CLEP College Composition Modular Exam Instructions

The 200-word examination instruction list

CLEP College Composition Modular asks you to recognise effective revisions, assess sources and interpret rhetorical choices. Read enough of the draft to understand its purpose before choosing an edit.

Start with the list or jump to exam requirements, worked examples, the Fencing Method or practice. The entries help you recognise what a question asks and which details matter.

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.

Editing, source use and rhetorical analysis

No.	Instruction or term	Meaning or action
17	Choose the best revision	Test each option for meaning, grammar and fit with the surrounding draft.
18	Keep the original wording	Choose the unchanged version when the alternatives weaken or distort it.
19	Insert a sentence	Find the place where its references and logic connect to both neighbouring sentences.
20	Delete a sentence	Remove material if it distracts from the purpose or repeats information without adding emphasis.
21	Identify a sentence boundary	Check whether adjacent clauses can stand alone and are joined correctly.
22	Resolve an unclear pronoun	Replace a vague reference with the intended noun or rewrite the sentence.
23	Maintain parallelism	Give equivalent items equivalent grammatical structures.
24	Compare like with like	Make sure both sides of a comparison name equivalent things.
25	Correct an idiom	Choose the conventional expression that fits the intended meaning and register.
26	Identify a shift in viewpoint	Look for an unexplained change in speaker, person or perspective.
27	Active voice	Place the actor in subject position when the sentence calls for direct responsibility.
28	Passive voice	Put the recipient of the action in subject position when the focus or context warrants it.
29	Restrictive clause	A clause essential to identifying the noun it modifies.
30	Nonrestrictive clause	A clause giving supplementary information, normally set off by punctuation.
31	Sentence variety	Vary length or structure when doing so improves emphasis or readability.
32	Coherence between paragraphs	Check whether one paragraph prepares for or develops the next.
33	Level of detail	Choose detail appropriate to the audience, purpose and argument.
34	Reference source	Use a suitable reference work to find the type of information requested.
35	Bibliography entry	Read a publication record for details such as author, title, publisher or date.
36	In-text citation	Identify the source near the point where its information or words are used.
37	Citation style	Apply the documentation conventions requested, such as MLA, APA or Chicago.
38	Primary evidence	Use an original record, observation or firsthand account when it fits the research question.
39	Secondary analysis	Use a source that interprets evidence or earlier work.
40	Source authority	Evaluate the source’s expertise or responsibility for the specific claim.
41	Currency of a source	Check whether the date matters to the information sought.
42	Source relevance	Determine whether the source addresses the exact question.
43	Integrate a quotation	Connect a short quotation to the sentence and explain its purpose.
44	Preserve the author’s meaning	Choose an edit or paraphrase that retains the intended claim.
45	Rhetorical appeal	Identify how a writer uses reasoning, credibility or emotion to persuade.
46	Credibility appeal	Explain how a writer builds trust in their judgment or evidence.
47	Emotional appeal	Explain how wording or a concrete example engages the audience’s feelings.
48	Logical appeal	Explain how reasons and evidence lead to the claim.
49	Rhetorical emphasis	Identify what placement, repetition or structure makes prominent.
50	Multiple-choice revision	Choose the edit that meets the stated purpose in the draft.
51	Evaluate a draft’s evidence	Check whether a specific example supports the sentence or paragraph’s claim.

Drafts and arguments

No.	Instruction or term	Meaning or action
52	Attribution phrase	Introduce evidence by naming the author, title or another clear identifier.
53	Source synthesis	Explain how ideas from different sources work together in your own argument.
54	Relevant personal example	Use an experience that directly tests or illustrates your claim.
55	Discuss the extent	State how far you agree and identify a meaningful qualification.
56	Coherent paragraph	Keep sentences focused on one purpose and connect the evidence to the point.
57	Topic sentence	State the point a paragraph develops.
58	Paragraph placement	Choose where a sentence belongs by checking what precedes and follows it.
59	Sentence combining	Join ideas while preserving their logical relationship and avoiding ambiguity.
60	Revision in context	Evaluate a change against the whole draft rather than the sentence alone.
61	Transition of contrast	Signal how the following point differs from the preceding one.
62	Transition of cause	Show that one condition or action explains another.
63	Redundancy	Remove repetition that adds no meaning or emphasis.
64	Wordiness	Replace an unnecessarily long expression with clearer wording.
65	Parallel structure	Give grammatically equivalent items matching forms.
66	Subject–verb agreement	Match the verb to its grammatical subject.
67	Pronoun–antecedent agreement	Match a pronoun to the noun or expression it represents.
68	Ambiguous antecedent	Revise when more than one noun could be the pronoun’s referent.
69	Dangling modifier	Supply the intended actor for an opening modifying phrase.
70	Misplaced modifier	Move the modifier close to what it describes.
71	Comma splice	Correct a comma that improperly joins two independent clauses.
72	Fused sentence	Separate or correctly connect independent clauses run together.
73	Sentence fragment	Complete a word group that cannot stand as the intended sentence.
74	Independent clause	A clause capable of functioning as a complete sentence.
75	Dependent clause	A clause that depends on another construction to complete the sentence.
76	Coordination	Join elements of equal grammatical rank.
77	Subordination	Use a dependent construction to mark a relationship such as time or cause.
78	Shifts in tense	Keep tense consistent unless the time relationship justifies a change.
79	Shifts in person	Maintain a consistent viewpoint unless the change serves a clear purpose.
80	Precise diction	Choose the word that states the intended meaning accurately.
81	Research question	Formulate an inquiry specific enough to guide the selection of sources.
82	Reference tool	Choose a source type suited to locating the particular information requested.
83	Direct quotation	Use exact words and identify their source.
84	Paraphrase	Restate a source’s idea in your own wording and credit it.
85	Source-based concession	Recognise a genuine objection and explain how it qualifies your position.
86	Distinguish source and claim	Make clear which idea belongs to the source and which judgment is yours.
87	Logical development	Arrange reasons and evidence so readers can follow the argument.
88	Synthesis question	Build an argument and use the required sources as evidence for your own thesis.
89	Rhetorical analysis	Explain how a writer’s choices serve meaning or purpose in context.
90	Argument question	Defend a position on the stated issue with evidence and commentary.
91	Rhetorical situation	Identify the writer, audience, occasion, purpose and relevant constraints.
92	Exigence	Identify the circumstance or problem that prompted the communication.
93	Audience expectations	Explain how the writer responds to what the intended readers value or expect.
94	Rhetorical choice	Name a specific choice and explain what it does in this passage.
95	Writer’s purpose	Explain what the writer seeks to accomplish for the intended audience.
96	Defensible thesis	Make a specific claim that answers the prompt and can be supported.
97	Line of reasoning	Organise claims so each helps establish the thesis.
98	Evidence and commentary	Pair the supporting material with an explanation of how it advances the argument.
99	Source attribution	Identify the source when paraphrasing, quoting or using its information.
100	Source conversation	Show how sources agree, qualify or challenge each other on the same issue.
101	Use a visual source	Read labels and scope before connecting the visual evidence to your point.
102	Qualify the claim	Set an appropriate condition or limit on the claim.
103	Rebut an objection	Explain why an opposing point does or does not change the conclusion.
104	Concede a point	Acknowledge a valid concern before explaining its effect on your case.
105	Assumption behind the claim	Identify the premise on which the reasoning depends.
106	Develop a paragraph	Add relevant reasoning and explain how the evidence supports the paragraph’s claim.
107	Best revision	Choose the version that fulfils the specified purpose in context.
108	Placement of a sentence	Find the location that fits the logical development and nearby references.
109	Delete or retain	Decide whether the material helps achieve the stated purpose.
110	Effective transition	Choose wording that expresses the real relationship between the ideas.
111	Introduce a source	Provide relevant context for the material without losing focus on your own argument.
112	Source credibility	Assess which features make the source useful for the claim being made.
113	Scope of evidence	Check whether the evidence applies to the people, time or situation named.
114	Analytic rubric	Use separate criteria to review thesis, evidence and commentary, and sophistication.
115	Complexity of the issue	Recognise meaningful tensions or limits and explain why they matter.
116	Written stimulus	Use the supplied passage and question rather than assumptions about the larger topic.
117	Nonfiction passage	Analyse the claims and rhetorical choices in the nonfiction text supplied.
118	Reading question	Use the text to identify meaning, structure or function.
119	Writing question	Choose a revision that advances the goal stated in the prompt.
120	Proposed revision	Check what the revised wording changes and how that affects the stated goal.
121	Logical progression	Check whether each idea follows and prepares the next one.
122	Context for the audience	Include background the intended readers need to understand the claim.
123	Reason and evidence	Distinguish the basis for a claim from the material that supports that basis.
124	Acknowledge another perspective	Represent the view accurately before responding to it.
125	Thesis qualification	Explain when the main claim applies and how far it can be defended.
126	Purpose of a paragraph	Identify what the paragraph does for the piece’s argument.
127	Relevant source detail	Use the specific part of a source that advances the point.
128	Synthesis commentary	Explain why two source details reinforce or complicate the same claim.
129	Rhetorical effect	Connect the choice to its effect on the intended audience in that situation.
130	Passage-based multiple choice	Choose the answer most consistent with the supplied text and stem.
131	Author’s central claim	Find the main assertion the author wants the reader to accept.
132	Warranted inference	Choose an inference that has adequate support in the text.
133	Least supported	Choose the option with the weakest support under the stated criterion.
134	Closest in meaning	Match the expression’s meaning in the passage rather than its most familiar sense.
135	Function of the example	Explain which general idea the example develops, illustrates or limits.
136	Role of a paragraph	Identify how the paragraph contributes to the passage’s overall reasoning.
137	Writer’s attitude	Infer the author’s position from emphasis, tone and qualification.
138	View reported by the author	Attribute the view to the source the author identifies.
139	Argument structure	Identify the relationship between reasons, objections and conclusions.
140	Evidence and conclusion	Check whether the evidence actually establishes the conclusion offered.

Other examination vocabulary

No.	Instruction or term	Meaning or action
141	Evaluate a claim	Use relevant criteria and explain the strengths or limits of the reasoning.
142	Consider a counterargument	Address a plausible objection to the position you intend to defend.
143	Contextual meaning	Use the surrounding text to decide which interpretation fits.
144	Relevant example	Give an example that demonstrates the reason rather than only mentioning the topic.
145	Paragraph focus	Make each paragraph develop a particular part of the answer.
146	Conclusion follows	Check that the final judgment is supported by what precedes it.
147	Scope of a term	Check which cases the word or expression includes.
148	Circular reasoning	Recognise when the reason effectively assumes the conclusion.
149	Author’s attitude	Infer the writer’s stance from wording, emphasis and qualification.
150	Quantifier scope	Check exactly which people, cases or claims are covered by all, some or none.
151	Inference from silence	Identify a conclusion drawn only because the passage leaves a matter unstated.
152	Normative claim	Recognise a claim about what ought to happen.
153	Descriptive claim	Recognise a claim about what happens or has happened.
154	Main conclusion	Identify the claim that the rest of the reasoning ultimately supports.
155	Intermediate conclusion	Identify a claim that receives support and then helps support a further claim.
156	Support gap	Find the step that is assumed between the premises and conclusion.
157	Complete the argument	Choose the conclusion or missing proposition that follows from the stated reasoning.
158	Reason and example	Show how the example demonstrates the point made by the reason.
159	Reasoning flaw	Locate the exact step where the evidence fails to support the conclusion.
160	Author’s assumption	Identify a premise the argument relies on without stating directly.
161	Strength of support	Judge how directly a detail bears on the exact claim.
162	Most logically completes	Choose the ending that follows from the text or notes.
163	Main purpose	Identify what the text as a whole is trying to accomplish.
164	Most directly supports	Pick the evidence with the clearest connection to the named claim.
165	Author’s claim	Find what the named author argues or asserts.
166	Cause and effect	Choose a link that shows one event producing or explaining the other.
167	Textual evidence	Choose a detail from the source that supports the precise claim.
168	Scope	Check the population, time frame or range covered by the claim.
169	Logical relationship	Identify whether adjacent ideas add, contrast, explain or exemplify.
170	Author’s reservation	Identify a stated hesitation, exception or limit on the main claim.
171	Scope of the claim	Match the answer to the people, period or cases the passage actually discusses.
172	Support	Supply evidence that helps establish the claim.
173	Reason	The basis for a statement, choice or result.
174	Conclusion	The result reached after considering the reasoning or evidence.
175	Context	The surrounding information that helps determine meaning.
176	Support the claim	Give evidence that bears on the exact claim in the question.
177	Contrast	Show how the items differ on a shared point of comparison.
178	Check	Test the answer against the original instruction or condition.
179	Distinguish	Give the feature that lets the reader tell two things apart.
180	Summarise	Select the central points and leave out minor details.
181	Define	Give the precise meaning used in the subject or question.
182	Outline	Give the main steps or points in brief.
183	Give	Supply the requested fact, example or result.
184	Name	Supply the correct term, person or item.
185	List	Set out the requested items separately.
186	Indicate	Make the chosen feature or answer clear.
187	Complete	Fill in what is missing while keeping the supplied structure.
188	Locate	Find the specified detail, point or region.
189	Refer to	Use the specified passage, figure or notes when responding.
190	Based on	Ground the answer in the material named in the question.
191	According to	Use what the specified source says.
192	Most likely	Choose the conclusion with the strongest support among the options.
193	Explicit	Stated directly in the source.
194	Implicit	Suggested by the source and recoverable from clues.
195	Example	A particular case used to make a general idea clear.
196	Assumption	A premise taken as given for the purpose of the question.
197	Condition	A requirement that must be satisfied.
198	Constraint	A restriction that shapes the possible answers.
199	Criterion	A standard used to choose or judge an answer.
200	Source	The particular text, figure, notes or data supplied for use.

What CLEP College Composition Modular requires

Exam component	Format and scope
Exam format	Approximately 90 multiple-choice questions in 95 minutes, including some unscored pretest items.
Question emphasis	Revision about 40%, source materials 25%, rhetorical analysis 25% and written English conventions 10%.
Writing arrangements	The CLEP exam is multiple choice. Confirm directly with your college whether it also requires a separate writing assessment.

CLEP is a U.S.-based college-credit examination programme. The receiving institution decides which exams and scores it accepts and how credit applies. Candidates outside the United States should confirm testing options with their test centre and acceptance with their institution.

Read the task before choosing a method

Read the sentence before and after an edit. Identify what the passage is trying to do, then test whether the change preserves that purpose. For a source question, match the kind of evidence to the exact claim.

Worked examples for common instructions

Select a revision that preserves meaning

Prompt. Choose a revision of “The schedule was inexpensive. It was difficult to implement.”

Answer. “The schedule was inexpensive, but it was difficult to implement.” The conjunction preserves the contrast between cost and difficulty.

Repair a faulty comparison

Prompt. Revise “The library’s hours are longer than the community centre.”

Answer. “The library’s hours are longer than the community centre’s.” The revised sentence compares one set of hours with another.

Identify what a source supports

Prompt. A visitor survey reports high satisfaction. Can it establish how many residents use the library?

Answer. It supports a claim about satisfaction among the respondents. Estimating use among residents would require attendance or population data suited to that question.

Choose where a sentence belongs

Prompt. A sentence begins “This increase prompted a second shift.” What should come just before it?

Answer. Look for the sentence that names the increase, such as the rise in attendance. The demonstrative “this” needs a clear antecedent.

Use the Fencing Method to build an answer

Start with one proposed edit. Add the grammatical reason for it and check its effect on the draft. Apply the same check to an edit in a different paragraph.

Start. The revision is clearer.

Add context. The revision names the visitor survey in place of an unclear pronoun.

Add reasoning. Naming the survey clarifies which evidence supports the claim about visitor satisfaction.

Transfer. Try a sentence with two organisations and decide which reference the following sentence needs.

Practise with the 200 terms

Take a draft paragraph and propose one edit to a sentence, one change to the order of ideas and one improvement to source attribution. Test each change against the original meaning.

Recognise an independent clause

Try it. Why is “Attendance increased, the room stayed open longer” a comma splice?

Check. Both clauses can stand independently. Use a full stop, a coordinating conjunction or a dependent construction that states the relationship.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do when two revisions are grammatical?

Use the purpose and context specified in the question. Read what surrounds the change, check what each option emphasises and choose the version that preserves the intended meaning.

Official sources and next reading

College Board CLEP College Composition Modular exam description and sample resources

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