CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature. Sharon A Wynne

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       CLEP

      College Level Examination Program

       Analyzing and Interpreting Literature

      Sharon Wynne

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      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Wynne, Sharon A.

      CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature / Sharon Wynne.

      ISBN: 978-1-60787-508-6

      1. CLEP2. Study Guides3. Analyzing and Interpreting Literature

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       Printed in the United States of America

      CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature

      ISBN: 978-1-60787-508-6

       ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING LITERATURE

       Description of the Examination

      The Analyzing and Interpreting Literature examination covers material usually taught in a general undergraduate course in literature. Although the examination does not require familiarity with specific works, it does assume that candidates have read widely and perceptively in poetry, drama, fiction and nonfiction. The questions are based on passages supplied in the test. These passages have been selected so that no previous experience with them is required to answer questions. The passages are taken primarily from American and British literature.

      The examination contains approximately 80 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 98 minutes. Some of these are pretest questions that will not be scored. Any time candidates spend taking tutorials and providing personal information is additional to actual testing time.

      An optional essay section can be taken in addition to the multiple-choice test. The essay section requires that two essays be written during a total time of 90 minutes. For the first essay, candidates are asked to analyze a short poem. For the second essay, candidates are asked to apply a generalization about literature (such as the function of a theme or a technique) to a novel, short story, or play that they have read.

       Knowledge and Skills Required

      Questions on the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature examination require candidates to demonstrate the following abilities.

       Ability to read prose, poetry, and drama with understanding

       Ability to analyze the elements of a literary passage and to respond to nuances of meaning, tone, imagery and style

       Ability to interpret metaphors, to recognize rhetorical and stylistics devices, to perceive relationships between parts and wholes, and to grasp a speaker’s or author’s attitudes

       Familiarity with the basic terminology used to discuss literary texts

      The examination emphasizes comprehensions, interpretation and analysis of literary works. A specific knowledge of historical context (authors and movements) is not required, but a broad knowledge of literature gained through reading widely and a familiarity of basic literary terminology is assumed. The following outline indicates the relative emphasis given to the various types of literature and the periods from which the passages are taken. The approximate percentage of exam questions per classification is noted within each main category.

       Genre

35% - 45%	Poetry
35% - 45%	Prose (fiction & nonfiction)
15% - 30%	Drama

       National Tradition

50% - 65%	British Literature
30% - 45%	American Literature
5% - 15%	Works in Translation

       Period

3% - 7%	Classical & pre-Renaissance
20% - 30%	Renaissance & 17th Century
35% - 45%	18th & 19th Centuries
25% - 35%	20th & 21st Centuries

       CLEP Practice Exam: Analyzing and Interpreting Literature

       INSTRUCTIONS

      This exam gives passages from known writings (fiction, poems, non-fiction/history, biographies, drama and more) over the past five hundred years. While the student taking the exam is not expected to have read the material or have familiarity with the passage prior to the exam, the test taker is expected to have the knowledge of an undergraduate English and writing class.

      TIP: As the writing changes and the time periods change, it’s important for a student to note the author and time period as that may assist in answering questions by either eliminating unlikely answers or allow the student to recall items about the author.

      At the end of the test passages and answers, there is an answer key and a “rationale” key for each question. Take the test without referencing these guides.