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100+ Free CLEP Western Civilization II Practice Questions

Pass your CLEP Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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Key Facts: CLEP Western Civilization II Exam

120

multiple-choice questions, some unscored pretest items

College Board

90 minutes

time limit for the computer-based exam

College Board

20-80

score scale, with 50 the ACE credit-granting score

College Board / ACE

1648

starting point of the exam's coverage, to the present

College Board

10-13%

exam weight of Revolution and Napoleonic Europe, the largest area

College Board fact sheet

$97

CLEP exam fee plus a test-center administration fee

College Board

CLEP Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present has about 120 multiple-choice questions answered in 90 minutes and is scored from 20 to 80, with 50 the ACE-recommended credit-granting score. It surveys European history from Louis XIV's absolutism through the Cold War and contemporary Europe, weighting the French Revolution and Napoleon (10-13%) and World War I with the Russian Revolution (10-12%) most heavily. The exam fee is $97 plus a test-center administration fee, and a passing score can earn three semester hours of introductory European history credit (source: College Board, clep.collegeboard.org).

Sample CLEP Western Civilization II Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your CLEP Western Civilization II exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which French monarch best exemplified royal absolutism in the period from 1648 to 1715, centralizing power and reportedly declaring the state to be embodied in himself?
A.Louis XIV
B.Henry IV
C.Louis XVI
D.Francis I
Explanation: Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715) is the classic model of absolute monarchy. He concentrated authority in the crown, built the palace of Versailles to control the nobility, ruled without the Estates-General, and is associated with the phrase 'L'etat, c'est moi.' His long reign defined 17th-century absolutism.
2The palace of Versailles served what primary political purpose for Louis XIV beyond being a royal residence?
A.To house the Estates-General permanently
B.To control the nobility by keeping them at court under his supervision
C.To serve as France's main military fortress
D.To function as a public parliament building
Explanation: Louis XIV used Versailles to domesticate and control the French nobility. By requiring nobles to attend court and compete for royal favor, he distracted them from independent power bases and prevented the kind of aristocratic rebellion seen during the Fronde. This was a deliberate strategy of centralization.
3The English Glorious Revolution of 1688 resulted in which constitutional outcome?
A.The restoration of absolute monarchy under the Stuarts
B.The creation of an English republic
C.The establishment of a constitutional monarchy limited by Parliament and the Bill of Rights
D.The union of the English and Spanish crowns
Explanation: The Glorious Revolution removed James II and brought William and Mary to the throne on terms set by Parliament. The 1689 English Bill of Rights limited royal power, guaranteed regular Parliaments, and affirmed parliamentary control over taxation. This entrenched constitutional, not absolute, monarchy in England.
4In his work Leviathan (1651), Thomas Hobbes argued that to escape a violent state of nature, people should do what?
A.Establish a democracy with frequent elections
B.Divide power among three branches of government
C.Abolish all government and live in natural freedom
D.Submit to a powerful sovereign through a social contract for security
Explanation: Hobbes argued that life in the state of nature was 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.' To escape this, individuals enter a social contract surrendering their rights to a strong sovereign who guarantees order and security. Leviathan thus offered a philosophical defense of strong, centralized authority.
5John Locke's Two Treatises of Government argued that government legitimacy rests on what principle?
A.The consent of the governed and protection of natural rights
B.The divine right of kings
C.The absolute sovereignty of a single ruler
D.Inherited aristocratic privilege
Explanation: Locke held that people possess natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and that legitimate government rests on the consent of the governed. If a ruler violates these rights, the people may justly resist or replace the government. These ideas influenced the Glorious Revolution and later the American and French revolutions.
6The Peace of Westphalia (1648), which ended the Thirty Years' War, is significant for establishing what enduring principle?
A.The unification of Germany under a single emperor
B.State sovereignty over religious and territorial affairs within recognized borders
C.The supremacy of the papacy over secular rulers
D.A permanent ban on standing armies in Europe
Explanation: The Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years' War and is regarded as the foundation of the modern state system. It recognized the sovereignty of individual states over their internal affairs, including religion, and weakened the authority of the Holy Roman Emperor and the papacy in European politics.
7Under Louis XIV, the finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert is best known for promoting which economic policy?
A.Free trade and the elimination of tariffs
B.Laissez-faire capitalism
C.Mercantilism, including state support of manufacturing and protective tariffs
D.The abolition of overseas colonies
Explanation: Colbert was the leading practitioner of mercantilism in France. He promoted domestic manufacturing, built up the navy and merchant marine, encouraged colonies, and used tariffs to protect French industry and accumulate bullion. His policies aimed to make France economically self-sufficient and to fund the crown.
8The English Civil War of the 1640s and the subsequent execution of Charles I in 1649 demonstrated what about English politics?
A.That the monarchy had no role in taxation disputes
B.That divine-right absolutism was firmly secured in England
C.That England preferred a Catholic monarchy
D.That Parliament would not tolerate a monarch ruling without its consent
Explanation: The conflict between Charles I and Parliament over taxation, religion, and royal authority led to civil war and the king's execution in 1649. It showed that English political tradition would resist a monarch who tried to rule absolutely without parliamentary consent, foreshadowing the constitutional settlement of 1688-1689.
9The economic theory of mercantilism, dominant in 17th- and 18th-century Europe, held that a nation's wealth was best measured by what?
A.Its accumulation of gold and silver bullion through a favorable balance of trade
B.The size of its population
C.The number of universities it possessed
D.The extent of its free-trade agreements
Explanation: Mercantilists believed national wealth was measured by stocks of precious metals. States sought a favorable balance of trade, exporting more than they imported, and used colonies, tariffs, and monopolies to accumulate bullion. This thinking drove colonial competition and economic regulation across Europe.
10The triangular trade of the 17th and 18th centuries linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas primarily through the exchange of what?
A.Spices, silk, and porcelain from East Asia only
B.Manufactured goods, enslaved Africans, and colonial raw materials such as sugar and tobacco
C.Wheat, rye, and barley among European states
D.Coal, iron, and steel among industrial nations
Explanation: The Atlantic triangular trade moved manufactured goods from Europe to Africa, enslaved Africans across the Middle Passage to the Americas, and colonial commodities like sugar, tobacco, and cotton back to Europe. This system fueled the wealth of Atlantic powers and the brutal expansion of plantation slavery.

About the CLEP Western Civilization II Exam

CLEP Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present is a College Board credit-by-examination test covering European history from the mid-17th century to the modern era. The computer-based exam has about 120 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 90 minutes and is scored on a 20-80 scale. A score of 50 is the ACE-recommended credit-granting score, and a passing result can earn college credit for an introductory modern European history course.

Questions

120 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 Western Civilization II Exam Content Outline

~7-9%

Absolutism and Constitutionalism, 1648-1715

Louis XIV, the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, and the rise of constitutional monarchy.

~4-6%

Competition for Empire and Economic Expansion

Mercantilism, the Atlantic trade, and 18th-century colonial and commercial rivalry.

~5-7%

The Scientific View of the World

The Scientific Revolution, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and the scientific method.

~7-9%

The Period of Enlightenment

Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau, enlightened despotism, and Enlightenment thought.

~10-13%

Revolution and Napoleonic Europe

The French Revolution, the Terror, Napoleon's empire, and the Congress of Vienna.

~7-9%

The Industrial Revolution

Industrialization, urbanization, the factory system, and its social consequences.

~6-8%

Political and Cultural Developments, 1815-1848

Conservatism, liberalism, nationalism, romanticism, and the 1830 and 1848 revolutions.

~8-10%

Politics and Diplomacy in the Age of Nationalism, 1850-1914

Italian and German unification, realpolitik, and great-power diplomacy.

~7-9%

Economy, Culture, and Imperialism, 1850-1914

The Second Industrial Revolution, socialism, Marxism, and new imperialism.

~10-12%

The First World War and the Russian Revolution

Origins and course of World War I, the 1917 revolutions, and the Treaty of Versailles.

~7-9%

Europe Between the Wars

Weimar Germany, the Great Depression, fascism, Nazism, and Stalin's USSR.

~8-10%

The Second World War and Contemporary Europe

World War II, the Holocaust, the Cold War, and European integration.

How to Pass the CLEP Western Civilization II Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 50 (on a 20-80 scale)
  • Exam length: 120 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 Western Civilization II Study Tips from Top Performers

1Build a timeline from 1648 to the present so you can anchor events like the French Revolution (1789), Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo (1815), and the World Wars in the right sequence.
2Focus extra time on the French Revolution/Napoleon and WWI/Russian Revolution units, which together are over 20% of the exam.
3Learn the key -isms (liberalism, conservatism, nationalism, socialism, Marxism, fascism) and be able to distinguish their core beliefs.
4Pair major figures with their achievements (Bismarck and German unification, Cavour and Italian unification, Lenin and the Bolshevik Revolution) since the exam tests these matchups.
5Practice interpreting maps, political cartoons, and short passages, because grouped questions ask you to analyze primary and visual sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the CLEP Western Civilization II exam and how long is it?

The exam has about 120 multiple-choice questions (some are unscored pretest items) and a 90-minute time limit. Questions test factual knowledge, cause-and-effect reasoning, and interpretation of texts, maps, and images.

What period does CLEP Western Civilization II cover?

It covers European history from 1648 to the present, beginning with the age of absolutism and constitutionalism and running through the Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, French and Industrial Revolutions, the World Wars, the Cold War, and contemporary Europe.

What score do I need to pass CLEP Western Civilization II?

The exam is scored on a 20-80 scale, and the American Council on Education recommends a credit-granting score of 50. Individual colleges set their own credit policies, so confirm your school's required score.

How much does the CLEP Western Civilization II exam cost?

The CLEP exam fee is $97, plus a separate administration fee charged by the test center. Some students qualify for fee assistance through their school or military benefits.

How is CLEP Western Civilization II different from Western Civilization I?

Western Civilization I covers the Ancient Near East through 1648, while Western Civilization II picks up at 1648 and runs to the present. Each is a separate exam, and you can take one or both for credit.

Which topics carry the most weight on the exam?

The French Revolution and Napoleonic Europe (about 10-13%) and the First World War with the Russian Revolution (about 10-12%) are the most heavily weighted areas, followed by the Age of Nationalism and the Second World War with contemporary Europe.