100+ Free CLEP English Literature Practice Questions
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The dominant verse form of English neoclassical poetry, used by Dryden and Pope, was the heroic couplet, which consists of
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Key Facts: CLEP English Literature Exam
95
approximate number of multiple-choice questions on the exam
College Board
90 minutes
total testing time
College Board
20-80
score scale, with 50 the ACE credit-granting score
College Board / ACE
60-65%
of questions test analytic ability rather than factual recall
College Board
25%
of the exam covers 20th-century-to-present literature, the largest period
College Board
$97
CLEP exam fee, plus a test-center administration fee
College Board
The CLEP English Literature exam has approximately 95 multiple-choice questions answered in 90 minutes, covering British literature from Beowulf to the present across six periods: the Middle Ages (10%), the 16th-early 17th century (15%), the Restoration and 18th century (10%), the Romantic period (20%), the Victorian period (20%), and the 20th century to the present (25%). About 35-40% of questions test knowledge (authors, works, movements, literary terms) and 60-65% test analytic ability with poetry and prose passages. It is scored 20-80, with 50 the ACE-recommended credit-granting score for 6 semester hours. The optional essay was discontinued in April 2021, so the exam is now entirely multiple choice. Registration costs $97 plus a test-center fee (source: College Board, clep.collegeboard.org).
Sample CLEP English Literature Practice Questions
Try these sample questions to test your CLEP English Literature exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.
1The Old English epic Beowulf is composed in a verse form characterized by a four-stress line divided by a caesura, with the stressed syllables in each half-line linked by which device?
2Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is framed by what overarching narrative situation?
3Read the opening lines: "Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote / The droghte of March hath perced to the roote." These lines are best identified as the beginning of which work?
4Sir Gawain and the Green Knight belongs to which category of medieval narrative?
5A medieval play that personifies abstractions such as Knowledge, Good Deeds, and Death to teach the soul's journey toward salvation belongs to which dramatic type?
6In the General Prologue, Chaucer describes the Pardoner and the Summoner in unflattering, satiric terms. This treatment most directly reflects Chaucer's use of which technique?
7The anonymous Middle English poem Pearl, which laments a lost child and offers a dream-vision of heavenly consolation, is generally attributed to the same poet who wrote which work?
8Which prose work, compiled in the 15th century, gathers and reshapes the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table into a single English narrative?
9A short narrative poem, often of folk origin, composed in quatrains rhyming abcb and frequently telling a tragic or sensational story, is known as what?
10In Beowulf, kennings such as 'whale-road' for the sea and 'ring-giver' for a king are best described as what?
About the CLEP English Literature Exam
The CLEP English Literature exam covers the material commonly taught in a college-level survey of British literature from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present. It contains approximately 95 multiple-choice questions answered in 90 minutes and is delivered on computer. Roughly 35-40% of the questions test factual knowledge of authors, works, movements, and literary terms, while 60-65% test the ability to read and analyze poetry and prose passages. A passing score of 50 on the 20-80 scale is recommended by ACE for 6 semester hours of credit.
Questions
95 scored questions
Time Limit
90 minutes
Passing Score
50 (on a 20-80 scale)
Exam Fee
$97 plus a test-center administration fee (College Board)
CLEP English Literature Exam Content Outline
The Middle Ages
Beowulf, Chaucer, medieval romance, the ballad, and Anglo-Saxon and Middle English traditions.
16th and Early 17th Century
The Renaissance sonnet, Spenser, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Jonson, and the metaphysical poets.
Restoration and 18th Century
Milton, Dryden, Pope, Swift, neoclassical satire, and the early novel.
The Romantic Period
Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, Keats, and the lyric and ode.
The Victorian Period
Tennyson, the Brownings, Arnold, the realist novel, and the dramatic monologue.
20th Century to the Present
Modernism, war poetry, modern drama, and contemporary and postcolonial literature in English.
How to Pass the CLEP English Literature Exam
What You Need to Know
- Passing score: 50 (on a 20-80 scale)
- Exam length: 95 questions
- Time limit: 90 minutes
- Exam fee: $97 plus a test-center administration fee
Keys to Passing
- Complete 500+ practice questions
- Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
- Focus on highest-weighted sections
- Use our AI tutor for tough concepts
CLEP English Literature Study Tips from Top Performers
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on the CLEP English Literature exam and how long is it?
The exam has approximately 95 multiple-choice questions and you have 90 minutes to answer them. It is delivered on a computer at a test center.
What score do I need to pass the CLEP English Literature exam?
The exam is scored on a 20-80 scale. The American Council on Education (ACE) recommends a credit-granting score of 50, which most colleges accept for 6 semester hours, though each institution sets its own policy.
What does the CLEP English Literature exam cover?
It covers British literature from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present, across six periods: the Middle Ages, the 16th-early 17th century, the Restoration and 18th century, the Romantic period, the Victorian period, and the 20th century to the present.
Is there an essay on the CLEP English Literature exam?
No. The optional essay was discontinued in April 2021, so the exam is now entirely multiple choice. Some individual colleges may require their own separate essay for credit, but that is not part of the CLEP exam.
How is the CLEP English Literature exam structured by skill?
About 35-40% of the questions test knowledge such as identifying authors, works, movements, and literary terms, while 60-65% test the ability to read and analyze poetry and prose passages.
How much does the CLEP English Literature exam cost?
The CLEP exam fee is $97, paid to the College Board, plus a separate administration fee charged by the test center.