CLEP American Literature Practice Test

10 free sample questions with answers and explanations. See how you'd score on the real CLEP exam.

Question 1Unit 1: Colonial and Early National (1620-1830)

Which literary movement is exemplified in the following passage?

A
A) Enlightenment Prose
B
B) Romanticism
C
C) Puritan Literature
D
D) American Realism
E
E) Transcendentalism

Explanation

The passage exemplifies Puritan literature due to its emphasis on the presence of God, the fragile nature of human existence, and the search for spiritual peace. The plain and simple style of the passage, as well as its focus on the individual's emotional and spiritual experience, are also characteristic of Puritan literature. The correct answer is Puritan Literature. The other options are incorrect because Enlightenment Prose typically focuses on reason and intellectual pursuits, Romanticism emphasizes emotion and the beauty of nature, American Realism concentrates on the everyday lives of ordinary people, and Transcendentalism stresses the importance of individualism and the spiritual connection to nature. The distractors target common misconceptions about literary movements, such as confusing Puritan literature with other movements that also emphasize spirituality or the natural world.

Question 2Unit 1: Colonial and Early National (1620-1830)

The story of which character is explored in The Bluest Eye?

A
A) Alex Haley's
B
B) Langston Hughes'
C
C) Pecola Breedlove's
D
D) Zora Neale Hurston's
E
E) Countee Cullen's

Explanation

Pecola Breedlove's is correct because Pecola Breedlove's story is explored in The Bluest Eye.

Question 3Unit 1: Colonial and Early National (1620-1830)

Which character is at the center of The Bluest Eye?

A
A) Sula Peace
B
B) Sethe
C
C) Pecola Breedlove
D
D) Milkman Dead
E
E) Pilate

Explanation

Pecola Breedlove is correct because Pecola Breedlove is the central character in The Bluest Eye.

Question 4Unit 1: Colonial and Early National (1620-1830)

The Bluest Eye features which character's struggle?

A
A) Scout Finch's
B
B) Hester Prynne's
C
C) Pecola Breedlove's
D
D) Janie Crawford's
E
E) Celie's

Explanation

Pecola Breedlove's is correct because Pecola Breedlove's struggle is central to The Bluest Eye.

Question 5Unit 1: Colonial and Early National (1620-1830)

Which novel tells the story of Pecola Breedlove?

A
A) Their Eyes Were Watching God
B
B) The Color Purple
C
C) The Bluest Eye
D
D) Invisible Man
E
E) Native Son

Explanation

The Bluest Eye is correct because The Bluest Eye features Pecola Breedlove's story.

Question 6Unit 1: Colonial and Early National (1620-1830)

The purpose of slave narratives like Douglass's and Jacobs's was to

A
A) Expose the brutality of slavery
B
B) Justify the institution of slavery
C
C) Entertain abolitionist audiences
D
D) Provide historical context for the Civil War
E
E) Promote the idea of gradual emancipation

Explanation

Expose the brutality of slavery is correct because exposing brutality was a primary purpose.

Question 7Unit 1: Colonial and Early National (1620-1830)

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was published in

A
A) 1850
B
B) 1860
C
C) 1861
D
D) 1865
E
E) 1868

Explanation

1861 is correct because Incidents was published in 1861.

Question 8Unit 1: Colonial and Early National (1620-1830)

Frederick Douglass's narrative was first published in

A
A) 1845
B
B) 1850
C
C) 1855
D
D) 1860
E
E) 1865

Explanation

1845 is correct because Douglass's narrative was first published in 1845.

Question 9Unit 1: Colonial and Early National (1620-1830)

Which of the following is a major theme in slave narratives?

A
A) The struggle for freedom
B
B) The importance of slavery
C
C) The power of the slave owner
D
D) The inferiority of African Americans
E
E) The benefits of the slave trade

Explanation

The struggle for freedom is correct because freedom was a central theme.

Question 10Unit 1: Colonial and Early National (1620-1830)

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an example of a

A
A) Slave narrative
B
B) Abolitionist novel
C
C) Autobiographical poem
D
D) Historical fiction novel
E
E) Memoir of a free black

Explanation

Slave narrative is correct because Douglass's narrative is a slave narrative.

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