American Literature
3 free practice tests · 100 questions each · 1h 30min · U.S. literary survey
About This Exam
The CLEP American Literature exam measures college-level understanding of american prose and poetry from precolonial writing to the present, with emphasis on interpretation, authors, works, and literary history. Questions are written to reflect the official College Board blueprint and mix direct knowledge, application, interpretation, and scenario-based reasoning.
What's Covered
- Interpretation — close reading of poetry and prose, including tone, imagery, structure, and meaning
- Authors and works — major writers, representative texts, characters, themes, and movements
- Literary terms — verse forms, devices, genre conventions, and critical vocabulary
- Historical development — American literary periods from colonial writing through contemporary literature
For the official exam description, see the College Board CLEP American Literature page.
Study Tips
- Study authors in clusters by period so works, themes, and historical context reinforce each other.
- Balance literary history with direct interpretation practice; the exam is not pure recall.
- Know which writers are primarily associated with poetry, fiction, essay, or drama.
- Expect distractors to include authors from neighboring periods with similar themes.
- Use quotations, styles, and recurring concerns to distinguish major American movements.
How to Register
Register at clep.collegeboard.org. The exam costs $97 and can be taken at a testing center or remotely. Check with your college for its CLEP credit policy and minimum score requirements before registering. Military service members, their spouses, and eligible veterans may be able to take the exam at no cost through DANTES funding.
About Our Practice Tests
All questions are original and written to match the difficulty, format, and topic coverage of the real exam based on official exam descriptions. We offer two modes: Practice Mode gives you instant feedback and explanations after each question, and Test Mode simulates the real exam with a timer and no feedback until you submit. Both modes are completely free with no account required.
Sample Practice Questions
Review these sample questions to get a feel for the exam. For the full interactive experience, use the Practice Tests above.
Which term best matches the description below?
The austere, direct, morally serious mode associated with much early New England writing.
- A) irony in realist fiction
- B) Puritan plain style
- C) social determinism
- D) modernist fragmentation
- E) Faulkner multiple perspectives
View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer:
B) Puritan plain style
Puritan plain style is the austere, direct, morally serious mode associated with much early New England writing. In context, a passage emphasizes spiritual urgency and plain diction instead of decorative language.
Which term best matches the description below?
A sermon or rhetorical form lamenting moral decline while calling the audience back to founding ideals.
- A) Whitmanic catalog
- B) local color
- C) jeremiad
- D) free verse
- E) confessional poetry
View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer:
C) jeremiad
jeremiad is a sermon or rhetorical form lamenting moral decline while calling the audience back to founding ideals. In context, a writer rebukes public corruption while insisting that renewal is still possible if the community reforms itself.
Which term best matches the description below?
The colonial poet whose verse often combines domestic life, personal reflection, and Puritan belief.
- A) F. Scott Fitzgerald
- B) August Wilson
- C) Alice Walker
- D) Anne Bradstreet
- E) Benjamin Franklin
View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer:
D) Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet is the colonial poet whose verse often combines domestic life, personal reflection, and Puritan belief. In context, a literary question highlights an early American poet who writes about family affection without abandoning religious seriousness.
Which term best matches the description below?
The writer and statesman associated with practical self-improvement, wit, and autobiography.
- A) August Wilson
- B) Alice Walker
- C) Anne Bradstreet
- D) Nathaniel Hawthorne
- E) Benjamin Franklin
View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer:
E) Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin is the writer and statesman associated with practical self-improvement, wit, and autobiography. In context, a survey item points to an early American prose writer who links discipline, thrift, and civic usefulness.
Which term best matches the description below?
The movement that stresses intuition, moral independence, and the spiritual significance of nature.
- A) Transcendentalism
- B) realism
- C) naturalism
- D) modernism
- E) Harlem Renaissance
View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer:
A) Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is the movement that stresses intuition, moral independence, and the spiritual significance of nature. In context, a prose selection argues that individuals should trust conscience more than custom or institutions.