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CLEP Political Science

Subjects : clep, political-science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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  • Match each statement with the correct term.
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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. 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.






2. 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






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






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






5. 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






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






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






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






9. 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.






10. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






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






12. A government with a one house legislature.






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






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






15. 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






16. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






17. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






18. The making of collectively binding decisions






19. 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






20. 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.






21. 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






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






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






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






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. 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. 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?






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






30. 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.






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






32. 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






33. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






34. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






35. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






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






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






38. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






39. 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






40. Shared sets of meanings






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






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






43. 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






44. Force + Legitimacy






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






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






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






48. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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






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