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






2. 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






3. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






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






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






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






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






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






9. 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






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






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






12. 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






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






14. 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.






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






16. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






17. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






18. A government with a one house legislature.






19. 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






20. 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






21. 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.






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






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






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






25. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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26. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






27. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






28. 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






29. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






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






31. 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'






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






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






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






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






36. 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






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 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.






39. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






41. 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






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






43. The making of collectively binding decisions






44. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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45. 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






46. 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.






47. 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






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






49. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






50. 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