diff --git a/demos/c/wscript b/demos/c/wscript
index 979651e5..c02184b0 100644
--- a/demos/c/wscript
+++ b/demos/c/wscript
@@ -27,12 +27,15 @@ def configure(conf):
 	conf.check(fragment='int main() { return 0; }\n', features='c')
 
 	try:
-		conf.check(fragment="int main() { return 0; }\n", execute=True) # 1
+		conf.check(fragment="int main(int argc, char* argv[]) { return 0; }\n", execute=True) # 1
 	except conf.errors.WafError:
 		Logs.warn('You are probably using a cross-compiler (disabling specific configuration tests)')
 		conf.check_library(test_exec=False)
 	else:
-		conf.check(fragment="""#include<stdio.h>\nint main(){fprintf(stderr, "mu"); printf("%d", 22);return 0;}\n""", execute=True, define_name='HAVE_MU')
+		conf.check(fragment="""#include<stdio.h>\nint main(){fprintf(stderr, "mu"); printf("%d", 22);return 0;}\n""",
+			msg='Checking for exec results', execute=True, define_name='HAVE_MU')
+		conf.check(fragment='int main(int argc, char* argv[]) { return argc - 2;}',
+			msg='Checking for test arguments', test_args=['--foo=bar'], execute=True)
 		conf.check_library(test_exec=True)
 
 	conf.check(lib='m', cflags='-Wall', defines=['var=foo', 'x=y'], uselib_store='M', mandatory=False)
diff --git a/waflib/Tools/c_config.py b/waflib/Tools/c_config.py
index d546be95..80580cc9 100644
--- a/waflib/Tools/c_config.py
+++ b/waflib/Tools/c_config.py
@@ -659,20 +659,21 @@ class test_exec(Task.Task):
 	"""
 	color = 'PINK'
 	def run(self):
+		cmd = [self.inputs[0].abspath()] + getattr(self.generator, 'test_args', [])
 		if getattr(self.generator, 'rpath', None):
 			if getattr(self.generator, 'define_ret', False):
-				self.generator.bld.retval = self.generator.bld.cmd_and_log([self.inputs[0].abspath()])
+				self.generator.bld.retval = self.generator.bld.cmd_and_log(cmd)
 			else:
-				self.generator.bld.retval = self.generator.bld.exec_command([self.inputs[0].abspath()])
+				self.generator.bld.retval = self.generator.bld.exec_command(cmd)
 		else:
 			env = self.env.env or {}
 			env.update(dict(os.environ))
 			for var in ('LD_LIBRARY_PATH', 'DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH', 'PATH'):
 				env[var] = self.inputs[0].parent.abspath() + os.path.pathsep + env.get(var, '')
 			if getattr(self.generator, 'define_ret', False):
-				self.generator.bld.retval = self.generator.bld.cmd_and_log([self.inputs[0].abspath()], env=env)
+				self.generator.bld.retval = self.generator.bld.cmd_and_log(cmd, env=env)
 			else:
-				self.generator.bld.retval = self.generator.bld.exec_command([self.inputs[0].abspath()], env=env)
+				self.generator.bld.retval = self.generator.bld.exec_command(cmd, env=env)
 
 @feature('test_exec')
 @after_method('apply_link')