Free CLEP College Composition Practice Test (2026)

Question 1

Read this draft: (1) Bats have a bad reputation, but they do far more good than harm. (2) A single little brown bat can eat hundreds of insects in one night. (3) Other bats spread seeds and pollinate plants such as wild bananas and agave. (4) ____ Which sentence would best conclude the paragraph?

Accepted Answer

Far from being pests, bats are valuable partners to farmers and to nature.

Answer

Bats are mammals, not birds, even though both groups of animals can fly.

Answer

Some people have always been afraid of the dark and the creatures in it.

Answer

Vampire bats, which feed on blood, live mainly in Central and South America.

Answer

In the next paragraph, this essay will turn to the subject of owls.

Question 2

Which statement is an example of a false dilemma?

Accepted Answer

Either we ban all cars from downtown, or we accept smog forever.

Answer

Most of the scientists surveyed agree that the city's smog has gotten worse.

Answer

Smog rose for three years in a row, so the city should study the causes.

Answer

The mayor's plan has real costs, but its benefits seem to outweigh them.

Answer

Some cities have reduced smog by adding buses and requiring cleaner fuels.

Question 3

A student is writing an essay arguing that the campus library should stay open 24 hours a day during final exams. Which sentence would work best as the thesis?

Accepted Answer

During finals, the library should stay open all night so students have a quiet place to study.

Answer

The campus library was built many decades ago and now has three crowded floors of books and computers.

Answer

Many students across the country study very hard for their final exams every single semester.

Answer

Some people think the library should change its hours during finals, and other people do not.

Answer

This essay will be about the campus library, its hours and what students think of it.

Question 4

In MLA style, which is the correct in-text citation for a quotation from page 42 of a book by Linh Nguyen and Daniel Park?

Accepted Answer

(Nguyen and Park 42)

Answer

(Nguyen & Park, 2021, p. 42)

Answer

(Linh Nguyen and Daniel Park, page 42)

Answer

(Nguyen and Park, p. 42)

Answer

(42, Nguyen and Park)

Question 5

Read this passage: "The county wants to sell Hollow Creek Forest to pay for a new parking garage. We spend millions on museums to show children paintings of forests. Why would we sell the real one?" The final sentence mainly serves to

Accepted Answer

make a point the writer expects readers to agree with

Answer

ask readers for information that the writer does not have

Answer

introduce a new topic for the next paragraph to explore

Answer

admit that the writer's own argument has a weakness

Answer

summarize the county's official position fairly and neutrally

Question 6

Which statement in a research paper would most likely need no citation because it is common knowledge?

Accepted Answer

World War II ended in 1945.

Answer

A recent survey found that 41 percent of teenagers sleep less than seven hours.

Answer

One historian argues that economic collapse hastened the end of the war.

Answer

Coffee prices rose 12 percent last spring, according to market data.

Answer

A leading economist predicts that growth will slow next year.

Question 7

Read this passage: "The new parking garage is a marvel of planning. It has 600 spaces, a rooftop garden and only one small flaw: no one has yet found a way to drive into it." The tone of the passage is best described as

Accepted Answer

sarcastic

Answer

admiring

Answer

neutral

Answer

nostalgic

Answer

fearful

Question 8

Read this draft: (1) Electric buses cost much more to buy than diesel buses. (2) ____, they are far cheaper to fuel and maintain, so many cities save money over a bus's lifetime. Which word or phrase best fills the blank?

Accepted Answer

However

Answer

Therefore

Answer

For example

Answer

Similarly

Answer

In addition

Question 9

Which sentence is correct in standard written English?

Accepted Answer

The coach gave the extra tickets to Maya and me.

Answer

The coach gave the extra tickets to Maya and I.

Answer

The coach gave the extra tickets to Maya and myself.

Answer

The coach gave the extra tickets to she and I.

Answer

The coach gave the extra tickets to her and I.

Question 10

Read these recipe steps: (1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. (2) Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. (3) Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet. (4) Bake for ten to twelve minutes, until the edges turn golden. Where should this sentence be added? "Stir in the flour, eggs and chocolate chips until a thick dough forms."

Accepted Answer

Between sentences 2 and 3

Answer

Before sentence 1

Answer

Between sentences 1 and 2

Answer

Between sentences 3 and 4

Answer

After sentence 4

Question 11

Read the opening of a letter to the editor: "I have worked as an emergency room nurse for fifteen years, and I have treated dozens of cyclists hurt on Main Street. A protected bike lane would prevent many of those injuries." The first sentence mainly appeals to

Accepted Answer

ethos, by showing the writer's credibility

Answer

pathos, by describing injuries in graphic detail

Answer

logos, by presenting detailed statistical data

Answer

humor, by helping readers relax before the argument

Answer

popularity, by claiming that everyone already agrees

Question 12

A writer wants to quote this sentence but leave out the middle part: "The river, which had flooded the town three times in a decade, finally received a new seawall in 2019." Which quotation uses an ellipsis correctly?

Accepted Answer

"The river ... finally received a new seawall in 2019."

Answer

"The river, finally received a new seawall in 2019."

Answer

"The river ... flooded the town ... in 2019."

Answer

"The river, which had flooded the town, received a seawall."

Answer

"The river (which had flooded) received a new seawall."

Question 13

Which sentence uses the correct preposition in its idiom?

Accepted Answer

The new manager is capable of handling three projects at once.

Answer

The landlord insisted for a larger deposit before signing the lease.

Answer

Visitors are prohibited to take photographs anywhere in the gallery.

Answer

The company finally complied to the state's new safety rules.

Answer

She has had a strong interest on marine biology since childhood.

Question 14

Which choice best combines these two sentences? "The bridge was closed for repairs. Drivers had to take a twenty-minute detour."

Accepted Answer

Because the bridge was closed for repairs, drivers had to take a twenty-minute detour.

Answer

Although the bridge was closed for repairs, drivers had to take a twenty-minute detour.

Answer

The bridge was closed for repairs, so that drivers had to take a twenty-minute detour.

Answer

Drivers had to take a twenty-minute detour, and also the bridge was closed for repairs.

Answer

The bridge being closed for repairs, and drivers having to take a twenty-minute detour.

Question 15

Original source (Ruiz, page 17): "Street trees lower summer temperatures on city blocks by shading pavement and releasing water vapor." Which choice is an acceptable paraphrase in MLA style?

Accepted Answer

According to Ruiz, trees along streets cool city blocks in summer because they shade the pavement and give off moisture (17).

Answer

Street trees lower summer temperatures on city blocks by shading pavement and releasing water vapor (Ruiz 17).

Answer

Street trees reduce summer temperatures on city blocks by shading pavement and letting out water vapor (Ruiz 17).

Answer

Trees along streets cool city blocks in summer because they shade the pavement and give off moisture.

Answer

Ruiz says that trees are generally good for cities in many different ways, especially in summer (17).

Question 16

A student is researching whether a certain sports drink improves athletic performance. Which source should the student treat with the most caution?

Accepted Answer

A study paid for by the company that makes the drink

Answer

A report by a university nutrition department with no industry funding

Answer

A government health agency's fact sheet that cites its data

Answer

A sports-medicine textbook written by independent researchers

Answer

A review that pools the results of dozens of independent trials

Question 17

A student is writing a letter to the city council asking for a marked crosswalk on Oak Street near an elementary school. Which sentence is most appropriate for this audience?

Accepted Answer

Last month, our class counted over 300 children crossing Oak Street before school.

Answer

Honestly, anyone with eyes can see that Oak Street is a total mess every single morning.

Answer

Oak Street is, like, super dangerous for little kids, and pretty much everybody knows it.

Answer

If you don't fix this right away, it will prove that none of you actually care about kids.

Answer

Crosswalks come in several different styles, widths and colors depending on the city.

Question 18

Which revision corrects the modifier error in this sentence? "Walking to the station, the rain soaked Lena's new coat."

Accepted Answer

As Lena walked to the station, the rain soaked her new coat.

Answer

Walking to the station, Lena's new coat was soaked by the rain.

Answer

The rain soaked Lena's new coat, walking to the station.

Answer

Walking to the station, the rain soaked the new coat of Lena.

Answer

Walking to the station the rain soaked Lena's new coat.

Question 19

Read this passage: (1) Some parents argue that homework teaches discipline and should be assigned every night. (2) Yet many students now spend three or more hours a night on homework, leaving little time for sleep or family. (3) A sensible middle path would limit homework to about ten minutes per grade level each night. Which best describes how the passage is organized?

Accepted Answer

It states an opposing view, raises a problem, then offers a compromise.

Answer

It tells a story in time order and ends by stating the moral of that story.

Answer

It lists several causes first and then explains each of their effects in turn.

Answer

It moves from a broad general claim to a long series of specific examples.

Answer

It defines a key term and then sorts that term into several different types.

Question 20

Read this draft: (1) Our town's new recycling program has been a success. (2) ____ Which sentence would best support sentence 1?

Accepted Answer

In its first year, the amount of trash sent to the landfill fell by nearly a third.

Answer

Recycling is something that everyone in our town should care about much more than they do.

Answer

The program began on a sunny Monday in March, and the mayor gave a short speech.

Answer

Many other towns across the state have also started recycling programs of their own.

Answer

Some residents use blue bins for recycling, and others use green bins.

Question 21

A famous Olympic sprinter says in a television ad that her favorite vitamin brand is the best way to prevent colds, so viewers should take it every day. The main weakness of this argument is that

Accepted Answer

a sprinter is not an expert on preventing colds

Answer

the ad relies on too many confusing statistics

Answer

it attacks the character of people who disagree

Answer

the ad runs on television instead of in print

Answer

the sprinter admits that the vitamins don't work

Question 22

Which revision of this sentence is the most concise without losing meaning? "Due to the fact that it was raining, the game was postponed until a later date."

Accepted Answer

Because it was raining, the game was postponed.

Answer

Due to the fact that it was raining, the game was postponed until later.

Answer

Because of the fact of the rain, the game was postponed to a later date.

Answer

The game, due to the fact that it was raining then, was postponed.

Answer

It was raining, which was the reason why the game had to be postponed.

Question 23

Read this draft: (1) When students begin college, they often find the reading load heavy. (2) You have to learn to skim some texts and read others closely. (3) Over time, most students develop a system that works for them. Which revision of sentence 2 makes the passage's point of view consistent?

Accepted Answer

They have to learn to skim some texts and read others closely.

Answer

Your professors expect you to learn to skim some texts and read others closely.

Answer

We all have to learn to skim some texts and read the others closely.

Answer

I had to learn to skim some texts and read the others very closely.

Answer

You, as students, have to learn to skim some texts and read others closely.

Question 24

A writer summarizes a study: "Okafor ____ that later school start times may improve teenagers' attendance, though the evidence is still limited." Which verb best fits this cautious description of the study?

Accepted Answer

suggests

Answer

proves

Answer

admits

Answer

insists

Answer

denies

Question 25

Read this draft paragraph: (1) Community gardens give city residents a place to grow fresh food. (2) In neighborhoods without large grocery stores, a single plot can supply a family with vegetables all summer. (3) Parking in the city center has become more expensive in recent years. (4) Gardens also bring neighbors together, since plots sit side by side and tools are often shared. Which sentence should be deleted to improve the paragraph's unity?

Accepted Answer

Sentence 3

Answer

Sentence 1

Answer

Sentence 2

Answer

Sentence 4

Answer

None, because every sentence supports the main idea

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