Free CLEP Western Civilization II Practice Test

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Test 1

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About This Exam

The CLEP Western Civilization II exam covers material usually taught in the second semester of a two-semester Western civilization survey. It begins with the post-1648 balance of power and continues through the Enlightenment, revolutions, industrialization, nationalism, the world wars, the Cold War, and contemporary Europe.

Questions120 multiple choice

Time Limit90 minutes

Passing Score50 out of 80

College Credit3 semester hours

Exam Cost$97

What's Covered

1648-1715 - absolutism, constitutionalism, Louis XIV, the Dutch Republic, England, Austria, Prussia, and Russia
18th century - empire, economic expansion, Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, and enlightened absolutism
Revolutionary era - the French Revolution, Napoleon, and the Congress of Vienna
Industrial and political change - industrialization, liberalism, socialism, nationalism, and the revolutions of 1830 and 1848
1850-1914 - German and Italian unification, imperialism, diplomacy, science, culture, and labor politics
20th century to the present - World War I, the Russian Revolution, fascism, World War II, the Cold War, European integration, and contemporary Europe

For the official exam description, see the College Board CLEP Western Civilization II page.

Study Tips

Know the big sequences: Scientific Revolution to Enlightenment, Enlightenment to Revolution, Industrial Revolution to nationalism, and Versailles to World War II.
Do not study politics alone. This exam also asks about economic change, imperialism, labor, science, philosophy, and culture.
Keep diplomacy straight: Utrecht, Vienna, Crimean War, Bismarckian alliances, Sarajevo, Versailles, Locarno, Munich, Yalta, NATO, and Maastricht all matter.
Practice identifying what an event changed, not only what happened. Many CLEP history questions hinge on significance and consequence.
For the twentieth century, make sure you can connect ideology, mass politics, economics, and war rather than treating each as a separate unit.

How to Register

Register at clep.collegeboard.org. The exam costs $97 and can be taken at a testing center or remotely. Check your college's CLEP policy before registering. Military service members, their spouses, and eligible veterans may be able to take CLEP exams at no cost through DANTES funding.

About Our Practice Tests

All questions are original and written to match the official exam's tone, chronology, and breadth. Practice Mode gives instant feedback with explanations. Test Mode simulates the full timed exam with no feedback until submission.

Sample Practice Questions

Review these sample questions to get a feel for the exam. For the full interactive experience, use the Practice Test above.

1. The Peace of Westphalia (1648) is most often cited in European history as a turning point because it

A) abolished serfdom across the Holy Roman Empire
B) recognized the practical sovereignty of territorial states after the Thirty Years' War
C) created a permanent papal army in Central Europe
D) ended Ottoman expansion by one territorial transfer
E) merged the Dutch Republic with the Spanish Netherlands

View Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer:
B) recognized the practical sovereignty of territorial states after the Thirty Years' War

Explanation:
Westphalia is commonly treated as a landmark in the development of territorial sovereignty and the modern interstate system.

2. A historian emphasizing Louis XIV's domestic consolidation would most likely stress that Versailles functioned primarily as

A) a free public museum for artisans
B) a ceremonial and administrative center that kept nobles dependent on the king
C) a chartered Atlantic trade headquarters
D) a university town independent of royal influence
E) a refuge for annual Estates-General meetings

View Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer:
B) a ceremonial and administrative center that kept nobles dependent on the king

Explanation:
Versailles magnified royal prestige and drew nobles into a court culture that reinforced absolutist political dependence.

3. The Fronde crises in mid-seventeenth-century France are best understood as

A) a successful bourgeois revolution establishing constitutional monarchy
B) a series of noble and urban revolts that ultimately strengthened the logic of central monarchy
C) a peasant uprising that destroyed the French army
D) a purely religious war over the Edict of Nantes
E) a colonial conflict sparked in Canada

View Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer:
B) a series of noble and urban revolts that ultimately strengthened the logic of central monarchy

Explanation:
The Fronde exposed the dangers of aristocratic disorder and helped justify stronger centralized authority under later Bourbon rule.

4. The English Bill of Rights (1689) most directly reflected which constitutional principle?

A) the divine right of kings to suspend laws without consent
B) limits on royal power and affirmation of parliamentary rights
C) universal manhood suffrage
D) full legal equality for Catholics and Protestants in all offices
E) the king's exclusive power to tax in peacetime

View Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer:
B) limits on royal power and affirmation of parliamentary rights

Explanation:
The Bill of Rights codified the post-Glorious Revolution settlement and sharply limited unchecked royal authority.

5. Peter the Great's reforms in Russia are commonly associated with

A) abolishing serfdom and dissolving the nobility
B) state-driven Westernization, military modernization, and the building of St. Petersburg
C) a Dutch-style constitutional charter that ended autocracy
D) a permanent alliance with the Ottoman Empire
E) total secularization without resistance

View Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer:
B) state-driven Westernization, military modernization, and the building of St. Petersburg

Explanation:
Peter expanded the military, reorganized elite service, and used St. Petersburg to symbolize Russia's new orientation toward Europe.