Gallanosa National High School

21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World

Examination

Choose the best answer.

1. What narrative is passed down from generation to generation, and it becomes part of a tradition of a
community?
A. legend C. myth
B. epic D. folktale

2. What story is told to explain a belief, a practice, or a natural phenomenon?

A. legend C. epic
B. myth D. fable

3. What story is presented as history but is unlikely to be true?

A. epic C. myth
B. legend D. fable

4. Which of the following statements is not true about the precolonial literature of the Philippines?
A. Precolonial literature includes folk narratives like folktales, epics, and myths.
B. Precolonial literature includes literature that were passed on from generation to generation through
the word of mouth.
C. Precolonial literature includes chants, proverbs, and songs.
D. Precolonial literature depicts the livelihood, customs, and traditions of the Filipinos during the
Spanish occupation.

5. Read the passage below.

Juan Gathers Guavas
(A Tagalog Folktale)

One day several neighbors came to Juan’s home to visit. His father wanted to give the guests something
to eat, so he sent Juan to get some ripe guavas for them.
Full of mischief, Juan decided to play a joke on his father’s guests. He went to get the guavas and ate
all of them while thinking of a good joke. Then he saw a wasp’s nest hung nearby. With some difficulty he
managed to take it down and put it into a tight basket. He hastened home and gave the basket to his father.
Quickly he left the room where the guests were and closed the door and fastened it.
As soon as Juan’s father opened the basket, the wasps flew over the room. With the door locked, the
people fought to get out of the windows. After a while Juan opened the door. When he saw the swollen faces of
the people, he cried.
“What fine, rich guavas you must have had! They have made you all so fat!”

What is likely the purpose of “Juan Gathers Guavas”?

A. to teach a lesson C. to educate the readers about society
B. to give emphasis on a virtue D. to amuse its listeners

6. Fables often teach a lesson.

The Monkey and the Crocodile (A Tagalog Fable)

One day, a monkey saw a tall macopa tree laden with ripe fruits, which stood by a wide river. It was
hungry, so it climbed the tree and ate all of the fruits. When it climbed down, it could find no means by which to
cross the river. Then it saw a young crocodile who had just woke up from its siesta. It said to the crocodile in a
friendly way, “My dear Crocodile, will you do me a favor?”
The crocodile was greatly surprised by the monkey’s amicable salutation. So, it answered humbly, “Oh,
yes! If there is anything I can do for you, I shall be glad to do it.” The monkey then told the crocodile that it
wanted to get to the other side of the river. Then the crocodile said, “I’ll take you there with all my heart. Just
sit on my back, and we’ll go at once.”
The monkey sat firmly on the crocodile’s back, and they began to move. In a short while they reached
the middle of the stream. Then the crocodile began to laugh aloud. “You foolish monkey!” it said, “I’ll eat your
liver and kidneys, for I’m very hungry.” The monkey became nervous. Trying to conceal its anxiety, it said,
“I’m very glad that you mentioned the matter. I thought myself that you might be hungry, so I have prepared my
liver and kidneys for your dinner. Unfortunately, in our haste to depart, I left them hanging on the macopa tree.
Let us return, and I’ll get them for you.”
Convinced that the monkey was telling the truth, the crocodile turned around and swam back to the
direction of the macopa tree. When they got near the riverbank, the monkey nimbly jumped up onto the land
and scampered up the tree. The crocodile came to realize what happened and said, “I am a fool.”

What is likely the lesson taught by “The Monkey and the Crocodile”?
A. Your cunning can take you anywhere. C. Being clever is better than being strong.
B. Trust everyone D. Beware of the deceitful

7. What does the excerpt suggest about the society of the native Filipinos?

The Creation (An Excerpt from the Tagalog myth)

After a while the parents grew very tired of having so many idle and useless children around. They
wished to be rid of them, but they knew of no place to send them to. Time went on, and the children became so
numerous that the parents enjoyed no peace. One day, in desperation, the father seized a stick and began
beating them on all sides.
The beating frightened the children so much that they fled in different directions. Some seek hidden
rooms in the house. Some concealed themselves in the walls. Some ran outside, while others hid in the
fireplace. Several fled to the sea.
Now it happened that those who went into the hidden rooms of the house later became the chiefs of the
islands; and those who concealed themselves in the walls became slaves. Those who ran outside were free men;
and those who hid in the fireplace became negroes; while those who fled to the sea were gone many years, and
when their children came back they were the white people.
A. Parents should be strict.
B. Idle and useless people should be punished.
C. Beating children is a way to teach them how to behave properly.
D. There are different classes of people.

8. What are the factors that greatly influenced the Philippine Literature during the Spanish occupation?
A. education C. trade
B. religion D. wealth

9. What book is published in 1605 that contains basic Catholic doctrines?

A. Noli Me Tangere
B. Memorial de la vida cristiana en lengua tagala
C. Gracias de sin sempiternas
D. Sampaguitas y poesias varias

10. Complete the following analogy:

Jose Rizal: Noli Me Tangere: Pedro Paterno: _________________
A. Sampaguitas y poesias varias C. Gracias de sin sempiternas
B. Ninay D. El Filibusterismo

11. Which statement is true for the moro-moro?

A. Christians and Muslims triumph over their common enemy in the story of moro-moro.
B. Muslims triumph over Christians in the story of moro-moro.
C. Christians and Muslims triumph over evil in the story of moro-moro.
D. Christians triumph over Muslims in the story of moro-moro.

12. What year did the anthology Ang Pinakamabuting Maikling Kathang Pilipino ng 1943 come out?
A. 1944 C. 1943
B. 1945 D. 1942

13. What was the medium of instruction in public schools during the American occupation of the Philippines?
A. Filipino C. Tagalog
B. English D. Nihonggo

14. Which of the following is the first postwar Filipino novel written in English?
A. Waywaya by F. Sionil Jose C. May Day Eve by Nick Joaquin
B. Without Seeing the Dawn by Stevan Javellana D. The Return by Edith L. Tiempo
15. Which of the following years are not considered as part of the postwar and contemporary period?
A. 1947-1960 C. 1975-1990
B. 1900-1930 D. 1960-1975

16. Which of the following is a part of the issues in the postwar and contemporary period?
A. great poverty C. mass hysteria
B. widespread epidemics D. great wealth

17. Which of the following is not a significant historical event during the postwar and contemporary period?
A. declaration of martial law C. establishment of the Republic of the Philippines
B. the election of Fidel V. Ramos as president D. the colonization of the Spaniards

18. Who among the following inspired Filipino writers during the postwar period?
A. American dramatists C. American poets
B. American leaders D. American teachers

19. Which of the following is not a topic or theme of works during the postwar and contemporary period?
A. religious faith C. nationalism
B. the creation of the world D. superstitions

20. Which of the following works is not similar to the other three?
A. "History and Philippine Culture" by Horacio de la Costa
B. "We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers" by Alejandro Roces
C. "May Day Eve" by Nick Joaquin
D. "Waywaya" by F. Sionil Jose

21. You were asked by your teacher to imagine that you were a writer in the postwar and contemporary period.
Which of the following would you not write about?
A. a story about life under the Philippine New Republic
B. a piece encouraging Filipinos to fight against the Spaniards
C. your thoughts about the martial law
D. what Filipinos experienced under the hands of the Japanese

22. Will's teacher asked the class to read a postwar and contemporary literary work that will enlighten them
about the experiences of Filipinos during the war, Which of the following should Will choose to read?
A. History and Philippine Culture by Horacio de la Costa
B. Without Seeing the Dawn by Stevan Javellana
C. The Return by Edith L. Tiempo
D. Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez

23. He was named as the National Artist for Literature in 1973.

A. N.V.M. Gonzalez C. Jose Garcia Villa
B. Carlos P. Romulo D. Francisco Arcellana

23. It refers to a series of controversial poems which led to Jose Garcia Villa’s suspension from the University
of the Philippines.
A. Man Songs C. Mir-i-nisa
B. Footnote to Youth D. Winds of April

24. Jose Garcia Villa pioneered on __________ where he places a comma after every word.
A. punctuation poems C. period poems
B. comma poems D. apostrophe poems

25. "Must you marry, Dodong?"

In the story "Footnote to Youth," the given line was uttered by Dodong's father when Dodong asked for his
permission to get married. Which of the following emotions is expressed in the statement of Dodong’s father?
A. excitement C. anxiety
B. hatred D. support

1. Which of these works is written in Middle English?

A. The Canterbury Tales C. Songs of Innocence and of Experience
B. The Merchant of Venice D. The Importance of Being Earnest
2. Which Victorian writer is known for his dramatic monologues?
 A. Alfred Lord Tennyson C. Charles Dickens
B. Robert Browning D. Oscar Wilde
3. Which writers use the stream of consciousness technique in their works?
A. James Joyce C. Virginia Woolf
B. William Butler Yeats D. Thomas Stearns Eliot

My Last Duchess (An Excerpt)

By Robert Browning
That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf’s hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
4. Whose voice does the poet assume in his work?
A. painting C. duchess
B. duke D. poet himself
5. Which of these writers wrote symbolical tales?
A. Ernest Hemingway C. Washington Irving
B. Sherwood Anderson D. Nathaniel Hawthorne

Wanting to Die (An Excerpt)

By Anne Sexton

Since you ask, most days I cannot remember.

I walk in my clothing, unmarked by that voyage.
Then the almost unnameable lust returns.
Even then I have nothing against life.
I know well the grass blades you mention,
the furniture you have placed under the sun.
But suicides have a special language.
Like carpenters they want to know which tools.
They never ask why build.
6. What do you call this kind of poetry?
A. suicide poetry C. private poetry
B. personal poetry D. confessional poetry
Because I could not stop for Death (An Excerpt)
By Emily Dickinson
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
7. What figure of speech is used in the stanza?
A. hyperbole C. simile
B. personification D. Metaphor

The Necklace (An Excerpt)

By Guy de Maupassant
She was one of those pretty and charming girls born, as though fate had blundered over her, into a
family of artisans. She had no marriage portion, no expectations, no means of getting known,
understood, loved, and wedded by a man of wealth and distinction; and she let herself be married off to
a little clerk in the Ministry of Education. Her tastes were simple because she had never been able to
afford any other, but she was as unhappy as though she had married beneath her; for women have no
caste or class, their beauty, grace, and charm serving them for birth or family, their natural delicacy,
their instinctive elegance, their nimbleness of wit, are their only mark of rank, and put the slum girl on a
level with the highest lady in the land.
8. Which of these statements about the woman can be inferred from the passage?
A. She was a good wife. C. She was an ordinary woman.
B. She was a contented fellow. D. She was a patient person to him.
9. Literary works produced in the given countries are part of Latin American Literature except for one. Which country is
it?
A. Spain C. Mexico
 B. Chile D. Peru
10. All writers were known for their works of fiction except for one. Which one did not write fiction?
A. Pablo Neruda C. Mario Vargas Llosa
B. Alejo Carpentier D. Miguel Angel Asturias

One Hundred Years of Solitude (An Excerpt)

By Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant
afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. At that time Macondo was a village of twenty adobe
houses, built on the bank of a river of clear water that ran along a bed of polished stones, which were
white and enormous, like prehistoric eggs. The world was so recent that many things lacked names, and
in order to indicate them it was necessary to point. Every year during the month of March a family of
ragged gypsies would set up their tents near the village, and with a great uproar of pipes and
kettledrums they would display new inventions.
11. What literary technique is used to introduce the village of Macondo in the narrative?
A. imagery C. setting
B. point of view D. Flashback
12. Asian literature includes works produced in the following languages EXCEPT ___________.
A. Filipino C. Hindi
B. Chinese D. French
The House of Spirits (An Excerpt)
by Isabel Allende
They had also grown accustomed to the youngest daughter's prophecies. She would announce
earthquakes in advance, which was quite useful in the country of catastrophes, for it gave them a
chance to lock up the good dishes and place their slippers within reach in case they had to run out in the
middle of the night.
13. Which of these statements can be inferred from the passage? The family members _____________.
A. were tolerant of the youngest daughter’s prophecies.
B. were getting annoyed by the youngest daughter’s prophecies.
C. took the youngest daughter’s prophecies as normal occurrences.
D. thought that the youngest daughter’s prophecies were an inconvenience.
One Hundred Years of Solitude (An Excerpt)
By Gabriel Garcia Marquez
This time, along with many artifices, they brought a flying carpet. But they did not offer it as a
fundamental contribution to the development of transport, rather as an object of recreation. The people
at once dug up their last old pieces to take advantage of a quick flight over the houses of the village.

14. Based on the excerpt, which statements are likely true about the flying carpet? The flying carpet is ______________.
A. fake. C. for recreational use
B. only a prop. D. is a viable means of transport.
15. Which of the following Asian languages are vernacular languages of India?
A. Chinese C. Hindu
B. Sanskrit D. Japanese
16. Mahabharata : Vyasa : : Ramayana : ________________
A. Valmiki C. Bashō
B. Li Po D. Vishnusharman
17. Du Fu : _______ : : Hitomaro : ________
A. Tanka and renga C. Renga and haiku
C. Haiku and tanka D. Lüshi and tanka
A Haiku by Basho
A snowy morning--
by myself,
chewing on dried salmon.
18. Which statements can be said about the image? . It shows ___________.
A. a very poor man. C. a very cold morning.
B. an ordinary man. D. a moment during wintertime.

A Poem by Du Fu
 The river's blue, the bird a perfect white,
The mountain green with flowers about to blaze.
I've watched the spring pass away again,
When will I be able to return?

19. What does the persona likely feel about his situation?
A. excitement C. fear
B. weariness D. Contentment
20. All of these statements about African Literature are true except one. African Literature __________.
A. includes works produced by African writers in English.
B. includes works produced in Afro-Asiatic and African languages.
C. has common themes like colonial oppression and pride in African past.
D. does not include works by “white” South African writers like Nadine Gordimer.
21. In Wole Soyinka’s poem “The Telephone Conversation,” the woman who owns the apartment asks the African man
about his skin color. What do her questions reveal about her? The woman is ________________________________.
A. simply interested in the African man’s skin color.
B. amused by the idea that the African might have very dark or very light complexion.
C. only being careful of men in general, African or not, who will rent out her apartment.
D. considerably concerned about letting the African man rent her apartment because of his skin color.
22. Which of these statements is true for the two women characters in the short story “A Private Experience” by
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie? Both women are ____________.
A. religious. C. mothers.
B. educated. D. worried about their loved ones.
23. Words or phrases that express meanings in a nonliteral way are referred to as figurative language or ____________.
A. figures of emphasis C. figures of relationship
B. figures of speech D. figures of sound

24. Onomatopoeia and alliteration are classified as .

A. figures of emphasis C. figures of sound
B. figures of relationship D. figures of reference
25. Which of the following figures of speech is used in the passage below?
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
–from As You Like It by William Shakespeare
A. hyperbole C. simile
B. synecdoche D. Metaphor