Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Sta. Rosa City, Laguna
Sto. Domingo Integrated High School

Second Quarter Examination in 21st Century Literature from the Philippines

and the World
I. CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER IN EACH ITEM. SHADE THE CIRCLE THAT CORRESPONDS TO THE LETTER OF THE
CORRECT ANSWER ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET.
STRICTLY NO ERASURES!!!!!!!
1. Which of these works is written in Middle English? to favor the folk, feeling their woe
that erst they had lacked an earl for leader
A. Songs of the Innocence and of Experience so long a while; the Lord endowed him,
the Wielder of Wonder, with world’s renown.
B. The Canterbury tales Famed was this Beowulf: far flew the boast of him, son of
Scyld, in the Scandian lands.
C. The Merchant of Venice The word whale-path is an example of a kenning. What does it
refer to?
D. The Importance of Being Earnest A. the sea B. dry land
2. Which Victorian writer is known for his dramatic C. a road D. a whale
monologues? 7. My Last Duchess (An Excerpt)
By Robert Browning
That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,
A. Robert Browning B. Charles Dickens
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf’s hands
C. Alfred Lord Tennyson D. Oscar Wilde Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
Whose voice does the poet assume in his work?
3. Which period is the golden age of lyric poetry? A. the poet himself B. the painting
C. the duke D. the duchess
A. Romantic Period B. Twentieth Century 8. Sonnet 18
Period By William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
C. Elizabethan Period D. Victorian Period Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
4. Which writers use the stream of consciousness technique in And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
their works? Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
A. James Joyce B. William Butler Yeats And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;
C. Thomas Stearns Eliot D. Virginia Woolf But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
5. Which plays are written by the “Bard of Avon”? Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
A. King Lear B. Hamlet
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
What does the pronoun this refer to in the last line of the
C. Macbeth D. The Importance of sonnet?
Being Earnest A. the speaker B. the sonnet itself
6. Beowulf (An Excerpt) C. summertime D. the person being addressed by
LO, praise of the prowess of people-kings the speaker
of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped, 9. Which of these writers wrote symbolical tales?
we have heard, and what honor the athelings won! A. Nathaniel Hawthorne B. Ernest Hemingway
Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes, C. Sherwood Anderson D. Washington Irving
from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore, 10. Which of these writers was known for the poem
awing the earls. Since erst he lay “Thanatopsis”?
friendless, a foundling, fate repaid him: A. Emily Dickinson B. E. E. Cummings
for he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve, till before him C. Anne Sexton D. William Cullen Bryant
the folk, both far and near, 11. The Killers (An Excerpt)
who house by the whale-path, heard his mandate, gave him By Ernest Hemingway
gifts: a good king he!
To him an heir was afterward born,
The door of Henry's lunch-room opened and two men came in.
a son in his halls, whom heaven sent
They sat down at the counter.
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"What's yours?" George asked them.
"I don't know," one of the men said.
"What do you want to eat, Al?”
“I don't know," said Al.
 "I don't know what I want to eat."
Outside it was getting dark. The streetlight came on outside
the window. The two men at the counter read the menu. From
the other end of the counter Nick Adams watched them. He
had been talking to George when they came in.  I have come after them and made repair
"I'll have a roast pork tenderloin with apple sauce and mashed
potato," the first man said.
"It isn't ready yet."
"What the hell do you put it on the card for?"
"That's the dinner," George explained. "You can get that at six
o'clock."
George looked at the clock on the wall behind the counter.
"It's five o'clock."
"The clock says twenty minutes past five," the second man
said.
"It's twenty minutes past."
"Oh, to hell with the clock," the first man said.
"What have you got to eat?"
"I can give you any kind of sandwiches," George said. "You
can have ham and eggs, bacon and eggs, liver and bacon, or
a steak."
Which statements describe the writing style of the author?
A. The writing is packed with details
B. The sentences are short and simple.
C. The dialogues are very brief
D. The tone is direct
12. The Killers (An Excerpt)
By Ernest Hemingway
The door of Henry's lunch-room opened and two men came in.
They sat down at the counter.
"What's yours?" George asked them.
"I don't know," one of the men said.
"What do you want to eat, Al?”
“I don't know," said Al.
 "I don't know what I want to eat."
Outside it was getting dark. The streetlight came on outside
the window. The two men at the counter read the menu. From
the other end of the counter Nick Adams watched them. He
had been talking to George when they came in.  with which it was resolved, precluded the idea of risk. I must
"I'll have a roast pork tenderloin with apple sauce and mashed
potato," the first man said.
"It isn't ready yet."
"What the hell do you put it on the card for?"
"That's the dinner," George explained. "You can get that at six
o'clock."
George looked at the clock on the wall behind the counter.
"It's five o'clock."
"The clock says twenty minutes past five," the second man
said.
"It's twenty minutes past."
"Oh, to hell with the clock," the first man said.
"What have you got to eat?"
"I can give you any kind of sandwiches," George said. "You
can have ham and eggs, bacon and eggs, liver and bacon, or
a steak."
Which statements describe the writing style of the author?
A. personal poetry B. confessional poetry
C. private poetry D. suicide poetry
13. Mending Wall (An Excerpt)
By Robert Frost
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
Which of these statements is true about the poem?
A. The poem has a regular rhythm but no rhyme
B. The poem has a regular rhythm and rhyme
C. The poem has no regular rhythm, but it has rhyme.
D. The poem has no regular rhythm and rhyme.
14. 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.
What figure of speech is used in the stanza?
A. hyperbole B. metaphor
C. simile D. personification
15. The Cask of Amontillado (An Excerpt)
By Edgar Allan Poe
The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could,
but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge. You, who
so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however,
that I gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged;
this was a point definitely settled  − but the very definitiveness
not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is
unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is
equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself
felt as such to him who has done the wrong.
Right at the beginning, the narrator tells the reader that he is
going to take revenge on a character named Fortunato. Which
of these statements tells his main reason?
A. The narrator is drunk with anger towards Fortunato.
B. The narrator was offended by Fortunato.
C. The narrator and Fortunato have some unfinished business
together.
D. The narrator suffered injuries caused by Fortunato.
16. Asian literature includes works produced in the following
languages except one. Which one is it?
A. Filipino B. Hindi
C. Chinese D. French
17. Which of the following Asian languages are vernacular
languages of India?
A. Japanese B. Hindi
C. Chinese D. Sanskrit
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18. Complete the following analogy:
Mahabharata : Vyasa : : Ramayana : _
A. Vishnusharman B. Valmiki
C. Basho D. Li Po
19. Complete the following analogy:
Du Fu : __Lushi_____ : : Hitomaro : ________
A. tanka B. lushi
C. renga D.haiku
20. A Haiku by Basho
A snowy morning--
by myself,
chewing on dried salmon.
Which statements can be said about the image?
A. It shows a moment during winter time
B. It shows a solitary man
C. It shows a very poor man.
D. It shows a very cold morning
21. 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?
What does the persona likely feel about his situation?
22. The Story of the Potter
From the Panchatantra
The potter was no real warrior, and he feared going into the
battleground. All the preparations for battle made him tense.
But he was resolved to prove himself as a warrior in the
battleground.
While inspecting, the king noticed the potter. He took him
aside and asked, "O Warrior, fighting which battle did you get
this deadly scar?"
The potter replied, "O king, this scar was not caused by any
wound by any sword. Being a potter by profession myself, my
home was full of pots. One night, I tripped after drinking more
than I should have, I tripped over them that caused this
wound. Due to improper attention, the wound left this big scar."
When the king heard the truth, he felt embarrassed for his
earlier decision. He asked his soldiers, "He is a potter, who
has deceived me by pretending to be a warrior. Drive him
away from the army!"
The potter fell on his knees, and pleaded to the king, "O King,
please do not do this. Have mercy on me, for I am sure I will
be able to prove my bravery on the battleground. Please give
me a chance to prove my worth."
The king replied, "You may have excellent qualities, and you
may be brave. But you do not possess the qualities required
on the battleground. When the other warriors will come to
know that you are only a potter, they will ridicule you. You will
get yourself killed on the battleground! It is better if you leave,
and return to your home."
The potter understood the king's advice, and left the palace
immediately.
Which statement of moral fits the fable?
A. Deceive someone powerful and reap the reward.
B. Tell the truth and own up to the lie
C. Be someone you are not and live with it.
D. Tell the truth and face consequences.
23. All of these writers are Nigerian except ___________.
A. Chinua Achebe B. Wole Soyinka
C.Nadine Gordimer D. Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie
24. Which of these writers were Nobel laureates?
A. Chinua Achebe B. Wole Soyinka
C.Nadine Gordimer
D. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
25. All of these statements about African Literature are
true except one. Which one is it?
A. African Literature has common themes like colonial
oppression and pride in African past.
B. African Literature includes works produced by African
writers in English.
C. African Literature includes works produced in Afro-Asiatic
and African Languages.
D. African Literature does not works by “white” South African
writers like Nadine Gordimer.
26. Which novels were banned in South Africa?
A. The late Bourgeois World B. Burger’s
Daughter
C. Americanah D. July’s People
27. Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and the other two novels that
followed form The African Trilogy. What are those novels?
A. Arrow of God B. No longer at Ease
C. Half of a Yellow Sun D. Americanah
28. 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?
A. The woman is only being careful of men in general, African
or not, who will rent out her apartment.
B. The woman is considerably concerned about letting the
African man rent her apartment because of his skin color.
C. The woman is simply interested in the African man’s skin
color.
D. The woman is amused by the idea that the African might
have very dark or very light complexion.
29. Which of these statements is true for the two women
characters in the short story “A Private Experience” by
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie?
A. Both women are educated. B. Both women are
religious
C. Both women are worried about their loved ones.
D. Both women are mothers.
30. In analyzing a text based on its biographical context, a
reader __________.
A. identifies the images used by the author.
B. Gather relevant facts about the authors.
C. examines the style and techniques used by the author
D. compares the literary work to other works.
31. Which of the following should not be considered in reading
through a biographical context?
A. figurative language B. political
C. social D. educational background
32. Which of the following tells why we should consider
gathering information about the author’s literary influence(s)?
A. It may have caused an impact to the author and in his
work(s).
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B. It help reader to understand a literary work thoroughly.
C. It reveals the author’s lack of originality.
D. It develop the reader’s critical thinking sklls.
33. All statements describe analyzing a text through a
biographical context except _.
A. It is important to know the educational institutions the author
has attended.
B. It is important to know the author’s literary background.
C. It is important to know the literary or philosophical
movement that existed during the author’s time.
D. It is important to know what is on the author’s mind while
writing the text.
34. If a biographical approach refers to the reading strategy
one employs in reading a text, then biography refers
to ______.
A. a fictional account about the author’s life
B. a partial account about the author’s life
C. a detailed account about the author’s life
D. a superficial account about the author’s life
35. Nestor Vicente Madali “N. V. M.” Gonzalez was born on
September 8, 1915 in Romblon, Romblon. At the age of five,
his family moved to Mindoro. He attended the Mindoro High
School from 1927 to 1930 and the National University, but he
was not able to obtain a degree. His first essay was published
in the Philippine Graphic. He was also an editor for the Manila
Chronicle and Evening News Magazine.
The passage about N. V. M. Gonzalez is a _________.
A. biographical context B. biographical analysis
C. fiction D. biography
36. “Mi último adiós” is a poem written by Jose Rizal a day
before he was executed in Bagumbayan. Based on this
information, what can you infer about the author?
A. He remained optimistic despite of his suffering.
B. He passed the torch to Andres Bonifacio.
C. He encouraged the people to fight against the Spaniards.
D. He was prepared to die.
37. In the story “Immigration Blues,” Antonietta was working on
Alipio for her sister Monica. She was dropping hints during
their conversation. The most obvious one was when Alipio was
telling the two women how he and Carlito had impressed
women before with their gallantry and that they were “fools on
fire.” Antonietta responded with less subtlety by saying, “I’m
sure you still got some of that fire.”
What does this reveal about Antonietta’s character?
A. She was a little vulgar. B. She was desperate.
C. She was candid. D. She was genuinely fond
of Alipio.
38. Later in the short story “The Tomato Game,” the narrator
realized his role in Sopi’s scheme. As hinted by Sopi, he would
need the narrator’s help as he was a lecturer at Transpacifica
University. The old man had already paid eight hundred dollars
for Tony’s tuition in advance. Towards the end of the letter, the
narrator tells Greg what Sopi said to him when they left the
farm. Sopi said, “To think that that old man hasn’t even met the
boy.”
What does Sopi’s statement likely suggest?
A. Sopi has plenty of opportunities to exploit the old man.
B. Sopi clearly knows how to help the old man.
C. Sopi has other plans for both the old man and the boy.
D. Sopi knows how the narrator could help him with the boy.
39. Which of these statements tells the consequence of
English being the official medium of instruction in public
schools during the American Colonial Period?
A. Filipinos easily embraced the new language.
B. Filipinos wrote original and interesting stories using the new
language.
C. Filipinos were exposed to the Anglo-American culture and
ways of thinking.
D. Filipinos saw that Anglo-American literature was superior to
their native and Spanish colonial literatures.
40. How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife (An Excerpt)
By Manuel E. Arguilla
"You are Baldo," she said and placed her hand lightly on my
shoulder. Her nails were long, but they were not painted. She
was fragrant like a morning when papayas are in bloom. And a
small dimple appeared momently high on her right cheek. "And
this is Labang of whom I have heard so much." She held the
wrist of one hand with the other and looked at Labang, and
Labang never stopped chewing his cud. He swallowed and
brought up to his mouth more cud and the sound of his insides
was like a drum.
What makes this piece of text distinctly Filipino?
A. It uses a short, simple statement that indicates Filipino
practicality.
B. It uses the summer season, which happens all-year-round
in the Philippines.
C. It uses a flourish of words that melodramatic Filipinos tend
to enjoy.
D. It uses images and scents that exist in the rustic Philippine
countryside.
42. In the short story “Dead Stars,” a character named Julia
Salas is described as a woman with inner beauty. In Alfredo
Salazar’s eyes her beauty is seen this way: “The lure was
there, of naturalness, of an alert vitality of mind and body, of a
thoughtful, sunny temper, and of a piquant perverseness which
is sauce to charm.”
Which of these statements does not describe the woman in the
excerpt?
A. The woman had a joyful and sweet personality mixed with
playfulness.
B. The woman had an indescribable allure and magnetic
charm.
C. The woman possessed a natural loveliness that was very
attractive.
D. The woman was a perfect physical specimen of female
beauty.
43. How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife (An Excerpt)
By Manuel E. Arguilla
The sun was in our eyes, for it was dipping into the bright sea.
The sky was wide and deep and very blue above us: but along
the saw-tooth rim of the Katayaghan hills to the southwest
flamed huge masses of clouds. Before us the fields swam in a
golden haze through which floated big purple and red and
yellow bubbles when I looked at the sinking sun.
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How is the setting described? 50. Literary works produced in the given countries are part of
Latin American Literature except for one. Which country is it?
A. The author uses the vibrant native landscape as an A. Spain B. Peru
appropriate metaphor for his affection and love for his C. Chile D. Mexico
motherland.

B. The author creates an unsettling and mysterious

atmosphere by setting the scenes at dusk when it is dark and
KEY
gloomy. 1. B
2. A
C. The author describes a local rural setting with images that 3. A
are familiar to Filipinos. 4. A, D
5. A,B,C
D. The author uses symbols found in nature to create an 6. A
interesting juxtaposition with the Philippine hills and forests. 7. C
44. Which of the following is not a critical reading strategy? 8. B
A. previewing a text 9. A
B. contextualizing a text 10. D
C. comparing and contrasting related texts 11. B,C,D
D. translating a text to another language 12. B.
45. This critical reading strategy involves the examination of 13. A
the reader’s personal responses to the text. What is this 14. D
strategy? 15. B, D
A. reflecting on a text 16. D
B. asking questions about a text 17. B, D
C. evaluating the argument made in a text 18. B
D. making an outline 19. A
46. Which of the following is not the purpose of critical 20. A, B
reading? 21. D
A. Readers read texts critically for amusement. 22. D
B. Readers read texts critically to learn new information. 23. C
C. Readers read texts critically to learn more about culture and 24. B, C, D
society. 25. D
D. Readers read texts critically for better understanding of their
meaning.
47. Which of the following is not true about the importance of
critical reading in literature?
A. Critical reading develops one’s critical thinking skills and
makes one keen to details.
B. Critical reading is done to make a literary work popular.
C. Critical reading enables readers to understand and
appreciate a piece of literature further.
D. Critical reading enables readers to write a critical review or
analysis of a piece of literature.
48. Below are some questions that can be asked about a short
story:

1. Who are the main characters?

2. Where is the story set?
3. What is the conflict in the story?

What is the purpose of the questions?

A. comparison and contrast B. evaluation

C. reflection D. comprehension
49. Which questions allow the learners to reflect on a reading
text?
A. What happened in the beginning of the story?
B. What is the overall tone of the short story?
C. Which character would you like to have as a friend and
why?
D. What event or place in the story reminds you of your life and
why?

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26. A, B, D
27. A, B
28. B
29. C
30. B
31. A
32. A
33. D
34. C
35. D
36. D
37. B
38. A
39. C
40. B
41. BONUS
42. D
43. D
44. D
45. A
46. A
47. B
48. D
49. C, D
50. A