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






2. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






4. A government with a one house legislature.






5. 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






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






7. Shared sets of meanings






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






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






10. Force + Legitimacy






11. 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






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






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






14. 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.






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






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






17. The use of force by states or non-state actors to achieve political goals






18. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






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






20. 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






21. 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






22. 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






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






24. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






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






27. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






28. Basically - density and quality of civil society






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






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






31. 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






32. 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.






33. 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.






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






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






36. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






37. 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






38. 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






39. 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






40. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






41. 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






42. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






43. 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






44. 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






45. 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)






46. The making of collectively binding decisions






47. Comparative Politics - International Relations - American Politics - (normative) theory or Political Philosophy






48. 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.






49. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






50. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.