CLEP College Composition Exam Instructions

The 200-word examination instruction list

CLEP College Composition asks you to revise writing, assess sources and develop arguments. Identify whether the task asks for a sentence edit, a choice about a draft, a position based on your own examples or an argument using supplied sources.

Start with the list or jump to exam requirements, worked examples, the Fencing Method or practice. The entries are a study aid for interpreting tasks and recognising useful subject terms.

Essential instructions

No.	Instruction or term	Meaning or action
1	Identify	Name or pick out the item the question specifies.
2	State	Express the required point directly and clearly.
3	Describe	Report the relevant characteristics, events or pattern.
4	Explain	Connect the result to its cause, mechanism or reasoning.
5	Compare	Set the items side by side on the same relevant feature.
6	Interpret	Say what a statement, result or display means in context.
7	Infer	Use clues to reach a conclusion the material implies.
8	Evaluate	Weigh relevant evidence or criteria before reaching a judgment.
9	Justify	Give evidence for the claim and explain how that evidence supports, qualifies or defends it.
10	Determine	Work from the given information to establish an answer.
11	Select	Choose only the number of options requested.
12	Best supported	Prefer the conclusion backed most directly by the evidence.
13	In context	Use the meaning that fits this passage or situation.
14	Evidence	A fact, detail or observation that supports a claim.
15	Claim	An assertion that can be tested against evidence or reasoning.
16	Purpose	Identify why a text, study or source was produced.

Composition and revision

No.	Instruction or term	Meaning or action
17	Timed position essay	Defend a position with reasons and specific examples drawn from reading, experience or observation.
18	Timed synthesis essay	Build an argument that incorporates and cites both supplied sources.
19	Cite both sources	Identify each source when borrowing an idea, paraphrasing or quoting.
20	Attribution phrase	Introduce evidence by naming the author, title or another clear identifier.
21	Source synthesis	Explain how ideas from different sources work together in your own argument.
22	Relevant personal example	Use an experience that directly tests or illustrates your claim.
23	Discuss the extent	State how far you agree and identify a meaningful qualification.
24	Coherent paragraph	Keep sentences focused on one purpose and connect the evidence to the point.
25	Topic sentence	State the point a paragraph develops.
26	Thesis scope	Match the claim to what the essay’s evidence can support.
27	Paragraph placement	Choose where a sentence belongs by checking what precedes and follows it.
28	Sentence combining	Join ideas while preserving their logical relationship and avoiding ambiguity.
29	Revision in context	Evaluate a change against the whole draft rather than the sentence alone.
30	Transition of contrast	Signal how the following point differs from the preceding one.
31	Transition of cause	Show that one condition or action explains another.
32	Redundancy	Remove repetition that adds no meaning or emphasis.
33	Wordiness	Replace an unnecessarily long expression with clearer wording.
34	Parallel structure	Give grammatically equivalent items matching forms.
35	Subject–verb agreement	Match the verb to its grammatical subject.
36	Pronoun–antecedent agreement	Match a pronoun to the noun or expression it represents.
37	Ambiguous antecedent	Revise when more than one noun could be the pronoun’s referent.
38	Dangling modifier	Supply the intended actor for an opening modifying phrase.
39	Misplaced modifier	Move the modifier close to what it describes.
40	Comma splice	Correct a comma that improperly joins two independent clauses.
41	Fused sentence	Separate or correctly connect independent clauses run together.
42	Sentence fragment	Complete a word group that cannot stand as the intended sentence.
43	Independent clause	A clause capable of functioning as a complete sentence.
44	Dependent clause	A clause that depends on another construction to complete the sentence.
45	Coordination	Join elements of equal grammatical rank.
46	Subordination	Use a dependent construction to mark a relationship such as time or cause.
47	Shifts in tense	Keep tense consistent unless the time relationship justifies a change.
48	Shifts in person	Maintain a consistent viewpoint unless the change serves a clear purpose.
49	Precise diction	Choose the word that states the intended meaning accurately.
50	Research question	Formulate an inquiry specific enough to guide the selection of sources.
51	Reference tool	Choose a source type suited to locating the particular information requested.
52	Direct quotation	Use exact words and identify their source.
53	Paraphrase	Restate a source’s idea in your own wording and credit it.
54	Source-based concession	Recognise a genuine objection and explain how it qualifies your position.
55	Distinguish source and claim	Make clear which idea belongs to the source and which judgment is yours.
56	Logical development	Arrange reasons and evidence so readers can follow the argument.

Rhetoric, research and argument

No.	Instruction or term	Meaning or action
57	Synthesis question	Build an argument and use the required sources as evidence for your own thesis.
58	Rhetorical analysis	Explain how a writer’s choices serve meaning or purpose in context.
59	Argument question	Defend a position on the stated issue with evidence and commentary.
60	Rhetorical situation	Identify the writer, audience, occasion, purpose and relevant constraints.
61	Exigence	Identify the circumstance or problem that prompted the communication.
62	Audience expectations	Explain how the writer responds to what the intended readers value or expect.
63	Rhetorical choice	Name a specific choice and explain what it does in this passage.
64	Writer’s purpose	Explain what the writer seeks to accomplish for the intended audience.
65	Defensible thesis	Make a specific claim that answers the prompt and can be supported.
66	Line of reasoning	Organise claims so each helps establish the thesis.
67	Evidence and commentary	Pair the supporting material with an explanation of how it advances the argument.
68	Source attribution	Identify the source when paraphrasing, quoting or using its information.
69	Source conversation	Show how sources agree, qualify or challenge each other on the same issue.
70	Use a visual source	Read labels and scope before connecting the visual evidence to your point.
71	Qualify the claim	Set an appropriate condition or limit on the claim.
72	Rebut an objection	Explain why an opposing point does or does not change the conclusion.
73	Concede a point	Acknowledge a valid concern before explaining its effect on your case.
74	Assumption behind the claim	Identify the premise on which the reasoning depends.
75	Develop a paragraph	Add relevant reasoning and explain how the evidence supports the paragraph’s claim.
76	Best revision	Choose the version that fulfils the specified purpose in context.
77	Placement of a sentence	Find the location that fits the logical development and nearby references.
78	Delete or retain	Decide whether the material helps achieve the stated purpose.
79	Effective transition	Choose wording that expresses the real relationship between the ideas.
80	Introduce a source	Provide relevant context for the material without losing focus on your own argument.
81	Source credibility	Assess which features make the source useful for the claim being made.
82	Scope of evidence	Check whether the evidence applies to the people, time or situation named.
83	Analytic rubric	Use separate criteria to review thesis, evidence and commentary, and sophistication.
84	Complexity of the issue	Recognise meaningful tensions or limits and explain why they matter.
85	Written stimulus	Use the supplied passage and question rather than assumptions about the larger topic.
86	Nonfiction passage	Analyse the claims and rhetorical choices in the nonfiction text supplied.
87	Reading question	Use the text to identify meaning, structure or function.
88	Writing question	Choose a revision that advances the goal stated in the prompt.
89	Develop a position	Connect the thesis, reasons and specific support throughout the essay.
90	Proposed revision	Check what the revised wording changes and how that affects the stated goal.
91	Logical progression	Check whether each idea follows and prepares the next one.
92	Context for the audience	Include background the intended readers need to understand the claim.
93	Reason and evidence	Distinguish the basis for a claim from the material that supports that basis.
94	Acknowledge another perspective	Represent the view accurately before responding to it.
95	Thesis qualification	Explain when the main claim applies and how far it can be defended.
96	Purpose of a paragraph	Identify what the paragraph does for the piece’s argument.
97	Relevant source detail	Use the specific part of a source that advances the point.
98	Synthesis commentary	Explain why two source details reinforce or complicate the same claim.
99	Rhetorical effect	Connect the choice to its effect on the intended audience in that situation.
100	Passage-based multiple choice	Choose the answer most consistent with the supplied text and stem.
101	Timed essay	Plan, write and review within the available writing time.
102	Author’s central claim	Find the main assertion the author wants the reader to accept.
103	Warranted inference	Choose an inference that has adequate support in the text.
104	Least supported	Choose the option with the weakest support under the stated criterion.
105	Closest in meaning	Match the expression’s meaning in the passage rather than its most familiar sense.
106	Function of the example	Explain which general idea the example develops, illustrates or limits.
107	Role of a paragraph	Identify how the paragraph contributes to the passage’s overall reasoning.
108	Writer’s attitude	Infer the author’s position from emphasis, tone and qualification.
109	View reported by the author	Attribute the view to the source the author identifies.
110	Argument structure	Identify the relationship between reasons, objections and conclusions.
111	Evidence and conclusion	Check whether the evidence actually establishes the conclusion offered.
112	Evaluate a claim	Use relevant criteria and explain the strengths or limits of the reasoning.
113	Consider a counterargument	Address a plausible objection to the position you intend to defend.
114	Contextual meaning	Use the surrounding text to decide which interpretation fits.
115	Relevant example	Give an example that demonstrates the reason rather than only mentioning the topic.
116	Paragraph focus	Make each paragraph develop a particular part of the answer.
117	Conclusion follows	Check that the final judgment is supported by what precedes it.
118	Scope of a term	Check which cases the word or expression includes.
119	Circular reasoning	Recognise when the reason effectively assumes the conclusion.
120	Author’s attitude	Infer the writer’s stance from wording, emphasis and qualification.
121	Quantifier scope	Check exactly which people, cases or claims are covered by all, some or none.
122	Inference from silence	Identify a conclusion drawn only because the passage leaves a matter unstated.
123	Normative claim	Recognise a claim about what ought to happen.
124	Descriptive claim	Recognise a claim about what happens or has happened.
125	Main conclusion	Identify the claim that the rest of the reasoning ultimately supports.
126	Intermediate conclusion	Identify a claim that receives support and then helps support a further claim.
127	Support gap	Find the step that is assumed between the premises and conclusion.
128	Complete the argument	Choose the conclusion or missing proposition that follows from the stated reasoning.
129	Reason and example	Show how the example demonstrates the point made by the reason.
130	Reasoning flaw	Locate the exact step where the evidence fails to support the conclusion.
131	Author’s assumption	Identify a premise the argument relies on without stating directly.
132	Strength of support	Judge how directly a detail bears on the exact claim.
133	Most logically completes	Choose the ending that follows from the text or notes.
134	Main purpose	Identify what the text as a whole is trying to accomplish.
135	Most directly supports	Pick the evidence with the clearest connection to the named claim.
136	Author’s claim	Find what the named author argues or asserts.
137	Cause and effect	Choose a link that shows one event producing or explaining the other.
138	Textual evidence	Choose a detail from the source that supports the precise claim.
139	Scope	Check the population, time frame or range covered by the claim.
140	Logical relationship	Identify whether adjacent ideas add, contrast, explain or exemplify.
141	Author’s reservation	Identify a stated hesitation, exception or limit on the main claim.
142	Scope of the claim	Match the answer to the people, period or cases the passage actually discusses.
143	Support	Supply evidence that helps establish the claim.
144	Reason	The basis for a statement, choice or result.
145	Conclusion	The result reached after considering the reasoning or evidence.
146	Context	The surrounding information that helps determine meaning.
147	Support the claim	Give evidence that bears on the exact claim in the question.
148	Contrast	Show how the items differ on a shared point of comparison.
149	Check	Test the answer against the original instruction or condition.
150	Distinguish	Give the feature that lets the reader tell two things apart.
151	Summarise	Select the central points and leave out minor details.
152	Define	Give the precise meaning used in the subject or question.
153	Outline	Give the main steps or points in brief.
154	Give	Supply the requested fact, example or result.
155	Name	Supply the correct term, person or item.
156	List	Set out the requested items separately.
157	Indicate	Make the chosen feature or answer clear.
158	Complete	Fill in what is missing while keeping the supplied structure.
159	Locate	Find the specified detail, point or region.
160	Refer to	Use the specified passage, figure or notes when responding.
161	Based on	Ground the answer in the material named in the question.
162	According to	Use what the specified source says.
163	Most likely	Choose the conclusion with the strongest support among the options.
164	Explicit	Stated directly in the source.
165	Implicit	Suggested by the source and recoverable from clues.
166	Example	A particular case used to make a general idea clear.
167	Assumption	A premise taken as given for the purpose of the question.
168	Condition	A requirement that must be satisfied.
169	Constraint	A restriction that shapes the possible answers.
170	Criterion	A standard used to choose or judge an answer.
171	Source	The particular text, figure, notes or data supplied for use.
172	Passage	A stretch of text provided for reading and answering questions.
173	Statement	A complete assertion to examine or respond to.
174	Option	One of the choices the question offers.

Other examination vocabulary

No.	Instruction or term	Meaning or action
175	Section	A group of questions or tasks within a test.
176	Illustrate	Make an idea clear with a relevant example or diagram.
177	Demonstrate	Show how a fact, process or result can be established.
178	Arrange	Put items into the order or grouping requested.
179	Sequence	Put stages into a meaningful order.
180	Classify	Assign each item to a category using the stated rule.
181	Order	Sort items by the criterion given in the prompt.
182	Omit	Leave out the indicated item or detail.
183	Include	Make sure the requested part appears in the response.
184	Exclude	Keep the named item or category outside your answer.
185	With reference to	Tie each important point to the specified material.
186	With examples	Support the answer with concrete cases from the appropriate material.
187	Two reasons	Give two distinct explanations for the relevant result.
188	Scoring guidelines	Review what the released rubric accepts for each point.
189	Explain one way	Give one specific example and show how it meets the stated condition.
190	Limitations	Identify specific boundaries on the conclusions that the method can support.
191	Strengths	Explain features that make the evidence or method fit the purpose.
192	Counterexample	Give one valid case that disproves a general claim.
193	Perspective	Explain the viewpoint from which a claim or event is presented.
194	Bias	Identify a systematic leaning and explain how it may shape the evidence.
195	Implication	Explain what would follow if the claim or finding holds.
196	Effect	Explain what changes or what impression a choice creates in context.
197	Compare both	Keep each named text, case or object visible across the same comparison points.
198	Point of view	Identify the standpoint influencing how the source presents events.
199	Synthesis	Combine related evidence into one coherent understanding.
200	Scope of comparison	Use the same group, period or criterion for the alternatives.

What CLEP College Composition requires

College Board’s subject page lists a total of 125 minutes. College Composition and College Composition Modular are distinct exams, so check the exact title your college accepts before registering.

Exam component	Format and scope
Multiple choice	50 questions in 55 minutes. The official exam page lists conventions of written English, revision, source use and rhetorical analysis.
Essay 1	30 minutes. Develop a position using reasons and specific examples from your reading, observations or experience.
Essay 2	40 minutes, including reading the two supplied sources. Develop your position and cite both sources when you use their ideas or words.
Scoring	The two essays are typed and required. The combined essay score and the multiple-choice score receive equal weight in the overall result.

CLEP is a U.S.-based college-credit examination programme. The receiving institution decides whether to accept the exam, which score qualifies, and how the credit applies. Candidates outside the United States should confirm testing options and acceptance with their intended institution and test centre.

Read the task before choosing evidence

For a revision question, read the sentence before and after the proposed edit. A choice can be grammatical and still weaken the draft if it changes the meaning or moves a point to the wrong place. For the source essay, give each source a role in your argument.

Worked examples for common instructions

Choose the right modifier

Prompt. Revise “Walking to the library, the rain soaked my notes.”

Answer. “As I walked to the library, the rain soaked my notes.” The original opening modifier attaches grammatically to the rain, but the writer is the one walking.

Preserve the intended relationship

Prompt. Choose a connector. The plan is inexpensive. It takes longer to put in place.

Answer. “However” marks a contrast between low cost and slow implementation. “Therefore” would imply that low cost causes the delay.

Develop a qualified position

Prompt. Should a school extend library hours every evening? Write a defensible thesis.

Answer. The school should first extend hours on evenings with the greatest demand. A targeted trial can test whether extra access justifies the staffing cost.

Synthesize both sources

Prompt. A fictional attendance report shows demand, while a fictional staffing memo identifies a limit. Put both to work.

Answer. The attendance report supports extending service during exam weeks. The staffing memo supports limiting the extension to two evenings. Together they support a focused pilot. Identify each source in the essay.

Use the Fencing Method to build an answer

Begin with a position you can state in one sentence. Add a concrete detail, then explain how it supports or qualifies the position. For a revision task, begin with one clear correction and check it against the surrounding draft.

Start. The school should extend access.

Add context. The school should extend library hours on exam-week evenings.

Add reasoning. The attendance report shows evening demand, while the staffing memo indicates why a limited schedule is more practical than daily opening.

Transfer. Use new sources about weekend access and decide whether your original position still fits.

Practise with the 200 terms

Take one draft paragraph and revise it for sentence structure, order and evidence. Then outline a timed argument using one reason and one specific example. Repeat with two sources and identify each where you use it.

Keep a list parallel

Try it. Revise “The plan saves time, reduces cost and is improving access.”

Check. “The plan saves time, reduces cost and improves access.” Each item now uses the same verb structure.

Frequently asked questions

Do I cite a source when I paraphrase?

Yes. On the source essay, identify each of the two supplied sources when you use its information or language. Make it clear which points are from the source and which are your own reasoning.

Official sources and next reading

College Board CLEP College Composition exam description

Top 200 Vocabulary Word List for CLEP College Composition | Must Know Words for Common Examination Instructions