Course

Course Summary

Credit Type:

Exam

ACE ID:

CLEP-0016

Organization:

College Board's College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Dates Offered:

Credit Recommendation & Competencies

Level	Credits (SH)	Subject
Lower-Division Baccalaureate	3	English Literature

Credit is recommended for candidates scoring 50 and above.

Description

Objective:

The English Literature examination covers material usually taught in a British literature course at the college level. The test is primarily concerned with major authors and literary works, but it also includes questions on some minor writers. Test-takers are expected to be acquainted with common literary terms, such as metaphor and personification, and basic literary forms, such as the sonnet and the ballad. In both coverage and approach, the exam resembles the historically organized survey of British literature offered by many colleges. It assumes that test-takers have read widely and developed an appreciation of English literature, know the basic literary periods, and have a sense of the historical development of English literature. The exam contains approximately 95 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Any time test-takers spend on tutorials and providing personal information is in addition to the actual testing time.

Skills Measured:

The English Literature examination requires candidates to demonstrate understanding of literature from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present. Familiarity with and understanding of major writers is expected, as is knowledge of literary periods and common literary terms, themes and forms. Some of the questions on the examination ask candidates to identify the author of a representative quotation or to recognize the period in which an excerpt was written. The skills measured include knowledge of literary background, identification of authors, metrical patterns, literary references, and literary terms (35-40 percent); and the ability to analyze the elements of form in a literary passage; perceive meanings; identify tone and mood; follow patterns of imagery; identify characteristics of style; and comprehend the reasoning in an excerpt of literary criticism (60-65 percent).

Instruction & Assessment