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Philippine history - Quiz
Contributed by: McLoughlin
  • 1. The history of the Philippines is a rich tapestry of diverse cultures, colonial influences, and struggles for independence. From ancient civilizations like the Majapahit Empire to the Spanish colonization and the subsequent American occupation, the Filipino people have endured various challenges and triumphs. The fight for independence led by national heroes like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio culminated in the declaration of independence in 1898. The Philippines has since evolved into a vibrant nation with a unique blend of traditions, languages, and customs. Despite its tumultuous past, the Philippines continues to thrive as a resilient and dynamic country in Southeast Asia.

    When did the Philippines gain independence from Spanish colonization?
A) July 4, 1946
B) June 12, 1898
C) December 7, 1941
D) September 21, 1972
  • 2. Which Philippine president declared martial law in 1972?
A) Corazon Aquino
B) Ramon Magsaysay
C) Benigno Aquino Jr.
D) Ferdinand Marcos
  • 3. Who was the leader of the Katipunan, a secret society that fought for Philippine independence?
A) Andres Bonifacio
B) Jose Rizal
C) Manuel L. Quezon
D) Emilio Aguinaldo
  • 4. Who was the first President of the Philippines?
A) Sergio Osmena
B) Emilio Aguinaldo
C) Carlos P. Garcia
D) Manuel L. Quezon
  • 5. Who was the first Filipino saint?
A) Ramon Magsaysay
B) Lorenzo Ruiz
C) Pedro Calungsod
D) Gregorio del Pilar
  • 6. Which event led to the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1898, signaling the end of the Spanish-American War?
A) The Cry of Pugad Lawin
B) The Battle of Manila Bay
C) The Siege of Baler
D) The execution of Jose Rizal
  • 7. Which Philippine president was known as the 'Greatest President of the Commonwealth Period'?
A) Emilio Aguinaldo
B) Manuel L. Quezon
C) Benigno Aquino Jr.
D) Sergio Osmena
  • 8. Which American general led the US forces that captured Emilio Aguinaldo?
A) Douglas MacArthur
B) Frederick Funston
C) Dwight D. Eisenhower
D) George S. Patton
  • 9. What was the name of the first Philippine constitution?
A) Quezon Constitution
B) Mabini Constitution
C) Aguinaldo Constitution
D) Malolos Constitution
  • 10. Who was the leader of the Filipino Muslims who led armed resistance against the Spanish colonial government?
A) Datu Lapu-Lapu
B) Sultan Kudarat
C) Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
D) Lapu-Lapu
  • 11. Which Philippine president was assassinated at the Manila International Airport in 1983?
A) Fidel V. Ramos
B) Ramon Magsaysay
C) Benigno Aquino Jr.
D) Joseph Estrada
  • 12. In what year did the Philippines declare its independence from the United States?
A) 1946
B) 1952
C) 1962
D) 1935
  • 13. Which Filipino hero was known as the 'Sublime Paralytic'?
A) Jose Rizal
B) Apolinario Mabini
C) Emilio Aguinaldo
D) Andres Bonifacio
  • 14. Which US president granted the Philippines independence on July 4, 1946?
A) Dwight D. Eisenhower
B) John F. Kennedy
C) Franklin D. Roosevelt
D) Harry S. Truman
  • 15. When was the EDSA People Power Revolution?
A) 1992
B) 1986
C) 2001
D) 1972
  • 16. Which Philippine president was known as the 'Asian Diplomat'?
A) Elpidio Quirino
B) Carlos P. Garcia
C) Sergio Osmena
D) Manuel Roxas
  • 17. Where did the Battle of Tirad Pass, where Gregorio del Pilar died, take place?
A) Batangas
B) Bataan
C) Ilocos Sur
D) Cavite
  • 18. Who was the first Filipino cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church?
A) Orlando Quevedo
B) Luis Antonio Tagle
C) Jaime Sin
D) Rufino Jiao Santos
  • 19. In what year did the Philippines host the Miss Universe pageant for the first time?
A) 1981
B) 1974
C) 1969
D) 1997
  • 20. Which American governor-general ordered the establishment of the University of the Philippines?
A) Harry S. Truman
B) Woodrow Wilson
C) William Howard Taft
D) Theodore Roosevelt
  • 21. When did the earliest hominin activity occur in the Philippines?
A) Around 3000 BCE
B) At least by 709,000 years ago
C) In the first millennium CE
D) By 47,000 years ago
  • 22. Which species of archaic humans was present on Luzon by 134,000 years ago?
A) Homo sapiens
B) Denisovans
C) Neanderthals
D) Homo luzonensis
  • 23. Where were the earliest known anatomically modern humans in the Philippines found?
A) Callao Cave
B) Rizal, Kalinga
C) Cagayan
D) Tabon Caves in Palawan
  • 24. Which groups were the first to settle in prehistoric Philippines?
A) Malayo-Polynesians
B) Austronesians
C) Hanunoo
D) Negrito groups
  • 25. From where did Austronesian-speaking peoples migrate to the Philippines around 3000 BCE?
A) China
B) Taiwan
C) India
D) Japan
  • 26. Which cultures were linked to Austronesians before their expansion out of Taiwan?
A) Hemudu, Liangzhu, and Dapenkeng
B) Majiabang and Hemudu only
C) Dapenkeng and Majiabang only
D) Liangzhu and Majiabang only
  • 27. What is the most widely accepted theory of Austronesian migration?
A) The 'Out-of-India' model
B) The 'Out-of-Japan' model
C) The 'Out-of-China' model
D) : The 'Out-of-Taiwan' model
  • 28. Which cultures share common cultural markers with Austronesians?
A) Indian subcontinent cultures only
B) Han Chinese and Japanese
C) Taiwanese indigenous peoples, Islander Southeast Asians, Chams, Islander Melanesians, Micronesians, Polynesians, and the Malagasy people
D) European settlers
  • 29. What distinct kinds of peoples developed in the Philippines by 1000 BCE?
A) Only tribal groups and warrior societies
B) Only harbor principalities and petty plutocracy
C) Tribal groups, warrior societies, petty plutocracy, and harbor principalities
D) Only tribal groups and harbor principalities
  • 30. When did early metallurgy reach the Philippine archipelagos?
A) During Spanish colonial rule
B) By 1000 BCE via trade with India
C) In the first millennium CE
D) Around 300–700 CE
  • 31. Which religions influenced the seafaring peoples of the Philippines between 300–700 CE?
A) Buddhism and Hinduism
B) Islam and Christianity
C) Confucianism and Taoism
D) Shintoism and Animism
  • 32. Which city was the first permanent Spanish settlement established in?
A) Cebu
B) Manila
C) Davao
D) Zamboanga
  • 33. What was established by the United States to rule the Philippines after 1898?
A) Direct rule by the U.S. Congress
B) The Viceroyalty of New Spain
C) The Philippine Commonwealth
D) The Insular Government
  • 34. What did the Jones Act promise for the Philippines?
A) Full integration into the U.S. as a state
B) Permanent annexation to the United States
C) Continued colonial rule
D) Independence
  • 35. When was the Philippine Commonwealth established?
A) In 1935
B) In 1898
C) In 1946
D) In 1907
  • 36. Which country occupied the Philippines during World War II?
A) The United States
B) Italy
C) Japan
D) Germany
  • 37. Where was the Sa Huỳnh culture primarily centered?
A) Central Thailand
B) Palawan, Philippines
C) Taiwan
D) Present-day Vietnam
  • 38. What is the Maitum anthropomorphic pottery dated to?
A) Around 200 CE
B) 1000–1200 CE
C) 400 BCE–1500 CE
D) 500–700 CE
  • 39. In what script was the Laguna Copperplate Inscription written?
A) Kawi script
B) Arabic script
C) Latin script
D) Baybayin script
  • 40. What culture influenced Manila Bay during the time of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription?
A) Greek and Roman
B) Arab
C) Hindu–Old Malay amalgamation
D) Chinese
  • 41. Which Arab chronicler wrote about the military competition between Muja and Mayd with the Chinese Empire?
A) Ibn Battuta
B) Al-Masudi
C) Al Ya'akubi
D) Abu al-Fida
  • 42. Who was appointed by the Yongle Emperor to oversee trade in Tondo?
A) Li Bo
B) Ko Ch'a-lao
C) Macao
D) Zheng He
  • 43. What was the outcome of the Castilian War for the Spanish?
A) They temporarily seized Brunei's capital.
B) They lost to the Bruneians.
C) They permanently conquered Brunei.
D) They established a permanent colony in Brunei.
  • 44. What year did Kumintang become a Spanish town?
A) 1581
B) 1599
C) 1576
D) 1605
  • 45. From which place did the founders of the Sultanate of Sulu arrive?
A) Brunei
B) Johore, Malaysia
C) Malacca
D) Butuan Rajahnate
  • 46. Pulilu was politically connected to which nation at the Calamianes?
A) Madja-as
B) Sandao
C) Brunei
D) Ma-i
  • 47. Which river bisected the fortified polity of Cainta?
A) The Lingayen Gulf
B) The Calumpang River
C) The Marikina River
D) The Pasig River
  • 48. What larger country was Sandao a vassal-state to?
A) Madja-as
B) Pulilu
C) Srivijaya
D) Ma-i
  • 49. Which Philippine kingdom regained independence after Brunei's invasion?
A) Sulu.
B) Cebu.
C) Iloilo.
D) Manila.
  • 50. Which present-day location corresponds to the ancient Jiamayan?
A) Davao
B) Zamboanga
C) Calamian
D) Cebu
  • 51. What name was given to the confederation of polities established by Datu Puti and his followers?
A) Sandao
B) Ma-i
C) Pulilu
D) Madja-as
  • 52. What was the time period during which Ma-i is recorded in Song dynasty history?
A) 1300–1500
B) Before 971 – after 1339
C) 1000–1200
D) 900–1100
  • 53. Who founded the Kingdom of Cebu?
A) Rajah Humabon
B) Datu Lapulapu
C) Rajah Sri Bata Shaja
D) Sri Lumay, also known as Rajamuda Lumaya
  • 54. What evidence supports the existence of the Rajahnate of Butuan?
A) The Laguna Copperplate Inscription
B) The Butuan Silver Paleograph
C) The Cebu Stone Inscription
D) The Maynila Stone
  • 55. What type of weapons were encountered in naval battles in Pangasinan?
A) Chinese crossbows
B) European longbows
C) Japanese-style gunpowder weapons
D) Indian war elephants
  • 56. Who ruled the maritime societies in precolonial Philippines?
A) Datus, wangs, rajahs, sultans or lakans
B) Emperors and queens
C) Elected officials
D) Military generals
  • 57. What was unique about the Sultanate system in Lanao compared to Sulu and Maguindanao?
A) It was centralized under one ruler.
B) It was uniquely decentralized.
C) It did not follow Islamic principles.
D) It had no royal houses.
  • 58. Which language is classified as a Southern Visayan language in the Sulu state?
A) Cham
B) Tausug
C) Malay
D) Yakan
  • 59. Who are the ancestors of the local Yakan people?
A) Visayan migrants
B) The Orang Dampuans
C) Buranuns
D) Hindu Sulu
  • 60. Which class did the Lakan belong to in ancient Tagalog society?
A) Maharlika
B) Alipin
C) Timawa
D) Datu
  • 61. Which river was the polity of Kumintang located around?
A) Calumpang River
B) Pasig River
C) Marikina River
D) Lingayen Gulf
  • 62. What did the datus in Panay and other Visayan islands do after returning from Borneo?
A) Joined forces with Rajah Makatunaw
B) Returned to their original homeland
C) Established a new confederation
D) Founded various towns
  • 63. What was a primary trade good from Pangasinan in exchange for Japanese and Chinese goods?
A) Porcelain
B) Silk
C) Gold
D) Spices
  • 64. What was Pangasinan known for in Chinese records during the early 15th century?
A) Its salt-making industry.
B) Gold mining operations.
C) Shipbuilding techniques.
D) Ceramic production.
  • 65. From which island did Datu Puti and his followers purchase land?
A) Panay
B) Samar
C) Mindoro
D) Borneo
  • 66. What artifact with Kawi script was found in Butuan?
A) A wooden carving
B) An Ivory seal
C) A stone tablet
D) A bronze statue
  • 67. Who ruled the Chieftaincy of Coron Island?
A) Rajahs
B) Spanish missionaries
C) Tagbanua warriors
D) Datus
  • 68. Who was Datu Macatunao also known as, according to Rev. Fr. Santaren?
A) Rajah Makatunaw
B) Datu Puti
C) Paybare
D) Labaodungon
  • 69. What type of ware did Japan import from Luzon?
A) Mishima ware
B) Ceramic tiles
C) Bronze ware
D) Porcelain ware
  • 70. Who was the paramount ruler of Tondo during the 1500s?
A) Lakan
B) Rajah
C) Sultan
D) Datu
  • 71. Who was the Negrito chieftain that sold Panay to Datu Puti and his followers?
A) Puti
B) Paybare
C) Marikudo
D) Makatunaw
  • 72. What does the term Singhapala translate to?
A) Rice City
B) Lion City
C) Trade City
D) Golden City
  • 73. Who was the customs inspector that wrote about Sandao in Chinese annals?
A) Chao Jukua
B) Fu Xi
C) Zheng He
D) Li Bai
  • 74. Which city did the Lucoes help defend against Burmese invaders in 1547?
A) Malacca
B) Manila
C) Siam
D) Ayuthaya
  • 75. During which centuries did Namayan reach its peak?
A) 11th–14th centuries
B) 13th–16th centuries
C) 15th–18th centuries
D) 9th–12th centuries
  • 76. During which years did the Pi-sho-ye conduct raids on southern China?
A) 1174–1190
B) 1100–1125
C) 1200–1225
D) 1150–1180
  • 77. Who introduced Islam to Mindanao?
A) Shari'ful Hashem Syed Abu Bakr
B) Karim ul' Makdum
C) Rajah Baguinda
D) Shariff Mohammed Kabungsuwan
  • 78. Which kingdom sent emissaries to China as a tributary-state between 1406 and 1411?
A) Namayan
B) Kumintang
C) Cainta
D) Pangasinan
  • 79. Who did Sultan Bolkiah marry to expand Brunei's influence in Luzon and Mindanao?
A) Sultan Sulayman
B) Laila Menchanai
C) Rajah Salalila
D) Puteri Laila Menchanai
  • 80. Which dynasty's products were traded by Tondo and Maynila?
A) Ming Dynasty
B) Tang Dynasty
C) Han Dynasty
D) Song Dynasty
  • 81. Which historian identified the pre-Islamic Bruneian Buddhist kingdom of Vijayapura?
A) Robert Nicholl
B) Efren B. Isorena
C) Antonio Pigafetta
D) Chao Ju-Kua
  • 82. Which inscription provides the earliest historical record of Tondo and other local polities?
A) The Cebu Stone Inscription
B) The Maynila Stone Inscription
C) The Laguna Copperplate Inscription
D) The Butuan Ivory Seal
  • 83. In which Chinese historical document is Pulilu mentioned?
A) Zizhi Tongjian
B) Shiji
C) Yijing
D) Zhufan zhi
  • 84. Who led the ten exiled datus that migrated to the central islands of the Philippines?
A) Labaodungon
B) Rajah Makatunaw
C) Datu Puti
D) Sang Aji
  • 85. Who were the Pi-sho-ye raids most likely conducted by, according to Efren B. Isorena?
A) Visayans from the Visayas islands
B) Chinese merchants
C) People of Ibabao
D) Srivijayan warriors
  • 86. Which Japanese merchant changed his surname to Luzon?
A) Miyamoto Musashi
B) Toyotomi Hideyoshi
C) Tokugawa Ieyasu
D) Luzon Sukezaemon
  • 87. Which country recognized the Kingdom of Cebu diplomatically?
A) India
B) China
C) Thailand (Siam)
D) Malaysia
  • 88. Which polity did Chinese historical accounts refer to as 'Luzon'?
A) Maguindanao
B) Cebu
C) Butuan
D) Maynila
  • 89. Which Prehispanic polity was centered at Polillo, Quezon?
A) Pulilu
B) Ma-i
C) Sandao
D) Madja-as
  • 90. When is the Calatagan pot with baybayin inscription dated to?
A) Not later than early 16th century
B) Early 18th century
C) Mid 15th century
D) Late 17th century
  • 91. How did the Spaniards refer to the people of Tondo?
A) Hidalgos
B) Conquistadors
C) Encomenderos
D) Caciques
  • 92. Which document marks the start of significant written records in the late 16th century?
A) Baybayin Manuscript
B) Laguna Copperplate Inscription
C) Doctrina Christiana
D) Sulu Sultanate Charter
  • 93. What was Sanmalan known for in Chinese records?
A) A precolonial Philippine kingdom on what is now Zamboanga.
B) The birthplace of the first Filipino king.
C) A major trading hub during the 1500s.
D) A colony under Spanish rule in the 1600s.
  • 94. Who represented Sanmalan at the Chinese imperial court in 982?
A) Ambassador Ali Bakti.
B) Chinese envoys.
C) A group of local traders.
D) Rajah Chulan himself.
  • 95. Where did Labaodungon and his wife, Ojaytanayon, settle after their return?
A) Panay
B) Samar
C) Odtojan
D) Moroboro
  • 96. What cultural practice did the locals in Pangasinan share with other maritime Southeast Asian ethnic groups?
A) Building wooden palaces.
B) Blackening their teeth.
C) Practicing ancestor worship.
D) Wearing iron armors.
  • 97. Who was executed during the Tondo Conspiracy of 1587–1588?
A) Magat Salamat
B) Lakan Dula
C) Rajah Salalila
D) Agustín de Legazpi
  • 98. Which civilization was the ancestral homeland of the Visayans according to Robert Nicholl?
A) Brunei
B) Funan Civilization
C) Srivijaya Empire
D) Madja-as
  • 99. Which Sultanate was subjugated by Brunei to the south?
A) Maguindanao
B) Sulu
C) Lanao
D) Kutai
  • 100. Who was the legendary ruler associated with Kumintang?
A) King Kamayin
B) A Spanish governor
C) Chao Ju-kua
D) Gat Pulintan
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