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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. The making of collectively binding decisions






2. 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






3. 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.






4. Shared sets of meanings






5. 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






6. 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






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






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






10. Concentration vs. dispersal of power


11. 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.






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






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






14. Hypotheses based on what has been observed.






15. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






28. All voluntary associations/all secondary associations






29. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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






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






32. 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.






33. 19th - in the United States and Western Europe.






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






35. 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






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






37. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






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






39. 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.






40. Any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions






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. Force + Legitimacy






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






44. 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)






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






46. 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?






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






48. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






49. 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'






50. Efficiency vs. representativeness