






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






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






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






44. 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






45. 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






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






47. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






48. 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






49. 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






50. 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