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






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






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






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






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






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






7. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






8. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






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






10. 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






11. The making of collectively binding decisions






12. 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






13. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






14. 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






15. A government with a one house legislature.






16. Efficiency vs. representativeness


17. 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






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






19. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






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






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






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






24. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






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






26. 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.






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. 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






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






30. 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






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






32. 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






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






34. 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






35. Force + Legitimacy






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






37. 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.






38. Basically - density and quality of civil society






39. 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'






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






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






42. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






43. 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






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






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






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






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






48. 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.






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






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