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






2. 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






3. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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






5. 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






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






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






8. 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






9. 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






10. 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.






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






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






13. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






14. 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






15. 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'






16. 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






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






18. Basically - density and quality of civil society






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






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






21. 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






22. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






23. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






24. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






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






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






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






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






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






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






31. 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






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






33. 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






34. 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






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






36. Concentration vs. dispersal of power


37. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






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






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






40. 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.






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






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






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






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






45. 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






46. Force + Legitimacy






47. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






48. 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






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






50. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations