GENERAL EDUCATION-ENGLISH

DIRECTIONS: Read each question very carefully and choose

the letter of the BEST answer.

1. Man is a SOCIAL being. What does this mean? Man

______.
A. is always happy to adjust
B. necessarily relates with other man
C. has the capacity to adjust
D. may choose to relate with others

2. She described her classmate’s statement as too

SOPHOMORIC. This means ______.
A. acceptable C. favorable
B. immature D. appreciative

3. She wrote a FIRST-RATE report. Which word describes the

report?
A. excellent C. run-of-the mill
B. mediocre D. ordinary

4. An automatic teller machine provides a ______ means of

banking 24 hours a day.
A. convenient C. stimulating
B. confusing D. consistent

5. She was excused because all she said were WHITE LIES.
This idiomatic expression means ___.
A. lies recited are excusable C. the lies are
really harmless
B. she recited the lies in public D. the lies are
written on white
pages

6. The home team LAMBASTED the visitors. This could be

interpreted that ______.
A. the visitors are welcome
B. the team beat the visitors
C. the visitors beat the home team
D. the team helped the visitors

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7. What is meant by expression TO GET BLOOD OUT OF A
STONE in these sentences?
Geraldo has owed me fifty thousand pesos for over a year
now. I’ve asked him for it on several occasions, but it’s like
trying to get BLOOD OUT OF A STONE.
A. Something is impossible.
B. Someone refuses to cooperate.
C. Someone is willing to give what is asked.
D. Someone wants revenge.

8. Your illness is not really that serious. Your cough is not

cancer. DO NOT MAKE MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL.
The underlined sentence means that the person should not
A. think of the past C. feel happy
B. worry so much D. go to the doctor

9. I was late for my class yesterday. I blamed it on the

_____________.
A. slow traffic C. slow traffic that
confused
B. slow traffic always D. slow trafficking

10.I know I am wrong, but please do not keep on saying I am

foolish and my decision is stupid. You are ADDING INSULT
TO INJURY. The underlined expression means
A. showing concern C. making matters
worse
B. giving help D. comforting feelings

11.Heroes like Rizal and Bonifacio are worth ______.

A. appreciating C. emulating
B. reading about D. studying

12.The statue was erected in ______ to war heroes.

A. reverence C. defense
B. responsibility D. creativity

13.One who attempts a new way of doing things or applies a

new situation to a problem is said to possess ______.
A. curiosity C. open-mindedness
B. responsibility D. creativity

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 14.Parents admit that text messaging is an easy means of
knowing their children’s
whereabouts. However they are worried about its effect on
______.
A. shortening messages effectively
B. ability to guess words correctly
C. ability to spell words correctly
D. communicating through guessing

15.Which of the following lines is a metaphor?

A. “Count money a year of strife well lost”
B. “ Holy thoughts that star the night”
C. “Blue waves whitened on a cliff”
D. “All beautiful and splendid things”

16.Ambushes in province are reported in radio and television. I

don’t agree with the report, so as to say______.
A. No, it’s not true. C. Yes, it often is.
B. Yes, it is true. D. Yes, at times it is.

17.Rica did not do well in the examination because_________

A. she studied bad
B. she was a badly student
C. she was good study wise
D. she failed to study properly

18.Rallies staged against LEWD films are reactions for ______.

A. more censoring by authorities
B. more freedom of expression
C. disapproval of questionable actors
D. further control of media

19.A message was sent by the chief of office. What should the
subordinate answer? Choose the best response.
A. Noted, Sir. C. Sir, I got it rightly.
B. Sorry, I’m busy Sir. D. I’ll verify Sir.

20.. How should this slogan be printed?

1. Keep right

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 2. Classes are going on
3. At corridors
4. Maintain silence.

Which is the best order?

A. 1,4,3,2 C. 1,2,3,4
B. 4,3,1,2 D. 3,4,2,1

21.When a leader is succeeded by another leader, the former is

referred to as the ______.
A. replaced C. deposed
B. elected D. dethroned

22.The statement “She is a rose” is an example of a/an______.

A. simile C. hyperbole
B. metaphor D. onomatopoeia

23.The statement “Speak evil of no man,” refers to ______.

A. truth C. shock
B. amazement D. gossip

24.News travels as fast as the wind. This line is a/an______.

A. simile C. metaphor
B. synonym D. idiom

25.A famous line goes, “A thing of beauty is a ______ forever.”

A. dream C. joy
B. virtue D. good

26.If she _______________ President, she would live in

Malacaňang.
A. was B. were C. am D. should

27.Who is considered the MOST outstanding among Filipino

playwrights in English?
A. Carlos P. Romulo C. Leon Ma. Guerero
B. Severino Montano D. Willfrido Ma. Guerero
28.. Who said “The Filipino is worth dying for”?
A. Carlos P. Garcia C. Benigno Aquino
B. Andres Bonifacio D. Jose Rizal

29.Who is the author of “Without Seeing the Dawn”?

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 A. Maximo Ramos C. Paz M. Benitez
B. Steven Javellana D. Madalena Jalandoni

30.“I die just when the dawn breaks to herald the day”. This is a
famous quote from _____.
A. Benigno Aquino C. Jose P. Rizal
B. Manuel L. Quezon D. Andres Bonifacio

31.Who wrote about the fated love affair of Jose Rizal and
Leonor Rivera.
A. Arturo B. Rotor C. Zoilo Galang
B. Francisco B. Icasiano D. Nick Joaquin

32.Anatole France in Thai is quoted often for these lines. “Fish

which are put upon dry land die, in the same way monks who
leave their cells and mix the world deviate from their holy
purpose. “This means ______?
A. One should stay only in his habitat.
B. Living another life means death.
C. Monks living out of the monastery violate their holiness.
D. Monks should never leave out of the monastery.

33.What do the following lines CONVEY?

Midnight, not a sound from the pavement.

Has the moon lost her memory?
She is smiling alone.
In the lamp light the withered leaves
Collect at my feet
And the wind begins to moan.
A. Confusion C. Loneliness
B. Optimism D. Eagerness

34.What is the mood of these lines?

Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn’t give in.
When the dawn comes
tonight will be a memory, too

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 And a new day will begin.
A. Afraid C. Depressed
B. Sarcastic D. Hopeful

35.What is suggested in the opening line?

June 13, 1986–they came from all over America-200, 000

heroes strong, with their families.

A. The writer holds great admiration for the veterans

B. The writer was a veteran of the war
C. The writer is opposed to the Vietnam War
D. The writer is a flag-waving patriot

36.Carl Sundburg wrote “Jazz Fantasia” which has for its first
stanza:
Drum on your drums, batter on your banjos, sob
On the long cool winding saxophones.
Go to it, O jazzmen.

Which words illustrate alliteration?

A. Batter and banjos C. Sob and winding
B. Long and cool D. To and it

37.The stanza below is taken from “Barter” by Sara Teasdale.

Life has loneliness to sell,
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit’s still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

To what does Teasdale compare music?

A. The scent of pine trees C. Eyes that love

B. B. A curve of gold D. The rain

38.Robert Frost wrote the poem “ Acquainted with the Night”

from which the stanza is taken:

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 I have been one acquainted with the night
I have walked out in rain-back rain.
I have out walked the farthest city light.

The poet in the stanza talks of

A. Isolation and loneliness.
B. Happiness in having been acquainted with the night.
C. Joy getting out of the house.
D. Youthful delight playing in the rain.

39.A title of the poem reads “Maggie and milly and molly and
may”.

What sound device is used by the poet?

A. apostrophe
B. assonance
C. allusion
D. alliteration

Situation 1—Below is the poem written by Edgar Lee Masters in

1915:

What Happened to Tom Merritt?

At first I suspected something

She acted so calm and absent-minded
And once day I heard the back door shut,
As I entered the front, and I saw him slink
Back of the smokehouse into the lot,
And across the field
And I meant to kill him on sight
But that day, walking near Fourth Bridge
Without a stick or a stone at hand,
All of a sudden I saw him standing
Scared to death, holding his rabbits,
And all I could say was, “Don’t, Don’t , Don’t,”
As he aimed and fired at my heart

40.Which of the following techniques is used in the poem?

A. Verse C. Free verse

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 B. Rhyme D. Personification

41.The way in which the poet presents these words in line 12

implies that Tom
A. tried to annoy the other man
B. was shot before the finished the statement
C. did not want to hurt the other man
D. begged the man to stop seeing his wife

42.Who is the speaker of this poem?

A. Tom Meritt C. God
B. Merritt’s wife D. The sheriff

43.The poet introduces the poem with the lines 1-3 to show us
that Tom Meritt

A. had suspected that his wife was seeing another

man
B. was sure that his wife was ill
C. was a very suspicious person
D. was sure that his wife still loved him

Situation 2—Below is an except from John F. Kennedy’s

“Inaugural Address” Read the excerpt and answer the questions
that follow.

In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the
final success or failure of our course. Since this country as
founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to
give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young
Americans into answered the all to service surround the globe.

Now the trumpet summons us again-not as a call to bear arms,

though arms we need, not as a call to battle, though embattled we
are; but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year
in and year out, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation,” a
struggle against the common enemies of man; tyranny, poverty,
disease, and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance,

North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful
life for all mankind? Will you join me in this historic effort?

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In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been
granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum
danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility; I welcome it. I do
not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other
people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the
devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and
all who serve it, and the glow from that fire can truly light the
world.

And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do
for you; ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world ask not what America will do for
you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

44.In the speech, Kennedy paints a picture of the United States

as a nation that is
A. onging to return to return to the past C. struggling
to survive
B. on the brink of world war D. the leading
defender of freedom

45.One of the purposes of the speech is to motivate listeners to

A. serve their country C. prepare

themselves for battle
B. enlist in the armed forces D. preserve the
right to bear arms

46.The speech is characterized by all of the following stylistic

devices EXCEPT
A. the use of the personal pronouns we and us to build
rapport with listeners
B. catchy turns of phrase in which subjects and objects
are inverted
C. a standard, predictable rhythm and the use of rhyme
D. the repetition of key words

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 47.The tone of the speech can BEST be characterized as
A. sad C. light-hearted
B. uplifting D. sarcastic

Situation 3-Below is a Biographical sketch of an American movies

writer;

How Did Elvis Presley Achieve Recognition

Success often comes to those with humble beginnings. Elvis Aron

Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. He
first sang in a church choir and taught himself to play the guitar,
but the never learned to read music. By 1953, he had moved to
Memphis, Tennessee, graduated from high school, and enrolled
in night school to become an electrician. That year, at Sun
Records, Presley recorded a personal record for his mother, a
song that was heard by the company’s president. As a result of
the president’s recognition, Presley first record, “That’s all Right,
Mama” was out in 1954.

He toured the South, and in 1955 five of his records were

released simultaneously. His first national television appearance
was that year on Jackie Gleason’s “The Stage Show,” but Presley
became known for his appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show,”
where the young singer gyrated as he sang “rock n’ roll” music.
During the live television performance, Presley was photographed
only from the waist up because his motions were considered
obscene.

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“Elvis the Pelvis” began his film career in 1956 with LOVE ME
TENDER and signed a long-term film contract. The movie critics
were not always kind, but teenagers flock to Presley’s films.
Within a few short years, Presley had established a career that
would span twenty years of ups and downs and make him one of
the most popular entertainers in history. Long after his untimely
death at age 42, Presley would be remembered as “The King of
Rock n Roll.”

48.The author uses the phrase ups and downs to refer to

Presley’s
A. gyrations as he performed
B. increasing and decreasing forces
C. successes and disappointments in his career
D. use of drugs, “uppers and downers”

49.The statement that “success often comes to those with

humble beginnings’ means that success is for those who
A. have it all
B. have nothing
C. take life seriously
D. those who strive to be one

50.The main idea of the sketch is that

A. singers are more successful if they appear in films
B. there has always been obscenity on television
C. opportunity and luck are often as important as hard
work
D. celebrities are usually more famous after their death

51.The last sentence reveals that the author’s attitude toward

Presley is one of
A. indifference C. disbelief
B. admiration D. disgust

52.Rousseau advised “Have a good bank account, a good cook

and a good digestion.” He is referring to one’s ______.
A. duty C. family
B. security D. investment

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53.Who is considered the MOST outstanding among Filipino
playwrights in English?
A. Carlos P. Romulo C. Leon Ma. Guerrero
B. Severino Montano D. Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero

54.Which of these capitalized words do not rhyme?

A. That’s not easy to BEAR
B. Let’s give a CHEER.
C. I know it CLEAR.
D. It shows, it’s SHEER truth.

55.Young go for glitters and gold. This means that students

are:
A. selfish C. self-conscious
B. thrifty D. self-directed

56.The test was hard for Paul and _____.

A. myself C. me
B. I D. himself

57.Be sure to fill _____ the forms correctly. Which is the correct
preposition?
A. over C. on
B. in D. with

58.I ______ walked two kilometers by the time you catch up

with me.
A. have ` C. had
B. will have D. would have

59.The flower smells ______.

A. sweet C. sweeter
B. sweetly D. more sweet

60.After ______ all day, she finally saw the lake.

A. having walked C. walking
B. had walked D. have walked

61.Which is the BEST WAY to write the underlined portion of

this sentence? However, their VCR kept them from missing
their favorite prime time shows.
A. Keepes C. Had kept

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 B. Keeps D. Keeped

62.What correction should be made to this sentence?

One of their theories is that the first child receives more of the
parent’s attention than other children so first-borns tend to be
more intellectual.
A. Change is to are C. Change parent’s to
parents’
B. Insert a comma after children D. Change
theories to theory’s

63.Nena’s terribly ON EDGE because she lacks time to

prepare for the contest. What does ON EDGE mean?
A. Shrewd B. Eager C. Shocked D. Nervous

64.Which pitch is used for the word ACT in the sentence?

What a strange act!
A. 4 B. 3 C. 1 D. 2

65.Which word in the sentence is pronounced with the [Zh]

sound?
She spent the day by the shore leisurely waiting for the ships
to pass.
A. Ships B. Shore C. She D. Leisurely

66.What correction should be made to the sentence below?

While most Japanese travelers expect to find

lodging in a hotel or motel, the recent popularity of bed
and breakfast offer a new alternative to travelers.

A. Replace new with knew C. Change offer to offers

B. Replace to with too D. Change expect to expects

67.Which of the verbs is pronounced with [id] at the end?

A. Praised B. Mailed C. Judged
D. Needed

68.I’ve been working like a Trojan all day, trying to finish the
project. To work LIKE A TROJAN means
___________________.

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 A. Work quickly
B. Work hard
C. Work hurriedly
D. Work fast

69.Which word in the sentence is pronounced with the [Sh]

sound?
As usual, the legislative measure on usury contains penal
provisions for congress to push.
A. Usury B. Push C. Measure D. Usual

70.Which word in the sentence is pronounced with [zh] sound?

`Fish and chips are what she brought in the excursion.
A. She B. Excursion C. Chips
D. Fish

71.A SKEPTIC never goes far.

A. conspirator C. cheater
B. sorcerer D. doubter

72.The test was a CINCH. Which word describes the test?

A. easy C. difficult
B. average D. incorrect

73.The First Lady is a GREGARIOUS hostess unlike the former

one who always hides behind the President’s back.
A. bashful C. active
B. shy D. sociable

74.The BAWDINESS of the dancers angered the conservative

guests.
A. bashfulness C. gracefulness
B. aggressiveness D. obscenity

75.When the earthquake was felt, PANDEMONIUM broke out.

A. wild confusion C. general revolt
B. excessive famine D. deafening silence

76.Everybody wants to achieve NIRVANA even in a time and

place when everything seems impossible.
A. everlasting beauty C. immortal life
B. great happiness D. great wealth

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77.Arrange these phrases to make a good sentence.
1. looks radiant
2. seated on the corner
3. the girl
4. in the white gown

A. 4132 B. 3214 C. 3124 D. 4213

78.Arrange these phrases to make a good sentence.

1. in the Philippines
2. is the wind surfing
3. a new
4. popular pastime

A. 1234 B. 2143 C. 3412 D. 3421

79.October 10 is a “RED-LETTER DAY” for the Chinese.

Classify this expression.
A. Simile C. Metaphor
B. Synonym D. Idiom

80.A HIGH- MINDED person wouldn’t lie. What does high-

minded mean?
A. Unprincipled C. Corrupt
B. Mean D. Honorable

81.Stop SHILLY SHALLYING make up your mind. This serves

as a warning not to______.
A. continue C. decide
B. go ahead D. hesitate

82.“She is a vision of feminine PULCHRITUDE.” This quote

stands for ______.
A. homeliness C. loveliness
B. plainness D. simplicity

83.The army’s retreat was IGNOMINOUS. What does this

mean?
A. Reputable C. Shameful
B. Honorable D. Mysterious

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84.Our guest of honor was a LOQUACIOUS speaker. This
means he is ______.
A. taciturn C. reticent
B. verbose D. reserved

85.Archimedes shouted “EUREKA!” What do we take this to

mean?
A. wonder C. mystery
B. enjoyment D. discovery

86.Man is a SOCIAL being. What does this mean? Man

______.
A. is always happy to adjust
B. necessarily relates with other man
C. has the capacity to adjust
D. May choose to relate with others

87.My grandma had some LUCID moments before she died.

She was ______.
A. sad C. thinking clearly
B. ambiguous D. confused

88.Teachers allow students to explain their answers in dialects.

This is an approach on _____.
A. multilingual level C. dialectic level
B. bilingual level D. monolingual level

89.Humble winners don’t GLOAT about the prize. What does

gloat mean?
A. scoff C. brag
B. deride D. belittle

90.What is meant by LAST DITCH in this sentence?

The aged bishop was prepared to fight to the last ditch to
defend his good name.
A. One’s last courage C. One’s last hope
B. One’s last strategy D. One’s last defense

91.It may seem FRIVOLOUS to you, but it’s important. What

does frivolous mean?
A. significant C. practical
B. vital D. worthless

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 92.His APOCALYPTIC views foretell the doom of the human
race.
A. pathetic C. spiritless
B. lethargic D. prophetic

93.To HERALD major economic and social changes brought

about by technology means to
A. end C. respond to
B. proclaim D. encourage

94.Today, car manufacturers have begun to AUTOMATE their

assembly lines by using robots. This trend means ______.
A. assemble machines C. produce more
efficiency cars
B. operate through machines D. operate through
human workers

95.There was HIATUS of two years before I went back to

college. What does HIATUS mean?
A. lapse C. continuation
B. width D. interruption

96.Business computers have become more and more complex

that necessitate complete training in operating them. These
are now described as SOPHISTICATED electronic system,
meaning______.
A. uncomplicated C. worldly
B. fashionable D. simple

97.“EUREKA!” Shouted Dianne when she finally got the right

formula. This means
A. a discovery C. a mystery
B. an enjoyment D. a gift

100. The Indonesian softball team ___ beaten by the Philippine team
by a score of six to four.
a. were b. have
c. was d. has

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