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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. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






8. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






9. 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






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






11. A government with a one house legislature.






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






13. 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






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






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






16. 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.






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






18. 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






19. 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'






20. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






22. The making of collectively binding decisions






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






24. 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






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






26. 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






27. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






28. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






29. 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






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






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






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






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






34. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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






36. 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






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






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






39. 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.






40. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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41. 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?






42. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






43. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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. 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






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






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






48. 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)






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






50. Force + Legitimacy