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Test Prep CLEP Composition and Literature Exam Questions
CLEP Composition and Literature: American Literature, English Literature, Humanities (Page 4 )

Updated On: 21-Feb-2026
Page 4 of 44
PDF with 213 Questions

May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: “Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice, and looked on their adversity, etc. Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good, and his mercies endure forever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, show how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry, and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men.”

The above passage was written by

  1. William Bradford
  2. Jonathan Edwards
  3. Hannah Webster Foster
  4. Jupiter Hammon
  5. William Hill Brown

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

This passage comes from Chapter 9 of William Bradford’s History of the Plymouth Plantation. William Bradford arrived in Plymouth aboard the Mayflower. Is journal covers the entire story of the Puritan flight from Europe and efforts to survive in America.



The Bear that breathes the northern blast Did numb, torpedo-like, a wasp Whose stiffened limbs encramped, lay bathing In Sol’s warm breath and shine as saving, Which with her hands she chafes and stands Rubbing her legs, shanks, thighs, and hands. Her petty toes, and fingers’ ends Nipped with this breath, she out extends Unto the sun, in great desire To warm her digits at that fire.

Which of the following best describes the activity of the wasp in the passage above?

  1. Sunbathing
  2. Cleaning
  3. Praying
  4. Eating
  5. Stretching

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

This passage comes from Edward Taylor’s poem “Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold.” The wasp is literally sunbathing after being chilled by a “Northern blast.”



Censorship by which of the following helped to determine the content of early American literature?

  1. Protestants
  2. Catholics
  3. Unitarians
  4. Evangelicals
  5. Agnostics

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

The Protestant clergy exerted great influence over the cultural life of early America. Written works could not be easily published without the approval of the religious establishment. Further, certain subjects were considered off-limits.



Which of the following authors is NOT classified as a member of the Romantic period in American fiction?

  1. Walt Whitman
  2. James Fenimore Cooper
  3. Nathaniel Hawthorne
  4. Edgar Allan Poe
  5. Emily Dickinson

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

The Romantic Period in American fiction ran from roughly 1830 until 1870. Not only does James Fenimore Cooper pre-date the movement, but also his work doesn’t incorporate the Romantic vision. While Cooper’s characters took part in extraordinary adventures that were anything but mundane, he attempts to describe as accurately as possible realistic characters. In contrast, Romantic authors created characters that were larger than life – less realistic and yet imbued with greater symbolic meaning.



The main characters in the poems and short stories of Edgar Allen Poe can best be described as

  1. reckless tricksters
  2. streetwise hustlers
  3. pious clergymen
  4. clever businessmen
  5. madmen

Answer(s): E

Explanation:

Poe’s dark stories of moral or physical decay are often populated with madmen, such as the speaker in “The Raven,” the speaker in “Annabel Lee,” and Montressor in “The Cask of Amontillado.”






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