Portia expresses sadness over the terms of her father’s will, which stipulates that she

must marry the man who correctly chooses one of three caskets.
Morocco
Mislike me not for my complexion.
My people, dwelling neighbors to the sun,
Are given shadowed skin for our relief.
Now, seeing thee, so wondrous fair, I wish
To be the cloth of black or sable fur
On which the jeweler sets his fairest stone,
The better to display its dazzlement

PORTIA
I have no fear of unfamiliar hues.
A woman’s heart will sooner judge the face
By graces only seen in words and deeds.
Besides, the lottery of my destiny
Bars me the right of voluntary choosing:
By matching wits against my father you,
Not I, will choose what face my husband wears

MOROCCO
But thou art not indifferent to the choice?

PORTIA
In sober truth I tell you, sir, that I
Am pleased no less by you than any other
Of the wooers who have come to call on me.

MOROCCO
For that I thank you, lady. Now, I pray,
Lead me to the caskets, to the test
That will decide my future happiness.

PORTIA
Lesser men have left without attempting it,
For there’s a penalty to choosing wrong.

Act II, Scene I from the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

1. What is the story might be about between Portia and Morocco?

A. Morocco is one of the suitors of Portia who wants to marry her through luck.
B. Morocco is a rich man who is destined to marry Portia.
C. Portia is in love with someone else even before Morocco came into picture.
D. Portia dislikes Morocco and attempts to kill him by leading him to choose the
wrong casket.

2. What could be inferred when Morocco say, mislike me not for my complexion?

A. Misunderstanding happens during first time encounter.

B. One never gets a second chance to make a first impression.
C. People tend to judge based on color.
D. There's more to this than meets the eye.

3. When Portia said, “I have no fear of unfamiliar hues”, what does this line signify
about Portia?

A. She is being polite and honest.

B. She is well-educated; hence, she knows good manners.
C. She has a strong and intimidating personality.
D. She is considerate; she is open-minded.

4. What social reality did the author try to highlight based on the dialogue of the
two characters?

A. intercultural marriage
B. the wealthy marrying their own
C. unrequited love
D. romantic affair

5. What is the main problem that Portia has to deal with?

A. Portia against Morocco
B. Portia against her father’s will
C. Portia against her lover
D. Portia against the standards of the society
 Caged Bird
BY MAYA ANGELOU
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
6. What is being contrasted in the poem?
A. bird and nature
B. caged bird and free bird
C. narrow cage and open cage
D. song of the two birds

7. What is ironic about the caged bird?

A. The caged bird sings.
B. The caged bird is unheard.
C. The caged bird flies across the horizon.
D. The caged bird waits for the free bird.

8. What do the two birds symbolize?

A. beauty and ugliness
B. hope and despair
C. independence and captivity
D. poor and rich

9. What general idea might this poem be about?

A. Hope is found in the midst of desperation.

B. Some are blessed with talent while others long to be noticed and recognized.
C. The sorrowful plight of the oppressed that long for freedom
D. The rich enjoy pleasures of life while the poor suffer.

10. What overall feeling is created by the poem? It evokes ….

A. discontentment
B. dismay
C. loneliness
D. sympathy
I'm a storyteller.

And I would like to tell you a few personal stories about what I like to call "the danger
of the single story." I grew up on a university campus in eastern Nigeria. My mother
says that I started reading at the age of two, although I think four is probably close to
the truth. So I was an early reader. And what I read were British and American
children's books.

I was also an early writer. And when I began to write, at about the age of seven, stories
in pencil with crayon illustrations that my poor mother was obligated to read, I wrote
exactly the kinds of stories I was reading. All my characters were white and blue-eyed.
They played in the snow. They ate apples. (Laughter) And they talked a lot about the
weather, how lovely it was that the sun had come out. (Laughter) Now, this despite the
fact that I lived in Nigeria. I had never been outside Nigeria. We didn't have snow. We
ate mangoes. And we never talked about the weather, because there was no need to.

My characters also drank a lot of ginger beer because the characters in the British
books I read drank ginger beer. Never mind that I had no idea what ginger beer was.
(Laughter) And for many years afterwards, I would have a desperate desire to taste
ginger beer. But that is another story.

What this demonstrates, I think, is how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the
face of a story, particularly as children. Because all I had read were books in which
characters were foreign, I had become convinced that books, by their very nature, had
to have foreigners in them, and had to be about things with which I could not personally
identify. Now, things changed when I discovered African books. There weren't many
of them available. And they weren't quite as easy to find as the foreign books.

But because of writers like Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye I went through a mental
shift in my perception of literature. I realized that people like me, girls with skin the
color of chocolate, whose kinky hair could not form ponytails, could also exist in
literature. I started to write about things I recognized.

Now, I loved those American and British books I read. They stirred my imagination.
They opened up new worlds for me. But the unintended consequence was that I did
not know that people like me could exist in literature. So what the discovery of African
writers did for me was this: It saved me from having a single story of what books are

Excerpt from TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story, by Chimamanda Adichie
11. Which of the following best explains the speaker’s idea of a single
story?
A. Single story pertains to limited perspective and incomplete representation of a
culture, thus resulting in stereotype.
B. Single story is about repeated plot development and characterization due to
popular culture.
C. Single story is about copying and imitating one’s culture; hence, it lacks originality
and authenticity.
D. Single story is about being biased that favors one group or country.

12. Which of the following situations best reflect the single story?
A. There weren’t many Africans stories.
B. The speaker started reading at a very young age.
C. When the speaker wrote exactly the kinds of stories she was reading
D. When the speaker admitted she did not know what ginger beer was

13. What is the speaker’s intention in sharing her personal experience?

A. To make the topic more relatable so the speaker can make strong connections
with the audience
B. To make her speech more believable since her topic is about children’s literature
C. To sustain audience attention so as not to bore them
D. To make it appear that her experience is a novel one

14. Which of the following validates and supports the speaker’s concept of single
story?
A. her early reading experience rich with local and foreign ideas
B. underrepresentation of African culture in Western readings
C. the African authors she views as role models
D. her diverse experience in Africa
 The sedentary behavior, long periods of being restrained and sleep disorders caused
by such excessive screen time are harmful especially to kids, said the WHO, stressing
that children need more physical activity and interactions with real people.

“Screen dependency disorder” (SDD), as the behavior is now called, is being

recognized as an urgent public health-issue across the globe, as the use of electronic
devices has become an inescapable part of modern society.

The American Academy of Pediatrics had previously released a similar warning about
SDD in 2016. SDD is seen in children who pick up their gadgets immediately upon
waking up, use their gadgets at the dinner table instead of eating, and watch screens
until they’re made to abandon the gadgets when they go to bed.

SDD is said to lead to insomnia, backache, bad nutrition and eyesight issues, among
others, and also impairs actual social interaction, leading to feelings of isolation and
depression.

SDD occurs in any form of overuse of gadgets, whether it be watching videos or using
apps. Gaming addiction was also classified as a disorder by the WHO last year. And
such addictive behavior, perhaps without many people knowing it, has become
prevalent in the Philippines, a country enamored with gadgets, smartphones and the
internet and is among the biggest social-media users in the world.

Excerpt from the Editorial, Turn off That Screen, by Philippine Daily Inquirer

15. Where might one find the central idea of the passage?
A. 1st paragraph C. 3rd paragraph
B. 2nd paragraph D. 4th paragraph

16. All of the following situations can result from screen dependency disorder
except …
A. body pain
B. poor social skills
C. sleeplessness
D. low achievement
17. If the passage was written to primarily persuade, the author could have …
A. called the readers to take a necessary action in addressing the issue
B. explained both the advantages and disadvantages
C. shared an anecdote to make it more realistic
D. used rhetorical questions and analogy to prove his point

18. Given the theme of the passage, who will most likely benefit in reading this
article?
A. children
B. doctors
C. teachers
D. researchers

19. How did the author develop her arguments?

A. emotional appeal
B. facts and research
C. fear and scare tactics
D. opinion and observation

20. The word enamored in the last paragraph could also mean …
A. exposed C. fascinated
B. loaded D. connected
[…]

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area.
The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have
already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety
of our nation.

As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for
our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against
us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American
people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will
not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of
treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests
are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will
gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on
Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the
Japanese empire.

Excerpt from the Speech, Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation, by Franklin Delano Roosevelt

21. What is the speaker’s purpose in delivering the speech?

A. to inform the audience about the tragic event
B. to argue that Japan did not keep their word
C. to call for an action to counterattack Japan
D. to influence people to hold grudges against the enemy
22. How did the speaker primary achieve his purpose? The president …
A. cited the long withstanding victorious history of US
B. made reference to the Congress
C. used emotional language and evidence
D. implanted fear and hatred to move the audience

23. All of the following are strategies used by the speaker in supporting his stand
except …
A. He reiterated his authority as Commander in Chief.
B. He used loaded words reassuring that the state will succeed.
C. He repeatedly mentioned about the Japanese attacks in different territories.
D. He cited testimonial from the military.

24. How can such a particular speech contribute to the society’s history?
A. The speech sparked the interest of famous statesmen
B. The speech united US and the other countries attacked by Japan
C. The speech officially started the war against the enemy
D. The speech would always be remembered by the war veterans

25. The speaker said inevitable triumph. What does this underlined phrase
mean?
A. confidently win C. unwavering support
B. assured responsibility D. strong will