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






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






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






4. 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






5. 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.






6. 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






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






8. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






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






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






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






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






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






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. Situation where all fully qualified citizens have an equal say






16. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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






18. 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)






19. A government with a one house legislature.






20. 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'






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. 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






23. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






24. 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.






25. 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






26. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






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






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






29. Warfare and military technology - Economic: development of trade and manufacturing and new financial/fiscal instruments - Cultural: Enlightenment - (There are also Environmental/geographic factors)






30. 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






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






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






33. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






35. 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






36. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






37. Basically - density and quality of civil society






38. 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






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






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






41. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






42. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






43. 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?






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






45. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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






47. 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






48. 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.






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






50. 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