51.

The spectators never fail to admire the great Greek tragedy writer Sophocles
whenever _______ narrates his dramas.
a. she
b. him

c. he
d. her

ANSWER: C
Sophocles is one of the three great Greek tragedy writers. He wrote the famous
Oedipus Cycle also known as the Theban Plays which features the main
character Oedipus who killed his own father and married his own mother. Clearly, the
blank requires a pronoun for Sophocles who is a male writer. Because of this, the
correct answer is the pronoun HE.
52. If you chance upon the principal on your way out of the campus, please send
_____ my best wishes.
a. him
b. them

c. us
d. it

ANSWER: A
This question aims to know if the test taker is knowledgeable about the rules governing
pronouns. In the given options, the best answer is HIM. The pronoun HIM is used if it
substitutes a male antecedent in the objective casemeaning the receiver of the action.
In this item, although the gender of the principal is not mentioned, the other options
such as THEM, US, and IT are erroneous since THEM is used to substitute plural and
third person antecedents; US is used for plural and first person antecedents; and IT is
only used for animals and inanimate objects.
53. My father and I met a friend of ________ in the shopping center.
a. ourselves
b. ours

c. them
d. us

ANSWER: B
This question aims to know if the test taker is knowledgeable about the rules governing
pronouns. In the given options, the best answer is OURS. The pronoun OURS is used
to substitute for the antecedents FATHER and I.

54. Mr. Carillo, the head of the logistics committee, is concerned about the well being of
the seminar participants and so he reports to ______ superior all of the things that he
may find compromising.
a. he
b. her

c. them
d. his

ANSWER: D
This question aims to know if the test taker is knowledgeable about the rules governing
pronouns. In the given options, the best answer is HIS. Given the fact that the
antecedent is male and singular, option B HER and option C THEM are obviously
wrong. In addition, HIS is a better answer than option A HE primarily because the
blank requires a possessive pronoun.
55. Whenever I do things in the kitchen, I make sure not to hurt __________.
a. herself
b. ourselves

c. myself
d. themselves

ANSWER: C
This question aims to know if the test taker is knowledgeable about the rules governing
pronouns. In the given options, the best answer is MYSELF. All of the options are
reflexive pronouns. These pronouns pertain to antecedents who are both the doer and
receiver of the action. Since the blank needs a reflexive pronoun that is in the first
person singular, HERSELF (third person), THEMSELVES (third person plural), and
OURSELVES (plural) are obviously wrong.
56. Some scientists and Bible scholars agree with the ________ that the earth is
coming to an end.
a. prophet
b. prophetic

c. prophecy
d. prophesy

ANSWER: C
The blank requires a NOUN, because of that, option B PROPHETIC which is an
adjective, and option D PROPHESY which is a transitive verb are wrong. Option A
PROPHET is also incorrect because the blank requires an idea and not a person.
57. Fish and Fries ________ my cousins favorite fast food meal.

a. is
b. has

c. are
d. have

ANSWER: A
At first glance, one may think that the answer is C ARE because there are two
subjects joined by the conjunction AND. But in reality the answer is option A IS. FISH
AND FRIES (just like bread and butter) is perceived and taken as a single entity that is
why it must have a singular verb.
58. The members of the congregation are ___________ inside the conference room
already.
a. altogether
b. together

c. all together
d. together all

ANSWER: C
59. It is __________ fitting that we organize a literary seminar to pay homage to a great
Filipino writer.
a. altogether
b. together

c. all together
d. together all

ANSWER: A
FOR ITEMS 58 and 59
These items aim to know if the test taker knows the difference between ALTOGETHER
and ALL TOGETHER.
ALTOGETHER means the following:
1. Completely and fully
2. When everything is added up
3. In a general way
ALL TOGETHER means:
1. To conglomerate
2. To gather up in one place
60. Neither Ralph Waldo Emerson nor his friends ____ present in the meeting last night.

a. were
b. is

c. was
d. are

ANSWER: A
61. Neither his followers nor Walt Whitman ______ convinced that the ideas of Emerson
are out of this world.
a. are
b. were

c. is
d. has

ANSWER: C
FOR ITEMS 60 and 61
These items aim to discover if the test taker has knowledge in terms of SUBJECT and
VERB agreement particularly in sentences that use NEITHERNOR.
The basic rule is that the verb agrees with the closest noun. In item number 10, the
noun FRIENDS is closer to the verb therefore the verb must be PLURAL. On the
other hand, in item number 11, the proper noun WALT WHITMAN is closer to the verb
therefore the verb must be SINGULAR.
62. The audience exhibited enthusiasm for the play, they seem _________.
a. offended
b. disgusted

c. interested
d. mad

ANSWER: C
The key in this item is the word ENTHUSIASM. All of the given options are negative in
terms of meaning except oneoption C INTERESTED.
The word ENTHUSIASM means strong excitement about something. If the spectators
exhibit strong excitement about the play, then the words OFFENDED, DISGUSTED,
and MAD are not appropriate answers, making option C INTERESTED the best
answer.
63. The representative of the president had issued a public apology before the victims
_______ the case.
a. file
b. filed

c. filing
d. have filed

ANSWER: B
This sentence is in the PAST PERFECT TENSE since it has two past actions. In this
TENSE there are two basic rules:
1. The only helping verb to be used is HAD
2. There must be two past actions. The first one must have the helping verb with it, and
the second one must be in the PAST TENSE.
Therefore the correct answer is option B FILED.
64. According to the report done by the fire department, the explosion was caused by
_________ connection.
a. lost
b. lose

c. loose
d. losing

ANSWER: C
This item wants to know if the test taker knows the difference between LOSE and
LOOSE.
LOSE means
(LOST-Past tense)
1. Unable to find something
2. Fail to win
3. Fail to keep
LOOSE means
1. Not tightly fastened
2. Not stretched tight
3. Not fitting close to the body
Based on the definitions given, the best answer is LOOSE (option C).
65. You ________ finished writing your novel before the winter comes.
a. had
b. will be

c. will have
d. was

ANSWER: C
66. Charlotte Bronte __________ finishing her novel when death arrives.

a. will have
b. will have to be

c. will have been

d. will be having to

ANSWER: C
FOR ITEMS 65 and 66
The Future Perfect and the Future Perfect Progressive Tenses
The Future Perfect Tense connotes two assumed actionsthe first action will happen
and will end before the second one starts.
The first future action must have the helping verbs WILL + HAVE + PAST
PARTICIPIAL FORM OF THE VERB, while the second one must be in the present
tense.
This is the case in item number 65.
The Future Perfect Progressive Tense connotes two future actionsthe first action is
assumed to be still happening when the second future action starts.
The first future action must have the helping verbs WILL + HAVE + BEEN + the ING
form of the verb, while the second future action must be in the present tense.
This is the case in item number 66.
67. Technology in the field of medicine ____________ tremendously since the
beginning of the 21st century.
a. does improve
b. has improved

c. is improved
d. had improved

ANSWER: B
68. Some of our relatives ___________ to visit our great grandfather in the States.
a. has decided
b. had decided
ANSWER: C

c. have decided
d. will have decided

69. I have written my report last Monday. What makes this sentence wrong?
a. have
b. last Monday

c. written
d. my

ANSWER: B
FOR ITEMS NUMBER 67, 68, and 69
THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
Generally, the PRESENT PERFECT TENSE connotes actions that started at a specific
time in the past and continued up until the present time. There are two possible
outcomes: (1) the action is still happening but about to end, or (2) the action has just
recently ended.
The pattern of conjugation of verbs in the PRESENT PERFECT TENSE is shown below.
HAS (singular subject)
HAVE (plural subject)

+ PAST PARTICIPIAL FORM OF THE

VERB (main verb)

In item number 67, the word SINCE signifies that the action started somewhere in the
past and might still be happening at the present time. Therefore the best answer is B
HAS IMPROVED.
In item number 68, the best answer is C HAVE DECIDED because the subject
RELATIVES is plural.
In item number 69, the best answer is option B LAST MONDAY because definite
TIME MARKERS like YESTERDAY, LAST MONTH, LAST MONDAY (unless the word
since is added) are not allowed in the present perfect tense because in this tense the
two possible outcomes are (1) the action is still happening but about to end, or (2) the
action has just recently ended which mean that the end of the action is indefinite.
70. In one of his poems, the Filipino author Zulueta da Costa said that the Filipinos are
like the Molave. What figure of speech was used?
a. simile
b. personification
ANSWER: A

c. metaphor
d. hyperbole

SIMILE

Indirect association/comparison using

the words AS or LIKE

PERSONIFICATION

Giving
humanly
attributes
characteristics to inanimate objects

METAPHOR

Direct association/comparison

HYPERBOLE

Exaggeration

or

Since the author compared the Filipinos indirectly to the Molave tree by using the word
LIKE, the best answer is A SIMILE.
71. Helen of Troy is the face who launched a thousand ships. What figure of speech is
used in the given sentence?
a. ellipsis
b. synecdoche

c. alliteration
d. irony

ANSWER: B
ELLIPSIS

Omission of the last words

SYNECDOCHE

An association of one important part

that represents the whole

ALLITERATION

The repetition of the same sounds at the

beginning of words in lines of poetry and
even in prose

IRONY

The contrast between what is expected

and what actually transpired

72. The rustling trees during winter inspired Robert Frost in writing most of his
inspirational poems. What figure of speech is used in the given sentence?
a. metonymy
b. apostrophe
ANSWER: D

c. asyndeton
d. onomatopoeia

METONYMY

An association wherein the name of

something
is
substituted
by
its
representation

APOSTROPHE

A direct address to someone who is not

present or dead, or to something inanimate

ASYNDETON

Removal of connectors/conjunctions

ONOMATOPOEIA

Mentioning the sound instead of the

word itself

73. What figure of speech is used in the given lines that follow:
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
a. euphemism
b. alliteration

c. personification
d. oxymoron

ANSWER: B
EUPHEMISM

Creating a positive connotation out of

something negative

ALLITERATION

The repetition of the same sounds at

the beginning of words in lines of
poetry and even in prose

PERSONIFICATION

Giving
humanly
attributes
characteristics to inanimate objects

OXYMORON

Self contradicting coined words

or

74. The lines given in item number 73 are from what canonical and widely read poem?
a. Annabel Lee
b. The Cask of Amontillado
ANSWER: C

c. The Raven
d. The Mask of the Red Death

The Cask of Amontillado and The Mask of the Red Death are short stories, so these
options are obviously wrong. Option A ANNABEL LEE and Option C THE RAVEN are
two of the most famous poems of Edgar Allan Poe, but the best answer is C THE
RAVEN.
The lines below are taken from the ode Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of
Early Childhood
Though nothing can bring back
The hour of splendor in the grass,
Of glory in the flower
We will grieve not,
Rather find strength in what remains behind
75. The given stanza above is an example of ____________.
a. Haiku
b. Free Verse

c. Sonnet
d. Rhyme Verse

ANSWER: B
HAIKU

A poem with lines up to 17 syllables which

are commonly allusions to nature

FREE VERSE
SONNET

A poem with irregular or no rhyme

scheme at all
A poem with 14 iambic pentameter lines

RHYME VERSE

A poem with regular rhymes

76. The ode Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood is

authored by ________________.
a. William Shakespeare
b. Robert Frost

c. William Wordsworth
d. Willa Cather

ANSWER: C
William Wordsworth was one of the major Romantic poets in England together with
Samuel Taylor Coleridge. His ode the Intimations of Immortality from Recollections
of Early Childhood also known as Ode, Immortality Ode or Great Ode, was
completed in the year 1804 and was published in the year 1807 as part of Wordsworths
Poems in Two Volumes.

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

77. Who wrote the given poem above?

a. William Ernest Henley
b. Walt Whitman

c. Robert Frost
d. John Milton

ANSWER: A
78. What is the title of the given poem?
a. The Captain
b. The Brave and the Free

c. Invictus
d. The Brave

ANSWER: C
79. The poem has how many beats per line?
a. six
b. four

c. eight
d. five

ANSWER: C
80. The last line of the given poem above presents the determination of an individual
who is ____________.

a. brave
b. lonely

c. fearful
d. boastful
FOR ITEMS 77, 78, 79, and 80
INVICTUS by William Ernest Henley

The poem Invictus was written by William Ernest Henley during the Victorian period. It
was published in the year 1888 in Henleys Book of Verses.
Its earlier version has no title but a dedication to Robert Thomas Hamilton Bruce who is
a merchant and a literary patron. When the poem was included in The Oxford Book of
English Verses the editor Arthur Quiller-Couch added the title Invictus.
81. The Greek goddess Aphrodite is an exemplification of feminine PULCHRITUDE in
the antiquity.
The capitalized word means _____________.
a. homeliness
b. loveliness

c. plain
d. ugliness

ANSWER: B
PULCHRITUDE means physical comeliness or beauty
HOMELY
LOVELY
PLAIN
UGLY

Not pretty, plain, or unattractive

Very pleasing
Lacking beauty
Unpleasant to look at

82. Emily Dickinson is known for her CANDOR about some issues on poetic freedom.
The word CANDOR means ____________.
a. appeal
b. frankness

c. opinions
d. tact

ANSWER: B
CANDOR
APPEAL

The quality of being sincere and honest

A quality that causes people to like

FRANK
OPINION
TACT

something
Marked by free and sincere expression
A judgment or appraisal
The ability to say things without hurting
other people

83. Which of the statements below best describes EPISTOLARY LITERATURE?

a. A story that is created through exchanges of letters
b. A story that is based on history
c. A story that is created based on the epistles
d. A story that exhibits the adventures of the crusades against the Jihads
ANSWER: A
EPISTOLARY LITERATURE
Epistolary literatures are pieces narrated or told through letters written by two or more
characters.
84. Most experts agree that climate change is an APOCALYPTIC event that must be
feared by the inhabitants of this planet. Apocalyptic means ____________.
a. encouraging
b. climacteric

c. attractive
d. careless

ANSWER: B
APOCALYPTIC
ENCOURAGING
CLIMACTERIC
ATTRACTIVE
CARELESS

Ultimately decisive
To make someone more determined
A major turning point or critical stage
Pleasing
Without caution

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this
continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or
any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are
met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a

portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave
their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper
that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who
struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add
or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say
here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living,
rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who
fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be
here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these
honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they
gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve
that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under
God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the
people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

85. What is being said on the first paragraph of this widely known oratorical piece?
a. The speaker states that America is only for the early colonizers from Europe
b. The speaker posits that America belongs to that native red Americans
c. The speaker asserts that America is a nation of people from different origins
d. The speaker argues that America is a nation where all the citizens are equal
ANSWER: D
86. What is the intention of the second paragraph?
a. The speaker is trying to convince the listeners to forget about war and just give in to
the demands of the opponents
b. The speaker wants to persuade the listeners to stand and fight for equality and justice
c. The speaker wants the listeners to appreciate the efforts done by the heroes of the
past
d. The speaker wants the listeners to remember the sacrifices done by the heroes who
fought for Americas freedom in the past.
ANSWER: B
87. Which part of the third paragraph summarizes the entire oratorical piece?

a. that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government
of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
b. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not
hallow -- this ground.
c. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above
our poor power to add or detract.
d. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget
what they did here
ANSWER: A
88. The given piece is entitled:
a. The JFK Inagural Speech
b. The Gettysburg Address
c. The Lincoln Memorial Address
d. The State of Liberty and Equality Address
ANSWER: B
89. Who wrote the given oratorical piece?
a. Victor Hugo
b. Abraham Lincoln

c. John F. Kennedy
d. Carl Sandburg

ANSWER: B
For numbers 85-89
The Gettysburg Address
By
Abraham Lincoln
The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history. It was
delivered by Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863 in Gettysburg Pennsylvania
during the American Civil War.
90. Agamemnon, the leader of the Acheans has fondness for women. The underlined
word has the synonym:
a. aversion
b. penchant
ANSWER: B

c. defiance
d. dislike

Fondness
Penchant
Defiance
Aversion
Dislike

Tender affection for something

Strong liking for something
A refusal to obey
A strong feeling of not liking something
A feeling of disapproval

91. Edgar Allan Poe feels like a fish out of water upon arriving in a foreign land. The
italicized phrase means:
a. One who is outside his usual environment
b. A fish that was taken out of the sea
c. One who feels that he/she is not needed
d. One who feels that he/she is not well appreciated
ANSWER: A
The phrase is an idiomatic expression. An idiom is a combination of words that
expresses something figurative, that is why option B is already wrong because it is too
literal. Option A is the best answer because just like a fish taken out of water, the
subject, Edgar Allan Poe, feels that he does not belong.
92. He is a Filipino poet who in using punctuation marks extensively in his piecesmost
especially commas.
a. Paz Marquez Benitez
b. Nick Joaquin
ANSWER: C
First, a poem must be magical,
Then musical as a sea-gull.
It must be a brightness moving
And hold secret a bird's flowering.
It must be slender as a bell,
And it must hold fire as well.
It must have the wisdom of bows
And it must kneel like a rose.
It must be able to hear
The luminance of dove and deer.
It must be able to hide
What it seeks, like a bride.
And over all I would like to hover
God, smiling from the poem's cover.

c. Jose Garcia Villa

d. Edilberto Tiempo

93. What is the title of the given poem above?

a. Poem 10
b. Poem 11

c. Poem 15
d. Poem 17

ANSWER: A
94. Who wrote the given poem?
a. Amador Daguio
b. Jose Garcia Villa

c. Paz Latorena
d. Paz Marquez Benitez

ANSWER: B
95. What figure of speech was used extensively in the given poem?
a. hyperbole
b. personification

c. metaphor
d. simile

ANSWER: D

SIMILE

Indirect association/comparison using

the words AS or LIKE

PERSONIFICATION

Giving
humanly
attributes
characteristics to inanimate objects

METAPHOR

Direct association/comparison

HYPERBOLE

Exaggeration

or

For numbers 92-94

Jose Garcia Villa
Jose Garcia Villa is a Filipino short story writer, critic, painter, and poet. He is known as the
Comma Poet because of his extensive use of punctuation marks in his poetry. He is also
known for his Poem 10 First a Poem be Magical. He is known to be the rival of Salvador
Lopez on issues concerning the purpose of art (Salvador Lopez for proletariat literature and
Jose Garcia Villa for Art for Arts Sake).

96. William Shakespeare showed composure in front of his critics amidst countless
derision. The underlined word means:

a. agitation
b. fear

c. aplomb
d. nervousness

ANSWER: C
Composure

Calmness of mind, manner and

appearance
To move with irregular and rapid violent
actions
To be afraid or worried
Confidence and skill shown in a difficult
situation
Showing feelings of being worried or afraid

Agitation
Fear
Aplomb
Nervousness

97. There are times when we are forced to do things against our own volitions. The
underlined word means:
a. opinion
b. intuition

c. will
d. fate

ANSWER: C
Volition
Opinion
Will
Intuition
Fate

The power to make choices

A view or judgment
Used to express choice or desire
A quick and ready insight
An inevitable outcome
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.

98. What is the title of the given poem above?

a. The Apparition and the Bough
b. In a Station of the Metro
c. The Crowd and the Petals
d. The Crowded Metro Station
ANSWER: B
99. Who wrote the given poem?
a. Ezra Pound
b. Robert Frost

c. ee cummings
d. T.S. Eliot

ANSWER: A
100. The given poem above is an example of modernist poetry particularly ___________.
a. stream of consciousness
b. free verse

c. imagism
d. pointillism

ANSWER: C
For numbers 98-100
In a Station of the Metro
By Ezra Pound
The poem In a Station of the Metro was published in the literary magazine Poetry in
the year 1913. This poem is a classic example of Imagism as the poet, Ezra Pound,
describes a moment in the Underground Metro Station in Paris.