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Key Facts: CLEP American Literature Exam

100

approximate multiple-choice questions on the exam

College Board

90 minutes

time limit for the exam

College Board

20-80

score scale, with 50 the ACE credit-granting score

College Board / ACE

5 periods

covered from precolonial times to the present

College Board

35-40%

of questions test interpretation of poems and prose passages

College Board

$97

exam fee plus a test-center administration fee

College Board

3 semester hours

typical college credit awarded at a passing score

American Council on Education

The CLEP American Literature exam has about 100 multiple-choice questions and a 90-minute time limit, and it is scored on a 20-80 scale with 50 the ACE-recommended credit-granting score worth roughly 3 semester hours. Content spans five periods: Colonial and Early National (15%), Romantic (20%), Realism and Naturalism (20%), Modernist (20%), and Contemporary (25%). Questions emphasize interpretation of poems and prose passages (35-40%), literary knowledge of works and authors (25-30%), critical terminology (15-20%), and historical and social context (15-20%). Registration costs $97 plus a test-center administration fee (source: College Board, clep.collegeboard.org).

Sample CLEP American Literature Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the CLEP American Literature exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1William Bradford's 'Of Plymouth Plantation' is best classified as which kind of work?
A.A historical narrative chronicling the Pilgrims' voyage and settlement
B.A Gothic novel of the supernatural
C.A book-length epic poem in blank verse
D.A collection of Revolutionary-era political pamphlets
Explanation: William Bradford, governor of Plymouth Colony, wrote 'Of Plymouth Plantation' as a prose history chronicling the Separatists' voyage on the Mayflower and the founding and early years of the colony. It is a foundational text of American colonial historical writing and reflects a providential Puritan worldview.
2Anne Bradstreet is significant in American literary history primarily because she was
A.the first published author of a novel in the American colonies
B.the first notable published poet in colonial New England
C.the editor of the first American newspaper
D.the author of the Declaration of Independence
Explanation: Anne Bradstreet is recognized as the first notable published poet of colonial New England; her collection 'The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America' appeared in 1650. Her domestic and devotional poems, such as 'To My Dear and Loving Husband,' blend Puritan piety with personal feeling.
3Jonathan Edwards's 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God' is most famous as an example of which form?
A.A satirical essay mocking organized religion
B.A frontier captivity narrative
C.A Puritan sermon delivered during the Great Awakening
D.A Transcendentalist lecture on self-reliance
Explanation: Jonathan Edwards delivered 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God' in 1741 during the Great Awakening. The sermon uses vivid imagery, such as a spider held over a fire, to warn listeners of damnation and urge repentance, making it the most studied example of Puritan revival preaching.
4Benjamin Franklin's 'Autobiography' is best understood as an expression of which intellectual movement?
A.Puritan Calvinism emphasizing predestination
B.Literary Naturalism and determinism
C.Romantic celebration of untamed nature
D.The Enlightenment, with its faith in reason and self-improvement
Explanation: Benjamin Franklin's 'Autobiography' embodies Enlightenment values: rational self-examination, practical virtue, and the belief that individuals can improve themselves through disciplined effort. His project of cultivating thirteen virtues exemplifies this optimistic, secular emphasis on self-betterment.
5Phillis Wheatley holds a distinctive place in American literature because she was
A.the first published African American poet
B.the first American to write a full-length novel
C.the founder of the Transcendentalist movement
D.a leading author of Puritan captivity narratives
Explanation: Phillis Wheatley, brought to Boston as an enslaved child, became the first published African American poet with her 1773 collection 'Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.' Her neoclassical verse drew on the conventions of 18th-century English poetry.
6Mary Rowlandson's 'A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson' is the best-known example of which colonial genre?
A.The sentimental novel
B.The captivity narrative
C.The frontier tall tale
D.The slave narrative
Explanation: Mary Rowlandson's 1682 account of her capture during King Philip's War is the most famous American captivity narrative. Such narratives recount a colonist's abduction by Native Americans and frame the ordeal as a spiritual test interpreted through Puritan providential belief.
7Thomas Paine's pamphlet 'Common Sense' (1776) is notable chiefly for
A.introducing free verse to American poetry
B.defending the divine right of kings
C.advocating American independence from Britain in plain, persuasive prose
D.recounting the author's religious conversion
Explanation: Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' argued forcefully for American independence using clear, accessible prose aimed at ordinary readers. Its wide circulation helped galvanize public support for the Revolution, making it one of the most influential political pamphlets of the era.
8Which Puritan poet is known for densely metaphysical devotional poems such as 'Huswifery' and 'Upon a Spider Catching a Fly'?
A.William Cullen Bryant
B.Philip Freneau
C.Washington Irving
D.Edward Taylor
Explanation: Edward Taylor, a Puritan minister, wrote intricate metaphysical poems comparing spiritual truths to everyday objects, as in 'Huswifery,' which casts the soul as a spinning wheel. His work was not published until the 20th century and shows the influence of English metaphysical poets.
9Read these lines: 'If ever two were one, then surely we. / If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.' These lines open which colonial poem?
A.Anne Bradstreet's 'To My Dear and Loving Husband'
B.Edward Taylor's 'Huswifery'
C.Philip Freneau's 'The Wild Honey Suckle'
D.Michael Wigglesworth's 'The Day of Doom'
Explanation: These famous lines open Anne Bradstreet's 'To My Dear and Loving Husband,' a tender expression of marital love rare in Puritan verse. The poem uses balanced couplets and merchant imagery of riches to convey the depth of her devotion.
10Olaudah Equiano's 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano' is an early example of which literary form?
A.The Puritan jeremiad
B.The slave narrative
C.The frontier romance
D.The neoclassical ode
Explanation: Equiano's 1789 autobiography recounting his capture, enslavement, and eventual freedom is one of the earliest and most influential slave narratives. The genre uses firsthand testimony to expose the cruelty of slavery and advance the abolitionist cause.

About the CLEP American Literature Exam

The CLEP American Literature exam lets students earn college credit for material covered in a typical two-semester survey of American literature. It contains about 100 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 90 minutes and covers prose and poetry written in the United States from precolonial times to the present. The exam tests both knowledge of literary works, authors, and movements and the ability to interpret poetry, fiction, and nonfiction prose.

Exam sponsor: College Board. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Questions

100 questions

Time Limit

90 minutes

Passing Score

50 (on a 20-80 scale)

Exam / Certification Fees

$97 plus a test-center administration fee

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

~15%

Colonial and Early National Period (Beginnings-1800)

Puritan and colonial prose, plain-style verse, captivity narratives, and Enlightenment and Revolutionary writing.

~20%

Romantic Period (1800-1865)

Transcendentalism, the American Renaissance, dark Romanticism, and the poetry of Whitman and Dickinson.

~20%

Realism and Naturalism (1865-1910)

Realism, regionalism, and naturalism in fiction after the Civil War, plus emerging modern poetry.

~20%

Modernist Period (1910-1945)

Modernist poetry and fiction, the Lost Generation, and the Harlem Renaissance.

~25%

Contemporary Period (1945-Present)

Postwar and postmodern fiction, confessional and Beat poetry, drama, and diverse contemporary voices.

Preparing for the CLEP American Literature Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 50 (on a 20-80 scale)
  • Exam length: 100 questions
  • Time limit: 90 minutes
  • Exam / certification fees: $97 plus a test-center administration fee Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

CLEP American Literature: Suggested Study Strategy

1Build a timeline of the five periods and place each major author and work on it so you can quickly attribute passages and styles.
2Practice reading short poems and prose excerpts cold, identifying tone, speaker, theme, and figurative language before looking at the answer choices.
3Memorize a working glossary of critical terms and verse forms (e.g., metaphor, irony, sonnet, blank verse, free verse, alliteration) since 15-20% of questions test terminology.
4Learn signature stylistic fingerprints: Dickinson's dashes and slant rhyme, Whitman's free-verse catalogs, Hemingway's terse prose, and Faulkner's stream of consciousness.
5Review historical and social contexts such as Puritanism, Transcendentalism, the Civil War, the Harlem Renaissance, and postwar movements to answer context questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the CLEP American Literature exam and how long is it?

The CLEP American Literature exam has approximately 100 multiple-choice questions and a 90-minute time limit. Some questions are unscored pretest items that do not affect your score.

What score do I need to pass CLEP American Literature?

The exam is scored on a 20-80 scale. The American Council on Education (ACE) recommends a credit-granting score of 50, which is typically worth about 3 semester hours, though each college sets its own policy.

What literary periods does the CLEP American Literature exam cover?

It covers five periods: Colonial and Early National (about 15%), Romantic (about 20%), Realism and Naturalism (about 20%), Modernist (about 20%), and Contemporary (about 25%), spanning precolonial times to the present.

What skills does the CLEP American Literature exam test?

About 35-40% of questions test interpretation of poems and prose passages, 25-30% test knowledge of literary works and authors, 15-20% test critical terminology and verse forms, and 15-20% test historical and social context.

How much does the CLEP American Literature exam cost?

The CLEP exam fee is $97, paid to the College Board, plus a separate administration fee charged by the test center. Eligible students, including some military members, may qualify for fee assistance.

Is there an essay on the CLEP American Literature exam?

The standard CLEP American Literature exam is entirely multiple choice. Some institutions request an optional essay section; check with the college granting credit and your test center about whether an essay is required.