Free CLEP College Composition Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the CLEP College Composition practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1Choose the verb that agrees with the subject in this sentence: The collection of handwritten letters ___ currently on display.

   1. A.are
   2. B.were
   3. C.isCorrect answer: C
   4. D.have been

   Explanation: Purdue OWL states, “The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.” The subject is singular collection; of handwritten letters is an intervening phrase, so is agrees. Are and have been require a plural subject. Were also fails singular agreement here and conflicts with the stated current display.

   Reference: Purdue OWL: Making Subjects and Verbs Agree — Rule 5

2. 2A paragraph will explain how planted rooftops reduce indoor heat, retain rainwater, and provide habitat for insects. Which topic sentence best introduces this paragraph?

   1. A.Plants on roofs require different depths of soil.
   2. B.Roof gardens attract a wide variety of insects.
   3. C.Rainfall can overwhelm a city’s drainage system.
   4. D.Planted rooftops can provide several environmental benefits.Correct answer: D

   Explanation: Purdue OWL describes a topic sentence as indicating “what idea or thesis the paragraph is going to deal with.” Environmental benefits encompasses heat, rainwater, and habitat. Soil depth introduces another focus; insects covers only the habitat point; city drainage covers only the rainwater point.

   Reference: Purdue OWL: On Paragraphs — Elements of a paragraph, topic sentence

3. 3For a project about how residents use a neighborhood garden, which activity would produce primary research collected by the student?

   1. A.Summarizing a published review of urban gardens
   2. B.Reading an encyclopedia entry about gardens
   3. C.Comparing two newspaper editorials about gardening
   4. D.Interviewing residents about their use of the gardenCorrect answer: D

   Explanation: Purdue OWL defines primary research as research “that you collect yourself.” The student’s interviews generate firsthand data for this project. A review, encyclopedia entry, and existing editorials are already published materials the student is consulting rather than collecting as original garden-use data.

   Reference: Purdue OWL: What Is Primary Research? — Opening definition

4. 4An advocate writes, "Opponents of the reservoir are not indifferent to drought. They object to the loss of farmland, a concern my proposal must address." How does this statement principally strengthen the advocate’s ethos?

   1. A.It establishes that the farmland loss has been measured quantitatively.
   2. B.It makes the opponents’ concern appear unrelated to the debate.
   3. C.It presents the opposing position fairly, suggesting a trustworthy writer.Correct answer: C
   4. D.It replaces an argument about the reservoir with a personal anecdote.

   Explanation: Purdue recommends, “Respect the reader by stating the opposing position accurately.” C describes that credibility-building choice: the advocate resists caricaturing opponents. A mistakes acknowledgment for measurement; B contradicts the explicit promise to address the concern; D describes neither the passage’s content nor its strategy.

   Reference: Purdue OWL — Rhetorical Strategies — Ethos

5. 5Which phrase completes the sentence with parallel grammatical structure? The archivist is responsible for cataloging photographs, repairing folders, and ___.

   1. A.preserving lettersCorrect answer: A
   2. B.to preserve letters
   3. C.the preservation of letters
   4. D.letters that require preservation

   Explanation: Purdue OWL defines parallel structure as “using the same pattern of words”. Cataloging photographs and repairing folders are gerund phrases; preserving letters continues that pattern. To preserve is an infinitive, the preservation is a noun phrase, and letters that require preservation uses a noun with a relative clause.

   Reference: Purdue OWL: Parallel Structure — Opening definition and Words and Phrases

6. 6A paragraph argues that a library’s extended evening hours help working adults. Its sentences describe late shifts, access after work, the building’s architectural style, and evening computer use. Which material should be moved to another paragraph to improve unity?

   1. A.The description of the building’s architectural styleCorrect answer: A
   2. B.The explanation of how late shifts affect visits
   3. C.The discussion of access after the workday ends
   4. D.The example of computer use during evening hours

   Explanation: Purdue OWL states, “The entire paragraph should concern itself with a single focus.” Architectural style does not develop the relation between evening access and working adults. Late shifts, after-work access, and evening computer use all directly develop that focus.

   Reference: Purdue OWL: On Paragraphs — Unity

7. 7A student is evaluating an author’s expertise on river contamination. Which information most directly helps establish relevant subject knowledge?

   1. A.The author’s training in aquatic chemistry and published research on river pollutantsCorrect answer: A
   2. B.The number of followers on the author’s unrelated entertainment account
   3. C.The visual design of the author’s personal home page
   4. D.The number of times the author’s surname appears in search results

   Explanation: Purdue OWL recommends examining an author’s “educational background and areas of expertise”. Relevant training and research bear directly on the topic. Popularity, web design, and name frequency do not by themselves establish knowledge of aquatic contamination.

   Reference: Purdue OWL: Evaluating Sources, General Guidelines — Find Out What You Can about the Author

8. 8An appeal for a winter shelter opens with a description of one resident waiting in the snow, clutching a bag of belongings while the shelter’s beds are full. What is the principal rhetorical function of this opening?

   1. A.To give the shelter shortage a human face that can elicit compassion.Correct answer: A
   2. B.To establish the number of people who need shelter across the city.
   3. C.To establish the writer’s professional expertise in shelter management.
   4. D.To compare the effectiveness of two different shelter funding systems.

   Explanation: Purdue explains that emotional appeals can use “interviews and individual stories” to give an issue a human face. The individual’s circumstances invite compassion, supporting A. The account supplies no citywide count for B, author credentials for C, or comparative funding evidence for D.

   Reference: Purdue OWL — Rhetorical Strategies — Pathos

9. 9Which continuation correctly identifies who calibrated the sensors? Having calibrated the sensors, ___.

   1. A.the first measurements were collected by the technician
   2. B.the experiment was ready for the technician to begin
   3. C.the laboratory was prepared for data collection
   4. D.the technician began collecting measurementsCorrect answer: D

   Explanation: Purdue OWL advises, “Name the appropriate or logical doer of the action as the subject of the main clause”. The technician performed the calibration and is the subject of the correct continuation. The other continuations make measurements, experiment, or laboratory the subject; none is the person performing the introductory action.

   Reference: Purdue OWL: Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them — Strategies for revising dangling modifiers, strategy 1

10. 10A writer wants a chronological account of a restoration. (1) Conservators applied a protective coating after repairs. (2) An initial inspection identified damaged areas. (3) Repairs followed the inspection. (4) Visitors viewed the finished work after the coating dried. Which order best serves that purpose?

    1. A.3, 2, 1, 4
    2. B.2, 3, 1, 4Correct answer: B
    3. C.2, 1, 4, 3
    4. D.4, 2, 3, 1

    Explanation: Purdue OWL lists “Offer a chronology of an event (time segments)” as a development method. Inspection must precede repairs, repairs precede coating, and completed coating precedes viewing. The other orders place an event before a stated prerequisite or begin with the final viewing.

    Reference: Purdue OWL: On Paragraphs — Adequate development, methods