English Literature CLEP Prep Practice Exam

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Prepare for the English Literature CLEP Exam with our comprehensive quiz! Engage with a variety of questions designed to boost your knowledge and confidence. Master literary terms, historical periods, and key texts to excel on test day.

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

From which work did the phrase "To be, or not to be" originate?

Hamlet
King Lear
Macbeth
Othello

The correct answer is: Hamlet

This line comes from the famous soliloquy in Hamlet, a play written by William Shakespeare. It is spoken by the character Hamlet as he contemplates the idea of life and death. Option B, King Lear, is incorrect as it does not feature this line and explores different themes. Option C, Macbeth, also does not have this line and focuses on ambition and the consequences of one's actions. Option D, Othello, does not involve this phrase and centers around jealousy and betrayal. Thus, A is the correct answer as it is the only work of Shakespeare's that contains this iconic phrase.