20 CLEP College Composition Modular practice questions, with answers and video walkthroughs

Twenty practice questions for CLEP College Composition Modular, in the real exam's style. Score 16 of 20 here and you are in passing range. Miss more than four, and the pattern of your misses points straight at the topic to review next. Every question below is explained on video, including why the wrong answers trap most test-takers.

What students preparing for this exam tell us is that steady practice in the exam's format, with an explanation for every miss, is what moves a score. Use these the same way: answer, check, and read why the wrong choices are tempting. For the full plan around them, see the CLEP College Composition Modular pillar guide.

Watch the full video walkthrough above, then test yourself on the twenty questions below. Each one is explained on the video, including why the wrong answers trap most test-takers.

Questions 1 to 5 (questions 1 to 5)

1. Choose the sentence with correct subject-verb agreement. The List of Supplies Is on the Desk. The subject is the singular noun list, not the plural supplies in the prepositional phrase. A singular subject takes the singular verb is, so the list of supplies is on the desk.

2. Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly? The Students' Projects Were Graded. The students' projects uses the apostrophe to show plural possession. The other choices confuse its with it's or their with they're, which are the most common apostrophe errors on this exam.

3. Identify the sentence that is free of comma splices and run-ons. The Rain Stopped, So We Went Outside. Two complete sentences joined by only a comma form a comma splice. Joining them with a comma plus a coordinating conjunction like so fixes it, which is why choice D is correct.

4. Which sentence corrects the dangling modifier "Walking to school, the rain soaked my shoes"? Walking to School, I Got My Shoes Soaked by the Rain. An introductory modifier must describe the subject that follows it. Only a person can be walking to school, so the sentence must begin its main clause with I, the one doing the walking.

5. In the sentence "Each of the players brought ___ own equipment," which pronoun is correct? His or Her. Each is a singular indefinite pronoun, so it pairs with the singular his or her in formal written English. The CLEP exam tests this standard agreement, treating their as plural here.

Questions 6 to 10 (questions 6 to 10)

6. Which revision best combines the choppy sentences "The report was long. It was also boring."? The Report Was Long and Boring. Combining two short sentences with shared subjects into one clean sentence improves flow without creating an error. The report was long and boring is concise and correctly joined.

7. A topic sentence in a paragraph functions to: State the Main Idea of the Paragraph. A topic sentence announces the paragraph's central point so the supporting sentences that follow have something to develop. Stating the main idea is its defining job.

8. Which transition word best signals a contrast between two ideas? However. However signals contrast, setting one idea against another. Therefore and consequently show result, and furthermore adds information, so only however marks the shift the sentence needs.

9. Choose the most concise version of "Due to the fact that it was raining, the game was canceled." Because It Was Raining, the Game Was Canceled. Wordy phrases like due to the fact that should be cut to a single word. Because says the same thing in one word, making the sentence clearer and tighter.

10. Which sentence keeps a consistent, parallel structure? She Likes Hiking, Swimming, and Biking. Items in a series should share the same grammatical form. Three matching -ing words, hiking, swimming, and biking, keep the list parallel, while the other choices mix forms.

Questions 11 to 15 (questions 11 to 15)

11. The primary purpose of a persuasive essay is to: Convince the Reader to Accept a Position. Persuasive writing exists to move the reader toward a claim or action. Convincing the reader to accept a position is its purpose, which sets it apart from narrative or purely informative writing.

12. A writer addressing a panel of expert scientists should most appropriately adopt a tone that is: Formal and Precise. Tone should fit the audience. Expert readers expect formal, precise language with careful terminology, so a casual or emotional tone would undercut the writer's credibility.

13. In an argument, which of the following counts as the strongest supporting evidence? Relevant Statistics From a Credible Study. Strong support is specific, relevant, and verifiable. Statistics from a credible study give the reader a reason to accept the claim, while opinion, vague consensus, or insults do not.

14. An appeal to the reader's sense of logic and reasoning is known as an appeal to: Logos. The three classical appeals are logos, pathos, and ethos. Logos appeals to logic and evidence, pathos to emotion, and ethos to the writer's credibility, so logic is logos.

15. A thesis statement in an essay should: Present the Essay's Central Claim. A thesis states the central claim the rest of the essay will defend. It gives the reader the main argument up front, which is why it is usually placed near the end of the introduction.

Questions 16 to 20 (questions 16 to 20)

16. Restating a source's idea in your own words, without copying its wording, is called: Paraphrasing. Paraphrasing puts a source's idea into your own words and sentence structure while still crediting the source. Quoting copies exact wording, and summarizing condenses, so the in-your-own-words restatement is paraphrasing.

17. Using another writer's words or ideas without giving credit is known as: Plagiarism. Presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own, with no credit, is plagiarism. Proper citation is exactly what prevents it, which is why documenting sources matters on this exam.

18. An in-text citation in MLA style typically includes the author's last name and the: Page Number. MLA in-text citations pair the author's last name with the page number, like Smith forty-two, so a reader can find the exact spot in the source. APA, by contrast, leads with the year.

19. The list of all sources cited at the end of an MLA-style paper is called the: Works Cited Page. MLA gathers every source used into a Works Cited page at the end of the paper. APA calls the same list References, but for MLA the correct term is Works Cited.

20. Which of the following sources would generally be considered the most credible for an academic paper? A Peer-reviewed Academic Journal Article. Credibility comes from expertise, review, and accountability. A peer-reviewed journal article has been checked by experts in the field, making it far more reliable than anonymous or unvetted online posts.

What to do with your score

The point of twenty questions is not the twenty, it is the pattern. Mark which topic each miss came from, then spend your next session on that topic alone. None of it requires starting over, only tightening the spots that cost you points.

A single twenty-question set is a snapshot, not a study plan. To pass with margin you need volume: enough questions, in the exam's format, with explanations that turn a wrong answer into a correction. That is what Flying Prep's CLEP College Composition Modular practice is built for: every question explained, with a free trial before you decide.