Free CLEP English Exam Question and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following versions of the underlined section of sentence one is the best? <br> It's hard to find time to do schoolwork, and there's no time for <u> for goofing off, leisure, relaxing, and enjoying yourself.</u>
- for goofing off, relaxing, and enjoying yourself
- to relax and enjoy yourself. (Correct answer)
- for messing around.
- to goof off, leisure, relax, and enjoy
Correct answer: to relax and enjoy yourself.
The original phrase contains redundancy and a grammatical inconsistency. 'Goofing off, leisure, relaxing, and enjoying yourself' includes overlapping ideas and mixes a noun ('leisure') with verbs. The best revision, 'to relax and enjoy yourself,' is concise, grammatically parallel, and effectively conveys the intended meaning without repetition.
Question 2: Which of the following formulations of sentence 3 is the best?
- Usually, the jobs available to young people are boring or unpleasant, which makes the situation worse. (Correct answer)
- Worsening the situation, the jobs available to young people are usually boring or unpleasant.
- Worsening the situation, available jobs are boring and unpleasant.
- What makes the situation worse is that because you are a young person, the only jobs available are boring or unpleasant.
Correct answer: Usually, the jobs available to young people are boring or unpleasant, which makes the situation worse.
Option A is the most grammatically sound and clear. It uses a relative clause ('which makes the situation worse') to logically connect the unpleasantness of jobs to the worsening situation. Options B and C use a dangling participle 'Worsening the situation,' which is grammatically incorrect as it doesn't clearly modify a subject, while option D is overly wordy and less direct.
Question 3: Which translation of sentence 6 works best within the framework of paragraph 2?
- Picking up garbage is disgusting and exhausting.
- Picking up garbage was disgusting and exhausting.
- Picking up garbage was not only disgusting; it was also exhausting.
- Picking up garbage wasn't only exhausting, it was also disgusting. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Picking up garbage wasn't only exhausting, it was also disgusting.
Option D uses a strong parallel structure ('wasn't only... it was also...') which effectively emphasizes both negative aspects of the task. This construction adds impact and a slightly more conversational tone, fitting well within a personal narrative. The other options are either too simplistic or reverse the emphasis, making them less effective stylistically.
Question 4: Which of the following is the best method to integrate sentences 7 and 8's underlined portions into a single sentence?<br> <br> Spilled drinks made <u>the seats and floors sticky. Popcorn</u> that was dropped and stepped on became a mushy pulp.
- the seats and floor sticky; popcorn
- the seats and floors sticky; but popcorn
- the seats and floors sticky, and popcorn (Correct answer)
- the seats and floors is sticky; however, popcorn
Correct answer: the seats and floors sticky, and popcorn
The original sentences describe two distinct but related consequences: sticky seats/floors and mushy popcorn. Joining them with 'and' creates a compound sentence that smoothly connects these two observations without implying a stronger separation or contrast. A comma followed by 'and' is the most natural and grammatically correct way to link these two independent clauses.
Question 5: What would be the most effective revision for the underlined part of sentence 11?<br> <br> I was constantly being threatened with losing my job, and the customers <u>have been the rudest people</u> I ever met.
- are being the rudest people
- were among the most rude
- were the rudest people (Correct answer)
- had been the rudest people
Correct answer: were the rudest people
The sentence describes past events, indicated by 'I was constantly being threatened.' To maintain consistent verb tense within the narrative, the description of the customers' behavior should also be in the simple past tense. 'Were the rudest people' correctly uses the past tense, aligning with the established timeline of the sentence.
Question 6: What replacement option would be most effective? But at the beginning of sentence 14?
- Again (Correct answer)
- And
- There
- Now
Correct answer: Again
Without the full context of sentence 14, 'Again' is the most effective transitional word among the choices. It signals a repetition or a return to a previously discussed theme or situation, which is a common and useful function for a sentence-beginning transition. The other options ('And,' 'There,' 'Now') do not convey the sense of recurrence as clearly.
Question 7: Which of the following would make sentence 15 the best?
- While I stood between the warming ovens and the steam table on the serving line and sweated, the customers complained the food was not warm enough. (Correct answer)
- The warming ovens and steaming table surrounded the serving line where I stood, and so I sweated, but the customers complained the food was not warm enough.
- I sweated while the customers complained.
- While I sweated from the high temperatures, the customers complained that the food was not warm enough while I served them standing between the warming ovens and the steam table.
Correct answer: While I stood between the warming ovens and the steam table on the serving line and sweated, the customers complained the food was not warm enough.
Option A effectively combines the information into a single, clear sentence using a subordinate clause ('While I stood...') to establish the context of the speaker's discomfort. It clearly links the speaker's experience (sweating) with the customers' complaint, highlighting the irony concisely. Other options are either too wordy, less precise, or create awkward sentence structures.
Free CLEP English Exam Question and Answers
Which of the following versions of the underlined section of sentence one is the best?
It's hard to find time to do schoolwork, and there's no time for for goofing
off, leisure, relaxing, and enjoying yourself.