Test your basic knowledge |

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






2. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






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






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






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






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






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. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






10. 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






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






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






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






14. 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






15. 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






16. 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.






17. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






18. 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






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






20. Basically - density and quality of civil society






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






22. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






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






24. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






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






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






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






28. 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)






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






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






31. 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






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






33. 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






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






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






36. 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.






37. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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. Concentration vs. dispersal of power


40. Efficiency vs. representativeness


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






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






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






44. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






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






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






47. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






48. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






49. Shared sets of meanings






50. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance