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