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






2. 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






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






4. 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






5. Political parties - Interest groups - Social movements






6. The making of collectively binding decisions






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






8. 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'






9. 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.






10. Efficiency vs. representativeness

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11. 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






12. 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.






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






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






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






16. Concentration vs. dispersal of power

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17. Traditionally measured as capacity and autonomy






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






19. 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.






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






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






22. monopoly over the legitimate use of force






23. Use of method of inference to create generalizeable explanations






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






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






26. 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






27. Also known as interpersonal trust & tolerance






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






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






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






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






32. 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






33. 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






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






35. Long-lived - Extreme lack of social pluralism - Well-defined ideology - Against capitalism - Based on Marxist arguments about class solidarity - economic determinism - Socialism run amok?






36. 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






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






38. 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






39. 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






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






41. how many seats are allotted to each electoral district






42. A government with a one house legislature.






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






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






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






46. 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.






47. The opportunity to choose among alternative candidates and positions






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






49. 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






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