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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. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






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






3. 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'






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






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






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






7. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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






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






10. 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.






11. 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






12. 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






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






14. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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15. Force + Legitimacy






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






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






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






19. 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






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






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






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






23. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






24. 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






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






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






27. 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






28. Charismatic - Rational-legal - Traditional/patrimonial






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






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






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






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






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






34. 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)






35. 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.






36. 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






37. 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.






38. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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






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






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






42. 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.






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. 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






45. Basically - density and quality of civil society






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






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






48. 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






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






50. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy