#GenEd 

Reviewer
100 Items with Answer Key
1. “Of man’s first disobedience and the fruit/of that forbidden tree” is the opening to: 
a. Paradise Lost by John Milton 
b. The Vision of Delight by Ben Jonson 
c. The Fairie Quenne by Edmund Spenser 
d. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan 

2. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel by whose author? 

a. Oscar Wilde c. John Steinbeck 
b. Edgar Allan Poe d. Rudyard Kipling 

3. Who was the captain of the Nautilus in “20 000 Leagues Under the Sea”? 
a. Nemo c. Ahab 
b. Boneville d. Smith 

4. What canon of religious literature was finally, firmly fixed at the end of 4th century AD? 
a. The Hebrew Bible c. The New Testament 
b. The Mishnah d. The Koran 

5. Who wrote the novel “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”? 
a. William Golding c. D.H. Lawrence 
b. Robert Louis Stevenson d. Herman Hesse

6. “No smoking during the cigarette break.” What kind of figure of speech was used? 
a. Irony c. asyndeton 
b. Oxymoron d. synecdoche 

7. The Greek dramatist authored “Alcestis” and “Andromache.” 

a. Homer c. Virgil 
b. Euripides d. Sophocles 

8. In the 23rd century BC, Sargon of Akkad conquered Mesopotamia, and became the subject of legends. It is
from a Sumerian legend that we learn how Sargon established himself as the cupbearer of the king of Kish in
Sumer. What early form of writing did the Sumerians invent? 
a. Cuneiform 
b. Hieroglyphics 
c. Oracle Bone Inscriptions 
d. Native Signs 

9. “Memory” is the standard song of Cats musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber. He based his play on Old
Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by whose author? 
a. Emily Dickinson 
b. John Steinbeck 
c. Thomas Stearns Elliot Lowell 
d. James Rusell

10. Which of the following is an incorrect representation of the Scarlet Letter throughout the course of the
novel? 
a. Able c. Angel 
b. Avowal d. Adulteress 

11. This one is made from ersatz coloring. ERZATS means: 

a. Genuine c. Artificial 
b. Authentic d. Real 

12. Spot the correct word to complete the analogy. Donkey & Horse: Mule::Lion & Tiger: 
a. Panther c. Thrag
b. Leopard d. Liger 

13. Which is NOT synonym for ‘sleepy’? 

a. Soporific c. Hyperbolic 
b. Somnolent d. Lethargic 

14. Guest house rooms must be _________ by noon. 

a. Vacated c. Abandoned 
b. Evacuated d. Left 

15. Which is NOT synonym for ‘gathering’? 

a. Contesseration c. Collocation 
b. Conjuration d. Colligation 

16. Complete the analogy. Obese: Fat: Polydactyl: 

a. Wives/husbands c. Arms/legs 
b. Fingers/toes d. Brothers/sisters 

17. The President is a loquacious speaker. LOQUACIOUS means: 

a. Reserved c. Taciturn 
b. Reticent d. Verbose 

18. Which word is defined by: A great fire, as of many buildings, a forest, or the like? 
a. Consanguineous c. Blizzard 
b. Conflagration d. Chaos 

19. You eat like a horse when ________________________________. 

a. Get used to something new 
b. Drink large quantities of alcohol 
c. Have a healthy appetite
d. Run fast 

20. Unless we find a witness to corroborate your evidence, it will not stand courts. CORROBORATE means: 
a. Negate c. Collaborate 
b. Confirm d. Interpret 

21. Which word sound different? 

a. Fret c. Sweat 
b. Depth d. Treat 

22. “Cat” is written in phonemic IPA transcription as: 

a. /kæt/ c. /kait/ 
b. /kot/ d. /k^t/ 

23. The IPA transcription “/dz^mt/” means: 

a. Waited c. Kissed 
b. Jumped d. Wished 

24. Which of the following job has the stress on the first syllable? 
a. Photographer c. Biologist 
b. Psychiatrist d. Secretary 

25. Which word has a different vowel sound? 

a. Melt c. Breathe 
b. Wealth d. Health 

26. Which of the following words DOES NOT contain (voiceless th)? 
a. Teeth c. Health 
b. Mouth d. Breathe 

27. Which word DOES NOT rhyme with the others? 

a. Sew c. Due 
b. Through d. Do 

28. Which of these capitalized words do NOT rhyme? 

a. I know it CLEAR. 
b. That’s not easy to BEAR. 
c. It shows, it’s a SHEER truth. 
d. Let’s give a CHEER. 

29. Which of the following does NOT belong? 

a. Worked c. Walled 
b. Watched d. Walked 

30. The movie was ________ the book. 

a. as c. good as 
b. as good as d. as good 

31. Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly? 

a. He worked all night; therefore, he was able to finish the report in time. 
b. He worked all night, therefore, he was able to finish the report in time. 
c. He worked all night therefore he was able to finish the report in time. 
d. He worked all night, therefore he was able to finish the report in time. 

32. Select the sentence with the most appropriate order of adverbs and adverbial phrases. 
a. Ramonita prays at St. Matthew’s Church fervently for her grandmother’s recovery. 
b. Ramonita prays fervently at St. Matthew’s Church for her grandmother’s recovery. 
c. Ramonita prays fervently for her grandmother’s recovery at St. Matthew’s Church. 
d. Any one of the choices is fine. 

33. Select the sentence with the most appropriate order of modifiers. 
a. My father was in Cebu born in the backroom of a bakery. 
b. My father was born in Cebu in the bakery of a backroom. 
c. My father was born in the backroom in a bakery of Cebu. 
d. My father was born in the backroom of a bakery in Cebu. 

34. Homophones are: 

a. Two or more words that share the same meaning but have different pronunciations 
b. Two or more words that share the same pronunciation but have different spellings 
c. Two or more words that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings 
d. Two or more words that share the same spelling but have different meanings 

35. If the world on January 1, 2010 _______________, some people wouldn’t have been surprised. 
a. was ending c. had ended 
b. ended d. have ended 

36. I’ll _____________ their cat while they are away in holiday. 
a. be looking over c. be looking into 
b. be looking at d. be looking after 

37. Which of the following sentences is preferable? 

a. The project lasted only three months. 
b. The project lasted three months only. 
c. The only project lasted three months. 
d. The project only lasted three months. 

38. The PAGASA officials often talk about ____________ because it’s so changeable. 
a. some c. the weather 
b. a weather d. some weather 

39. Martha is one of the few people who ______ how to operate the equipment. 
a. known c. know 
b. knows d. knew 

40. Madonna’s agent __________ change her name at the start of her career. 
a. made her to c. made her 
b. made d. have made her to 

41. Researchers suggest that there are creatures that do not know what light means at the bottom of the sea.
They don’t have either eyes or ears; they can only feel. There is no day or night for them. There are no winters,
no summers, no sun, no moon, and no stars. It is as if a child spent its life in darkness in bed, with nothing to
see or hear. How different our own life is! Sight shows us the ground beneath our feet and the heavens above
us – the sun, the moon, and stars, shooting stars, lightning, and the sunset. It shows us day and night. We are
able to hear voices, the sound of the sea, and music. We feel, we taste, we smell. How fortunate we are!
Judging from this passage, we can say that this story is mainly about ______________________. 

a. How changes in the seasons are perceived by the deep-sea creatures 

b. The superiority of human beings over some creatures in terms of senses 
c. Life of sea creatures at the bottom of the sea 
d. The differences among creatures of the earth and those of the sea

42. (Refer to no. 41) we discover that the sea creatures in the story _______________. 
a. Live in darkness because no light reaches to the bottom 
b. Hear the sounds of the ocean 
c. Do not hear the sound of sea as they are accustomed to it 
d. Have no sense of hearing as well as sight do not hear the sound of sea as they are accustomed to it 

43. (Refer to no. 41) In the passage a child in darkness is likened to _______________. 
a. A deaf child unaffected by the environment 
b. A sea creature with no seeing or hearing ability 
c. A perfect sleeper, for there is no sound around to hear 
d. Someone who lives where there are no reasons 

44. Any criminal justice system is an apparatus that society uses to enforce the standards of conduct necessary
to protect individuals and the community. It operates by apprehending, prosecuting, convicting, sentencing
these members of the community who violate the basic rules of group existence. The action taken against law
breakers is designed to serve three purposes beyond the immediately punitive one. It removes dangerous
people from the community; it deters others from criminal behavior and it gives society an opportunity to
attempt to transform lawbreakers into law -abiding citizens. We understand from the passage that the basic aim
of criminal justice is ___________________. 
a. Educate lawbreakers 
b. To define socially accepted behavior 
c. To renew, as necessary, the traditions and customs of society 
d. The protection of society and its individuals 

45. (Refer to no. 45) According to the passage, prosecution is ________________. 

a. Actually the removal of lawbreakers from the community 
b. Not to be considered the vital part of the criminal justice system 
c. One of the stages in the operation of criminal justice 
d. Considered with the transformation of criminal justice 

46. (Refer to no. 45) It is pointed out in the passage that one of the effects of the criminal justice system is to
_________________. 
a. Investigate the reasons behind criminal behavior 
b. Take immediate action against the community 
c. Prevent the enforcement of capital punishment 
d. Give guidelines for group existence 

47. The poetic expressiveness and creativity of Japanese women poets of the Manyoshu era is generally
regarded as a manifestation of the freedom and relatively high political and economic status women of that era
enjoyed. During the Heian Period (A.D. 794 – 1185) which followed, Japanese women became increasingly
relegated to domestic roles under the influence of Buddhism and Confucianism, which excluded women from
the political and economic arenas. Yet, since poetry of the period came to be defined solely as short lyrical
poetry, known as waka, and became the prevailing means of expressing love, women continued to excel in and
play a central role in the development of classical Japanese poetry. Moreover, while official Japanese
documents were written in Chinese, the phonetic alphabet kana was used for poetry. Also referred to as
onnamoji (women’s letter), kana was not deemed sufficiently sophisticated for use by Japanese men, who
continued to write Chinese poetry, increasingly for expressing religious ideas and as an intellectual pastime.
Chinese poetry ultimately yielded, then, to waka as the mainstream of Japanese poetry. Based on the passage,
mainstream Japanese poetry of the Heian period can best be described as ___________________. 
a. More refined than the poetry of the Manyoshu era 
b. Sentimental in nature and lyrical in style 
c. Written primarily for a female audience 
d. An outgrowth of Buddhism and Confucianism 

48. (Refer to no. 47) which of the following statements about kana finds the LEAST support in the passage? 
a. It was used in Japan after A.D. 793 
b. It was considered inappropriate for austere subject matter 
c. It was used primarily by Japanese women 
d. It was for Japanese poetry but not for Japanese prose 

49. (refer to no. 47) The author’s primary purpose in the passage is to ______________. 
a. Trace the influence of religion on the development of Japanese poetry 
b. Refute a common explanation for the role of women in the development of Japanese poetry 
c. Provide an explanation for the role of women in the development of Japanese poetry 
d. Identify the reasons for the popularity of a distinct form of literary expression in Japan 

50. The song “No Man is an Island” mirrors: 

a. Individualization c. Independence 
b. Solitude d. Brotherhood 

51. “Have a good bank account, a good cook, and a good digestion”, Rousseau is pertaining to: 
a. Security c. Duty 
b. Family d. investment 

52. In the “Fall of the House of Usher” what is the name of the woman who is entomed alive? 
a. Natalia Doggis c. Lady Madeline 
b. Arwen d. Mary Usher 

53. On the street of this position of God’s world I feel neighbor to a rat, so brother of a worm; forever chasing
rainbows at muddy margins.” This line on Quemada’s poem is saying that: 
a. Life is fruitful 
b. Life is not worth living 
c. Life is empty and meaningless 
d. Life is full of challenges 

54. “Life is but a walking shadow, a pun player that struts and frets… And is heard no more.” In this line, life
is portrayed as: 
a. Passing c. Eternal 
b. Goes by stages d. Has its end 
55. Read the passage below: Life, so they say is just a game and they let it slip away doesn’t let life slip away
Grasp it while you can we may never pass this way again. The passage implicates that: 
a. Grab the opportunity if it comes 
b. There is still a second life 
c. In the second, life will be gone 
d. We will all die 

56. In which country does the story “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” take place? 
a. France c. Germany 
b. England d. Russia 

57. “Nothing that happen in this world ever happens by chance; it is all part of a grand design.” This line is
about a person’s _________________. 
a. Dream c. Luck 
b. Destiny d. Ambition 

58. A light dramatic composition that uses highly improbable situations, stereotyped characters, extravagant
exaggeration, and violent horseplay. 
a. Comedy c. Satire 
b. Farce d. Parody 

59. Into how many languages has “The Diary of Anne Frank” been translated? 
a. 53 c. 55 
b. 54 d. 56 

60. Three of these books are written by the same person. Which one is NOT? 
a. “The Fountainhead” c. “Animal Farm” 
b. “We the Living” d. “Atlas Shrugged 

61. Which of the following sixteenth -century works of English literature was translated into the English
language after its first publication in Latin? 
a. Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus 
b. William Shakespeare’s King Lear 
c. Thomas More’s Utopia 
d. William Shakespeare’s Sonnets 

62. Who was the author of the famous storybook ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’? 
a. Rudyard Kipling c. Lewis Caroll
b. John Keats d. H.G. Wells 

63. Who was the 1st century BC poet and author of “The Aeneid” serves as a guide in Dante’s “Inferno”?
a. Homer c. David 
b. Virgil d. Rumi 

64. Which playwright introduced blank verse to the stage with “Tamburlaine”? 
a. Christopher Marlowe c. William Shakespeare 
b. Ben Johnson d. Sir Thomas Malory 
65. Read the following lines: Midnight, not a sound from the pavement. Has the moon lost its memory She is
smiling alone In the lamp light the withered leaves Collect at my feet And the wind begins to moan. This line
mean: 
a. Confusion c. Loneliness 
b. Optimism d. Eagerness 

66. Rizal gave the time of his death in this quotation: “I die when the dawn breaks to herald the day.” What is
the time of his death? 
a. Sometime sunset c. Sometime in midnight 
b. Sometime at dawn d. Sometime at noon 

67. This line is taken from one of the psalms in the Bible: “The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want…” This
line shows: 
a. Poverty 
b. Blind ignorance
c. Total submission to God
d. Love to self

68. Which among the lines below has the same meaning as this statement: “Our commitments can develop us
or destroy us, but either way, they will define us.” 
a. Flexible commitment is what we need today. 
b. We must make full commitment to wordly goals. 
c. Our lives are shaped by what we are committed to. 
d. Our commitments need not to be planned way ahead. 

69. The space shuttle is as fast as the wind. This is an example of: 
a. Simile c. Personification 
b. Metaphor d. Antithesis 

70. Which Russian novelist wrote “Anna Karenina” and “War and Peace”? 
a. Leo Tolstoy c. Vladimir Nabokov 
b. Vladimir Mayakovsky d. Isaac Babel 

71. Analyze the given passage by Anatole France: “Fish, which are put upon dry land, die, in the same way,
monks who leave their cells and mix with the world deviate from their holy purpose.” This passage means: 
a. A man should stay only in his habitat. 
b. Death means living another life. 
c. Monks living out of the monastery violate their holiness. 
d. Monks must always stay inside the monastery. 

72. The following taboo phrases were used by which writer? “I fart at thee”, “shit on your head”, “dirty
bastard” 
a. Ben Johnson c. Ernest Hemmingway 
b. William Shakespeare d. Henry James 

73. Which abbreviation is a regular acronym? 

a. enthuse c. econ (as in economics) 
b. polysc d. AIDS 

74. You have two business partners. You make reference to one of them, Mark Louie Argosino, in an e-mail to
an associate. Which of the following sentences is correctly punctuated? 
a. My partner Mark Louie likes to read political biographies. 
b. My partner, Mark Louie, likes to read political biographies. 
c. My partner, Mark Louie; likes to read political biographies. 
d. My partner; Mark Louie, likes to read political biographies. 

75. Which among these words has the [id] end sound? 
a. mailed c. praised 
b. judged d. needed 

76. Which among these words has the [sh] sound? 

a. measure c. usually 
b. usury d. push 

77. Which acronym is an alphabetism? 

a. UN c. scuba 
b. NOW d. NATO 

78. Which among these words has [zh] sound? 

a. fish c. she 
b. excursion d. chips 

79. __________ is the study of the structure and form of words in language or a language, including inflection,
derivation, and the formation of compounds. 
a. Phonology c. Semantics 
b. Phonetics d. Morphology 

80. The English word “fig” is a: 

a. phoneme c. bound morpheme 
b. morpheme d. none of the above 

81. Which ED end sound is different? 

a. Signed c. wanted 
b. Granted d. needed 

82. Because of the typhoon, a number of local businesses ________ closed yesterday. 
a. were c. are 
b. was d. is 

83. Which among these words has the ending [d] sound? 
a. Walked c. laughed 
b. Joked d. played 

84. Which word contains a cranberry morph? 

a. Apple c. Lukewarm 
b. Tiger d. Hunter 

85. The transcription [buké] is written in normal text as: 

a. banquet c. bouquet 
b. book d. bulk 

86. Which of the following is TRUE about languages? 

a. All languages use essentially the same number of sounds. 
b. All native speakers of a language learn the basic rules of grammar in school. 
c. While different languages may use different phonemes, they all essentially share the same syntax. 
d. None of the above 

87. Which among these words has the [z] end sound? 
a. Maps c. Buys 
b. Laughs d. Jokes 

88. Which is a compound word? 

a. Salamander c. Enchilada 
b. Eardrum d. Escapism 

89. Which of the following words has the initial sound of the voiced post-alveolar affricate / dʒ/? 
a. Use c. Yet 
b. Goose d. Gesture 

90. Which is a back formation? 

a. Goodness c. Enthuse 
b. Unknown d. Prof 

91. The smallest unit of sound that can be altered to change the meaning of a word is called a: 
a. Morpheme c. Phoneme 
b. Morphine d. Bound morpheme 

92. Which word contains a bound root? 

a. Rewrite c. Remit 
b. Rest d. Redo 

93. Whether |U| is pronounced as front or back and whether rounded or unrounded depends on ______. 
a. Vowel harmony c. Tone (Linguistics) 
b. Epenthesis d. Palatalization 

94. The term “phoneme” as an __________ was developed by the Polish linguist Jan NiecislawBaudouin de
Courtenay and his student MikolajKruszewski during 1875 – 1895. 
a. Perception c. Concept 
b. Ontology d. Abstraction 

95. Which of the following is a complex word? 

a. Teacher c. Salamander 
b. Blackboard d. Tiger 
96. Which among these words has the [ae] sound? 
a. Castle c. Carriage 
b. Cabin d. Can 

97. Which is a clipped word? 

a. Eggs c. Prof 
b. Smog d. Scissor 

98. Which is agglutination? 

a. Triskaidekaphobia 
b. Ward
c. Irregardless 
d. Antidisestablishmentarianism 

99. The earliest recorded syllables are on tablets around 2800 BC in the Sumerian city of __________. 
a. Mesopotamia c. Babylon 
b. Ur d. Babylonia 

100. Which is a blend (portmanteau morpheme)? 

a. Scissors c. Trashcan 
b. Smog d. Polysci

1 A 
2A
3A
4C
5B
6A
7B
8A
9C
10 B
11 C
12 C
13 D
14 A
15 A
16 B
17 A
18 C
19 C
20 C
21 D
22 A
23 B
24 D
25 C
26 D
27 A
28 B
29 C
30 B
31 A
32 C
33 D
34 C
35 C
36 D
37 A
38 C
39 C
40 A
41 B
42 D
43 B
44 D
45 B
46 A
47 B
48 D
49 C
50 D
51 A
52 C
53 D
54 D
55 A
56 C
57 B
58 B
59 C
60 C
61 C
62 C
63 B
64 A
65 C
66 B
67C
68 C
69 A
70 A
71 A
72 A
73 D
74 A
75 D
76 D
77 A
78 B
79 D
80 B
81 A
82 A
83 D
84 C
85 C
86 D
87 C
88 B
89 D
90 C
91 C
92 C
93 A
94 D
95 A
96 D
97 C
98 D
99 B
100 B
 — with Jaymark LG, Efren Pascual Ignacio,Joner Son, Phakistan T. Sanduyogan, Alex Acoy
Lumambas, Kathleen Joy Asuncion Mateo, Jenerson Pascua, Roanne Respicio Nacis, Jessica M. Dela Cruz-
Reyes, Marneli Kimberlyn Nitura, Ricky Tamayo, Chee Estavillo and Greg Nava Alabastro.