AP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT AND
POLITICS 2026 STUDY GUIDE COMPLETE
POLITICAL SYSTEMS AND PRACTICE
QUESTIONS
◉ positive correlation. Answer: a direct association between two
variables. As one becomes larger the other one does as well.
◉ negative correlation. Answer: an inverse association between two
variables. As one variable become larger, the other one becomes
smaller.
◉ dependent variable. Answer: the variable that you believe might
be influenced or modified by some treatment or exposure. It is also
the main object of study.
◉ empirical data. Answer: data dreived from reliable measurement
or observation.
◉ normative analysis. Answer: research that not only gathers facts
but also points out ways the object of study can be improved
,◉ quantitative analysis. Answer: examination of measurable and
verifiable data
◉ game theory. Answer: attempts to explain behavior in strategic
situations in which an individual's success in making choices
depends on the choices of others
◉ rational choice theory. Answer: When making political decisions
or voting, people calculate the expected gains and costs of a
particular action and choose accordingly.
◉ zero-sum games. Answer: a two-person, two-sided game in which
one player's loss is the other player's gain in equal measure.
◉ variable sum games. Answer: games in which the outcome can at
times be beneficial for all or most of the players.
◉ politics. Answer: the process by which people pursue collective
goals and deal with their conflicts through government.
◉ state. Answer: the organization that maintains a monopoly of
force over a given territory
, ◉ nation. Answer: a group of people bound together by a common
set of political aspirations
◉ authoritarianism. Answer: a political system in which a small
group of individuals exercises power over the state without being
constitutionally responsible to the public.
◉ bureaucratic authoritarianism. Answer: A system in which the
state bureaucracy and the military share a belief that a technocratic
leadership, focused on rational, objective, and technical expertise,
can solve the problems of the country without public participation.
◉ capitalism. Answer: A system of production based on private
property and free markets.
◉ central planning. Answer: A communist economic system in which
the state explicitly allocates resources by planning what should be
produced and in what amounts, the final prices of goods, and where
they should be sold.
◉ charismatic legitimacy. Answer: Legitimacy built on the force of
ideas embodied by an individual leader.
◉ civil society. Answer: Organizations outside the state that help
people define and advance their own interests
POLITICS 2026 STUDY GUIDE COMPLETE
POLITICAL SYSTEMS AND PRACTICE
QUESTIONS
◉ positive correlation. Answer: a direct association between two
variables. As one becomes larger the other one does as well.
◉ negative correlation. Answer: an inverse association between two
variables. As one variable become larger, the other one becomes
smaller.
◉ dependent variable. Answer: the variable that you believe might
be influenced or modified by some treatment or exposure. It is also
the main object of study.
◉ empirical data. Answer: data dreived from reliable measurement
or observation.
◉ normative analysis. Answer: research that not only gathers facts
but also points out ways the object of study can be improved
,◉ quantitative analysis. Answer: examination of measurable and
verifiable data
◉ game theory. Answer: attempts to explain behavior in strategic
situations in which an individual's success in making choices
depends on the choices of others
◉ rational choice theory. Answer: When making political decisions
or voting, people calculate the expected gains and costs of a
particular action and choose accordingly.
◉ zero-sum games. Answer: a two-person, two-sided game in which
one player's loss is the other player's gain in equal measure.
◉ variable sum games. Answer: games in which the outcome can at
times be beneficial for all or most of the players.
◉ politics. Answer: the process by which people pursue collective
goals and deal with their conflicts through government.
◉ state. Answer: the organization that maintains a monopoly of
force over a given territory
, ◉ nation. Answer: a group of people bound together by a common
set of political aspirations
◉ authoritarianism. Answer: a political system in which a small
group of individuals exercises power over the state without being
constitutionally responsible to the public.
◉ bureaucratic authoritarianism. Answer: A system in which the
state bureaucracy and the military share a belief that a technocratic
leadership, focused on rational, objective, and technical expertise,
can solve the problems of the country without public participation.
◉ capitalism. Answer: A system of production based on private
property and free markets.
◉ central planning. Answer: A communist economic system in which
the state explicitly allocates resources by planning what should be
produced and in what amounts, the final prices of goods, and where
they should be sold.
◉ charismatic legitimacy. Answer: Legitimacy built on the force of
ideas embodied by an individual leader.
◉ civil society. Answer: Organizations outside the state that help
people define and advance their own interests
