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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. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






2. 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?






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






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






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






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






7. The making of collectively binding decisions






8. 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






9. 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






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






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






12. 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






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






14. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






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






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






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






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






19. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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






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






22. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






23. 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






24. 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






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






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






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






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






29. Shared sets of meanings






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






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






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






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






34. 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






35. 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






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






37. 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.






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






40. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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. 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.






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






44. 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)






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






46. 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






47. 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.






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






49. 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






50. 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