CLEP* Study Guide
American literature.
The only study guide that teaches you what you need to know to pass the American Literature exam (with no prior knowledge needed), and is constantly updated based on student feedback to guarantee you the best possible results.
About the CLEP* Exam
The American Literature (with or without Essay) CLEP exam covers what a student would know after a two-semester college level course. InstantCert's course prepares you for the multiple choice portion of the exam, focusing on familiarizing students with major American authors and their works. Students taking the version that includes an essay will need to prepare for the essay-writing portion using other resources.
Topics Covered in this Course
The Colonial and Early National Period (Beginnings-1830) The Romantic Period (1830-1870) The Period of Realism and Naturalism (1870-1910) The Modernist Period (1910-1945) The Contemporary Period (1945-Present)
Customer Test Results for this Exam
355 users submitted test results since august, 2007. 310 of those users reported a passing score ( 87% )..
Below are ten of the most recent user-submitted test results. These are unfiltered, real results that were submitted by InstantCert students:
| Date of Exam | Result | Score |
| Jul 18, 2024 | passed | 62 |
| May 29, 2024 | passed | 64 |
| May 29, 2024 | passed | 58 |
| May 17, 2024 | passed | 54 |
| Apr 1, 2024 | passed | 58 |
| Mar 7, 2024 | failed | 47 |
| Feb 21, 2024 | passed | 55 |
| Jan 24, 2024 | passed | 68 |
| Dec 4, 2023 | passed | 70 |
| Nov 14, 2023 | passed | 62 |
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Our Study Guide:
- 402 flashcards with detailed explanations. - Updated "Insider" tips from other students. - NO prior knowledge required. - 100% online. Start studying instantly.
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American Literature Clep
This is for anyone planning on taking the American Lit CLEP exam. I took it yesterday and passed it with 60.
The resources I used were:
-Watched Modern state course videos once only and did its practice questions towards the end. Just watch the videos and try to understand instead of taking notes.
- Bought a Mometrix study guide. Very useful and gives a lot of information and has a great practice test towards the end.
Some Question I saw on exams that one should focus on
· Which female author was a transcendentalist
· A quote from Moby Dick, it looked like something Ahab would have said? about walls. The first 4 were about Mary Rowlandson's captivity narrative.
· A lot more of it was analyzing then I anticipated. Well over 50%. Lines from Atlanta Address and who presented it.
· There was actually only one question about a Jewish author which was a little surprising to me.
· Also, knowing some of the major story lines is needed to (ie The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, The Sun Also Rises) Some questions that were on the test included:
· What Amy Tan's "The Joy's Luck Club" was about
· What was "Brook Farm"
· What excuse did Thoreau give for moving to Walden Pond
· They had a question where you put in place what author published/editied in each magazine: I remember Margaret Fuller worked at "The Dial" and there were two others but I can't remember who or what they were.
· There was an exterp about a man riding on a horse approaching a house that "spooked" him (I think it's the House of Seven Gables - but am not sure)
· A question about The Scarlet Letter and what message is gives
· Know some of the major regionalist authors for there was a question on that
· Be able to identify a work or two of Mark Twain (primarily Huck Finn)
· There was a question that In what Poe work was the detective story popularized?
· In the Purloined letter where does the thief hide the letter?
· What happens at the end of the Fall of the house of Usher?
· What is the main character's mood in the Fall of the house of Usher? had me identify Transcendentalism
· Question about Olaudah Equiano
· Question about Samsom Occum
· Question about Raisin in the Sun plot(check out Thug Notes youtube video for summary)
· Name of Maya Angelou's Autobiography
· Question About Red Badge of Courage Plot
· The Crying of Lot 49 Question
· Question about which book was not about war ( the only book I didn't see in my studying was The Things They Carried with Them )
· Question asking who was not a Southern Writer
· Put Moby Dick , Red Badge of Courage and the Great Gatsby in Chronological order
· Who wrote the Joy Luck Club ( know the plot)
· Know the Characters in Their Eyes were Watching God (Crash Course does a good summary and what was the setting)
· Put the Harlem Renaissance writers in Chronological order
· Who was the Doctor Poet
· Know Tennessee Williams Plays
· Question about the plot of Long Days Journey Into Night
· Question about Natty Bumpo
· Know the plot of The Scarlet Letter(read as many passages of it as u can)
At the end of the day the exam will shock you. You will see passages that u wouldn't know who wrote them. Good vocabulary skills goes long way as you have to analyze a lot of words, sentences, Stanza, and passages. If you can do that u should be good. 50% of exam is about breakdown passages and meaning behind certain things.
Also, know your literary terms. You will see about 5-8 questions about it.
hit me up if you got any questions
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CLEP American Literature Practice Test
There’s no doubt you encounter American Literature in its many forms throughout your high school career. Its prevalence in university courses should serve as no surprise as a result. While you’re effectively moving on to a new chapter in your life by starting college, the experience won’t be entirely different from what you encountered in high school. You will still have a number of required courses to take to graduate, some of which won’t necessarily be related to your intended major.
CLEP Study Guide and Flashcards
Get practice questions, detailed study lessons, and complex subjects broken down into easily understandable concepts.
American Literature is a common course for general educational requirements and—for the most part—you can’t get out of them. If you didn’t manage to take or score well in a related AP course in high school, you only have one other option for skipping over this course and getting to the subjects you really care about. This option is the CLEP American Literature exam.
The CLEP exam encompasses several subjects, all of which enable you to get out of taking required general education courses, should you earn a passing score. The CLEP American Literature exam will assess your knowledge of its respective subject and whether you can safely skip over this course without harming your academic progress.
Because of its ties to the full-fledged course, the CLEP exam covers much of the same materials. You will have to know how to explicate literature, as well as the themes, authors, and history tied to American literature. To help you familiarize yourself with the exam, Mometrix Test Preparation has put together a CLEP American Literature practice test.
We’ve conducted careful research to ensure our practice test is as accurate to the real thing as possible, allowing you to gain a full understanding of how the exam works and what you may need to brush up on to earn the highest score you can.
All 100 CLEP American Literature questions on the exam will cover the following relevant topics:
- Contemporary Period (at an appearance rate of 15 percent)
- Colonial and Early National Period (15 percent)
- Modernist Period (25 percent)
- Period of Realism and Naturalism (20 percent)
- Romantic Period (25 percent)
This resource is 100 percent free, so you can use it as much as you need. Feel free to pair it with our companion CLEP American Literature study guide for best results!
Additional Free CLEP Practice Tests
- CLEP American Government Practice Test
- CLEP Analyzing Interpreting Literature Practice Test
- CLEP Biology Practice Test
- CLEP College Composition Practice Test
- CLEP History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877 Practice Test
- CLEP Human Growth and Development Practice Test
- CLEP Humanities Practice Test
- CLEP Introductory Psychology Practice Test
- CLEP Natural Science Practice Test
- CLEP Principles of Management Practice Test
- CLEP Principles of Microeconomics Practice Test
- CLEP Social Sciences and History Practice Test
- Educational
- Clep American Lit
Clep American Lit Exam
- Colonial and Early National Period (10 questions)
- Contemporary Period (10 questions)
- Modernist Period (14 questions)
- Realism and Naturalism Period (16 questions)
- Romantic Period (11 questions)
Exam Description: Additional Information
The American Literature examination covers material that is usually taught in a two-semester survey course (or the equivalent) at the college level. It deals with the prose and poetry written in the United States from colonial times to the present. It is primarily a test of knowledge about literary works — their content, their background, and their authors — but also requires an ability to interpret poetry, fiction, and nonfiction prose, as well as a familiarity with the terminology used by literary critics and historians. The examination emphasizes fiction and poetry and deals to a lesser degree with the essay, drama, and autobiography.
In both coverage and approach, the examination resembles the chronologically organized survey of American literature offered by many colleges. It assumes that candidates have read widely and developed an appreciation of American literature, know the basic literary periods, and have a sense of the historical development of American literature.
The test contains approximately 100 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest questions that will not be scored. Any time candidates spend on tutorials and providing personal information is in addition to the actual testing time.
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The American Literature exam covers material that is usually taught in a survey course at the college level. It deals with the prose and poetry written in the United States from precolonial times to the present. It tests literary works—their content, background, and authors—but also requires an ability to interpret poetry, fiction and ...
An optional essay section can be taken in addition to the multiple-choice test. The essay section requires that two essays be written during a total time of 90 minutes. For the irst essay, a common theme in American literature and a list of major American authors are provided. Candidates are asked to write a well-organized essay discussing the
The Analyzing and Interpreting Literature exam covers material usually taught in a general undergraduate course in literature. Although the exam does not require familiarity with specific works, it does assume that test takers have read widely and perceptively in poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. The questions are based on passages ...
The CLEP American Literature test is administered throughout the year on a very flexible schedule. During the registration process, you will need to pay the $90 exam fee. You will also choose whether to take the test at a testing center or remotely. If you are taking the exam in-person, you must ensure that you print out your examination ticket ...
The American Literature examination covers material that is usually taught in a survey course at the college level. It deals with the prose and poetry written in the United States from pre-colonial times to the present. It tests knowledge of literary works—their content, their background and their authors—and requires an ability to ...
GlanceDescription of the ExaminationThe American Literature examination covers material that is usually taught in a two-semest. r survey course at the college level. It deals with the prose and poetry written in the United Stat. s from colonial times to the present. It is primarily a test of knowledge about literary works — their content ...
The American Literature (with or without Essay) CLEP exam covers what a student would know after a two-semester college level course. InstantCert's course prepares you for the multiple choice portion of the exam, focusing on familiarizing students with major American authors and their works. Students taking the version that includes an essay ...
3-7% Classical and pre-Renaissance. 20-30% Renaissance and 17th Century. turies25-35% 20th and 21st CenturiesStudy ResourcesThe most relevant preparation for the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature exam is attentive and reflective reading of. the various literary genres of p. Reading a variety of poetry, drama, fiction and nonfiction.
American Literature Clep. I Passed! Hey guys, This is for anyone planning on taking the American Lit CLEP exam. I took it yesterday and passed it with 60. The resources I used were: -Watched Modern state course videos once only and did its practice questions towards the end. Just watch the videos and try to understand instead of taking notes.
All 100 CLEP American Literature questions on the exam will cover the following relevant topics: Contemporary Period (at an appearance rate of 15 percent) Colonial and Early National Period (15 percent) Modernist Period (25 percent) Period of Realism and Naturalism (20 percent) Romantic Period (25 percent) This resource is 100 percent free, so ...
the feelings or emotions surrounding a word. (ie. home = pleasant haven) motif. Phase, image, action, that unifies a work of literature by recurring throughout it. A theme or idea in a work of art or literature that is developed or repeated. Theme. central idea of a work of literature, general topic or subject. Apostrophe.
Exam Description: Additional Information. The American Literature examination covers material that is usually taught in a two-semester survey course (or the equivalent) at the college level. It deals with the prose and poetry written in the United States from colonial times to the present. It is primarily a test of knowledge about literary ...
PDF. 557.83 KB. The following Analyzing and Interpreting Literature sample questions aren't used in actual CLEP exams and aren't presented here as they will be on the test. Use them to get a sense of question format and difficulty level. Directions Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by five suggested answers or ...
This CLEP American Literature course is designed to prepare you for the CLEP American Literature exam, covering all of the topics outlined in the official test materials provided by The College Board.
About the Exam and the Essay. The CLEP exam contains approximately 100 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. The exam will primarily test your knowledge on literary works —their content, ... For the first essay, a common theme in American literature and a list of major American authors are provided. You will be asked to write a well ...
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature - CLEP Exam. Home: Week One Assignments: Week Two Assignments: Week Three Assignments: Now for the Test: ... An optional essay is included with this exam and is graded by the college, if required. The essay is completed in a "bluebook" with pencil. ... - "Barron's EZ-101 American Literature"
This website was designed to make our study for the CLEP American Literature exam as easy as possible. It will also enable the sharing of our lesson plans with other homeschooling parents who are interested in having their teens earn college credits through CLEP. ... IMPORTANT: An optional essay is included with this exam and is graded by the ...
Washington Irving (1783-1859) Was the first American international literary superstar.Author of: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", "Rip Van Winkle", "The Devil and Tom Walker," and A History of New York. His most famous work, he Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon was written during a 17 year stay in Europe.
Online Resources. The online resources listed below, compiled by the CLEP test development committee and staff members, may help you study for your exam. However, none of these sources are designed specifically to provide preparation for a CLEP exam. College Board has no control over their content and cannot vouch for accuracy.
His first work was the short essay, "Nature," which became the unofficial transcendental manifesto. His fame grew when "Essays" became famous in 1841. Known for "Self Reliance", and "Hymn Sung at the Completion of the Concord Monument." The first to define the boundaries of American Poetry: consisting of ordinary experience and not epic themes.
Boost your CLEP American Literature exam score with this 21-hour course. Learn about literary analysis, various literary periods, and essay structuring through engaging videos and quizzes.
The passages are taken primarily from American and British literature. The exam contains approximately 80 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 98 minutes. Some of these are pretest questions that won't be scored. An optional essay section can be taken in addition to the multiple-choice exam. The essay section requires that two essays
For the first essay, a common theme in American literature and a list of major American authors are provided. Candidates are asked to write a well-organized essay discussing the way that theme is handled in works by any two of those authors. ... (CLEP) American Government (CLEP-0007) American Literature (CLEP-0010) Analyzing and Interpreting ...
The American Literature Association's 36th annual conference will meet at the Westin Copley Place May 21-24, 2025 (Wednesday through Saturday of Memorial Day weekend). ... (researched nonfiction or creative scholarship) are welcome. Note: this will be a panel of six, 10-minute papers. The ALA Conference Fee: The registration fee covers the ...