ENGLISH | PROF.

ALVIN SERVAÑA

Pre-test for LET Review (Specialisation-English)

Asst. Prof. Alvin Servaña
alvin.servana@mgcnewlife.ph

Instructions: Read the selections and answer the questions that follow. Circle the letter of the best answer for each item.

God said, I made a Man

Jose Garcia Villa
I II IV
1. God said, “I made a man 9. Aimed at me who created 17. Thy peace! And this I did,
2. Out of clay— 10. Him. And I said, 18. But I was curious
3. But so bright he, he spun 11. Wouldst murder me 19. Of this regal head.
4. Himself to brightest Day 12. Who am thy fountainhead 20. Give thy name!—Sir! Genius’”
5. Till he was shining gold, III 21. Leaving as heritage this islet and
6. And oh, 13. Then he spoke the man of gold: poem,
7. He was handsome to behold! 14. I will not 22. You and I, this country yours and
8. But in his hands he held a bow 15. Murder thee! I do but mine,
16. Measure thee. Hold 23. This child reaming on the edges of
life.
1. Lines 3-7 suggest that Man has become the greatest creation. To what human aspects do these lines allude?
A. Philosophy C. Science and technology E. Economy
B. Politics D. Business
2. Too much achievement makes one prideful and arrogant. This idea can be found in line/s _____________________.
A. 14-16 B. 8-10 C. 15 D. 22-23 E. 20
3. Stanza IV mainly talks about the __________________________.
A. Child reaming on the edges of life
B. Instability if the relationship between the strong and the weak
C. Problem of life and death
D. Indeterminacy of hierarchies and organisation of concepts
E. Life of adults as it relates to the life of the child.
4. The poem can have possible theme stating that ____________________.
A. It is bad to violate the law. D. The weak depends on the strong and vice versa
B. No one can question the authority. E. It is good to be weak.
C. Life is the coexistence of strong and weak.
5. Is the poem really about man replacing God as the great creator?
A. Yes, it is said in the poem
B. No, it is not said in the poem.
C. Yes, man is greater than God.
D. No, the poem simply suggests the relationship between the strong and the weak.
E. Yes, because the poem somehow reveals the arrogance of man.

Bus Riders
Gloria Garchitorena Godoy
1. Those ruminants on the run, when they travel 9. ferried burdensomely with heavy fettered
2. travel a mobile metal mileage metered 10. lives sitting out a fleeing trap by
3. by the depth and distance of their dreams 11. the windows of the mind. Tight the spell
4. a stem silence isolates their brotherhood 12. upon the vacuous space! And all the gathered
5. from each to each even where a truant thigh 13. transient strain against the bus’ bursting seams.
6. knead against its sudden mate. (How well 14. But it will break when all who have not sat and stood
7. the guise is glared!) The vehicle screams 15. disperse their thoughts with an ambivalent sigh,
8. an overnight, less of flesh more of mood 16. disperse them at the corner of goodbye.
6. What sound devices was dominantly used in lines 1-2?
A. Consonance C. Resonance E. Personification
B. Assonance D. Alliteration
7. Lines 11-12 paint a picture of passengers__________________
A. Looking outside the window C. Daydreaming E. Sleeping while travelling
B. Travelling D. Having random thoughts
8. As suggested by the persona, meeting strangers on a bus is _________________________.
A. Mysterious and exciting C. Intriguing and curious E. None of the options
B. Nonsense and boring D. Horrible and awful
9. To what is riding a bus compared?
A. Life as a journey C. A life of journey E. Life and journey
B. A journey to life D. A journey of life
10. The prevalent moods of the poem can be____________________________.
A. Celebratory C. Dispassionate E. Intrigued
B. Wondering D. Indifferent

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Bonsai
Edith L. Tiempo
I
III
1. All that I love
1. It’s utter sublimation
2. I fold over once
2. A feat, this heart’s contol
3. And once again
3. Moment to moment
4. And keep in box
4. To scale all love down
5. Or slit in hollow post
5. To a cupped hand’s size.
6. Or in my shoe.
IV
II
1. Till seashells are broken pieces
1. All that I love?
2. From God’s own bright teeth,
2. Why, yes for the moment—
3. And life you can run and breathless
3. And for all time, both
hand over
4. Something that folds and keep easy
4. To the merest child.
5. Son’s note or Dad’s one gaudy tie,
6. A roto picture of a queen.
7. A money bill.

11. Who can be the probable personas in the poem?

A. A woman B. A mother C. A nun D. A wife E. A stranger
12. What is the poem all about?
A. Controlled emotion C. Hidden concern E. Unrequited love
B. Unseen affection D. Unnoticed feelings
13. The poem is titled Bonsai because the persona _____________________________
A. Is a horticulturist D. Does not need exaggerate things
B. Loves little things E. Is a midget
C. Was able to love great, in a minimal expression
14. What is the prevailing emotion in the poem?
A. Contentment C. Loneliness E. Restraint
B. Solitude D. Solemnity
15. What could be the ideas that the poem tell about expressing emotions?
A. One does not have to exaggerate for sincerity to be felt.
B. Effort is unnecessary in expressing emotion.
C. Doing great things for the one you love goes in vain.
D. One has to be contented in little things in life.
E. Little acts of love are better than great words of appreciation
Instructions: Read the following passage, then answer the questions that follow.
“What’s in a name? Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet made this question very famous. They fall in love before
learning they bear the names of rival families. Romeo is a Montague and Juliet a Capulet. Willing to deny their names
before love, Juliet cries out, ‘Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or if
thou wilt not, be but sworn by my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet.’ A few lines later, Juliet asks, ‘What’s in a
name? That which we call a rose, by other name would smell as sweet.’
In other settings, the family name can seem more important. I remember as a young boy watching my father
go through the pain of a failed business that left my parents several thousand dollars in debt. Rather than declare
bankruptcy, he went to each of his creditors and told them that he would pay them back every cent even if it took
him until the day he died. On his handshake and his name, each creditor took him at his word—and he kept his
promise to the full, furthering his credibility and testimony of integrity in the business community.
A name is important. From the day of our birth, our parents use our names to link us to their own
preferences and values. People name their sons Peter and Paul, and their dogs Nero and Brutus. But no one uses the
name Judas—not even for a dog.
The significance of a name was particularly true in Bible times. In both Old and New Testaments, names were
used reflect personal experiences or expresses or influences character...”
(from Jesus: Who is this Man Who Says He’s God?, Bill Crowder, 2004)

16. What is the passage mostly about?

A. the importance of name C. how names determine identity E. how bible affects name
B. the biblical basis of name D. the significance of the Bible
17. The excerpted text implies the idea that _____________.
A. names have certain implications to realty in some unfathomable ways
B. names are prone to superstitious beliefs
C. identity is better presented through names
D. identity is limited because names are the condensed thoughts of a person
E. names and identity vary from time to time
18. What pattern of development did the text most probably use?
A. Historical C. Illustration E. Argumentation
B. Comparison-Contrast D. Analogy
19. What was the problem faced by the author’s father?
A. poverty C. bankruptcy E. lack of spiritual discipline
B. persecution D. financial debt

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20. What is referred to by the pronoun it in the third sentence in the passage below?
The history of a nation can be learned in its constitution, its laws, and its political statements. But to
know the history of a nation’s spirit, you must read its literature. For through it, you can discover how the
people of a nation have reacted to the events around them.
(The Development of Philippine Literature in English. Croghan, Richard, 1975)
A. the nation C. people E. government
B. literature D. Philippines
21. How does the author regard literature?
A. the nation’s spirit D. collection of lesson in life
B. the explanation of events in history E. alternative to laws and politics
C. for entertainment
22. Which among the words have the terminal sound /z/?
A. Paths C. Clothes E. None of the above
B. Bathes D. Baths
23. Oliver jumps every New Year season. Believing that he will become taller. The error in this item maybe corrected using the
following versions, except:
A. Because he believes that he will become taller, Oliver jumps every New Year season.
B. Oliver jumps every New Year season, and he believes that he will become taller.
C. Oliver jumps every New Year season. He believes that he will become taller.
D. Believing that he will become taller, Oliver jumps every New Year season.
E. That he believes he will become taller, Oliver jumps every New Year season.
24. Which of the following will best complete the sentence below?
The demonstrators were so enraged __________________
A. because they threw tomatoes to the effigy and burned it afterwards.
B. since they threw tomatoes to the effigy and burned it afterwards.
C. that they threw tomatoes to the effigy and burned it afterwards.
D. for they threw tomatoes to the effigy and burned it afterwards.
E. while they threw tomatoes to the effigy and burned it afterwards.
25. All of the transitional/cohesive devices below may be used when writing a comparison-contrast essay,except____________
A. consequently C. conversely E. moreover
B. nevertheless D. similarly
For 26-40: Give what is asked. Write the letter of the answer after each statement.
A. Table B. Graph C. Chart D. Illustration E. Grid
26. It is used to display statistical trends, changes, and comparisons. ___
27. It aims to present quantitative, cause-and-effect, and other relationships among the component parts of a unified whole. ___
28. It includes subdivisions within categories. ___
29. It consists of rows and columns. ___
30. It is composed of geometric figures linked by plain or arrowhead lines. ___
31. It is a convenient method of presenting a large body of accurate quantitative data in an easily understood term. ___
32. This is a tool of presenting data visually that the relationships among these data can be easily analyzed. ___
A. Line Graph B. Bar Graph C. Flowchart
D. Circle Chart E. Organizational Chart
33. It shows the steps in a production process. ___
34. It is widely used to illustrate the percentage distribution of money. ___
35. Its main goal is to depict change over a period of time. ___
A. Diagram B. Drawing C. Photograph D. Flow Chart E. Sketches
36. This can be produced by lines made on a surface with a pencil, pen, etc. ___
37. It is considered to be the exact presentation of a certain object. ___
38. This can be produced through a film in a camera. ___
39. Its main goal is to produce a clear realistic representation of figures. ___
40. This graphic aid can modify unwanted details and can easily emphasize the relevant ones. ___
41. The central theme of the Odyssey is _______________________;
A. Human will is in direct contradiction to his destiny D. Man is dependent to his destiny
B. Life is full of challenges, struggles and sufferings E. Life is a journey in finding wisdom
C. Religion is a matter of luck
42. The line “Without gods, man is nothing”, was said by ________________________.
A. Zeus B. Poseidon C. Hermes D. Hades E. Hephaestus
43. “Beware of the Greeks bearing gifts” was originally said by ____________________________.
A. Agamemnon B. King Priam C. Achilleus D. Hektor E. Laocoon
44. Hera turned Leto, the mother of Apollo, into a swan; Aphrodite turned Medusa to a human-snake monster; Eris threw the Apple
of Discord, which later on caused the Trojan War. All of these curses are caused by _____________________________.
A. Revenge B. Hatred C. Vanity D. Pride E. Jealousy
45. The central theme of The Iliad is ____________________.
A. There’s a rainbow always after the rain
B. Wars waged are lives lost
C. If a face can launch a thousand ships, then where am I to go?
D. Gods own the life of their creations
E. Wars are caused by the gods
46. The residents were told to evacuate their houses immediately ____________________________.

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A. at the time when the water began to go up D. when the water was raised
B. in the time when the water raised E. in the time the water rose
C. when the water began to rise
47. What pattern of paragraph development was used in the excerpt below?
The fragile white skeleton lay half-buried in the sand at my feet. I stopped to pick it up
and brushed away the fine sand clinging to its rough, dry surface. I was holding a flat, round disk
in my hand. Four V-shaped notches were equally spaced around its outer edge, making it look
like a flat cross.
A. Cause-Effect C. Description E. Exemplification
B. Comparison-Contrast D. Process
48. Which is the BEST WAY to write the underlined portion of this sentence?
A person should keep in mind some basic safety rules when you are deciding whether or not to use a fire extinguisher.
A. rules when you decided C. rules when decided E. rules you decided
B. rules you are deciding D. rules when deciding
49. What makes the sentence below wrong?
Patrick bought a new car- a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII-last week.
A. The indefinite article “a” was overused. D. The writer should have used a dash instead of a hyphen.
B. The verb “bought” should have been “has bought”. E. The writer should have used colon instead of a hyphen.
C. The verb “bought” should have been “has been buying”
50. What error was committed in the sentence below?
While hanging on the trees, the children watched the monkeys.
A. Faulty Coordination C. Faulty Parallelism E. Dangling Modifier
B. Misplaced Modifier D. Comma Splice
51. What is the best way to correct the sentence in #50?
A. The children watched the monkeys while hanging on the trees.
B. While watching the monkeys, the children hung on the trees.
C. The monkeys watched the children while hanging on the trees.
D. While hanging on the trees, the monkeys were watched by the children.
E. The children watched the monkeys while they were hanging on the trees.
52. What makes the sentence below erroneous?
My favourite movies are the following; The Last Samurai, The Road Home, Bruce Almighty, and The Matrix.
A. There should be no comma between “Almighty” and “and”.
B. The writer should have used colon instead of semi-colon.
C. The phrase “the following” should have been omitted.
D. Both A and B
E. Both B and C
53. What correction should be made to this sentence?
First-borns often pattern their behavior after they’re parents and other adults around them.
A. Change pattern to patterned C. Replace they’re with their E. Replace them with they
B. No correction is necessary D. Replace their with they’re
54. Which part of the given sentence is an example of Adjectival Modifiers?
Skiers, balancing lightly with bent knees, glided swiftly down the slope.
A. Skiers D. balancing lightly with bent knees
B. glided swiftly E. balancing lightly
C. down the slope
55. Which should be the appropriate subordinator to be used to complete this sentence?
____ she finally grew accustomed to the dark, she noticed a small chest in the corner of the room.
A. When B. Where C. While D. Whose E. Whom
56. Which is the most appropriate Noun Clause marker to use in this sentence?
We saw __________ we could not overtake them.
A. what B. whatever C. whatsoever D. why E. where
57. Which of the following illustrates a Compound Sentence?
A. Do you know the mountains around Mt. Makiling, Lhizza?
B. A rainy day will always please many children who want to play card games.
C. The water situation became a serious problem and we met it with increasing difficulty.
D. We had to labor up, sometimes in second and sometimes in first gear, until the engine boiled.
E. People have to choose and make decisions all the time, because it practices their freewill.
58. Which punctuation mark is needed in the following sentence?
Run for your lives__
A. . B. ? C. , D. … E. !
59. Which illustrates the appropriate use of an (‘)?
A. I saw a store window filled with artists supplies’. D. Give the dog it’s food!
B. Christine’s beauty captured my innermost senses. E. You should’nt meddle in the conversation.
C. Do you spell her name with two zs’?
60. Which is an example of a Sentence?
A. The sun sinking below the horizon. D. It was not easy to be correct.
B. A heat wave to try our patience. E. In the absence of me.
C. After taking this note to your father.

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61. Which is the appropriate title for the passage based on its content?
A. The Industrious Earthworm C. Food for the Fish E. My Best friend Gardener
B. What are Earthworms? D. The Wonders of the Ground
Some people say that earthworms are food for fish, bait and nothing else. Are they correct
when they say that worms are good for nothing else? As a matter of fact the earthworm is a willing
scientific gardener doing for a garden much that a farmer does.
First, of all earthworms fertilize the garden. They transform their food into chemicals that
are best suited for plants. Also, when the earthworms die, their dead bodies yield rich topsoil to cover
the earth. Earthworms also do the work of plow and disk by eating their way along and leaving a
maze of little tunnels behind.
So, can anybody still say that earthworms are useless?
62. Most of the allusions, idiomatic, critical and colloquial terms and expressions, even days of the week find their origins from
mythology. This observation tells that myths are _________.
A. More than just ancient, children stories which the significance does not only belong to the past
B. Bodies of knowledge that never die, but only transformed
C. Still present in the modern times in their original forms
D. Not really fictional, but realistic events that happened
E. The reality that people of the modern ages have to recover and reestablish
63. The adage “The glory that was Greece, the grandeur that was Rome” presents how ________.
A. The Greeks culturally conquered Rome D. Copycat Romans are to Greeks
B. Romans imitated the Greek culture E. Romans lack original identity
C. Romans only aggrandizes the Greek culture
64. “Johnsy's eyes were open wide. She was looking out the window and counting - counting backward.
‘Twelve,’ she said, and little later ‘eleven’; and then ‘ten,’ and ‘nine’; and then ‘eight’ and ‘seven’, almost together.”
The quoted passage from O. Henry’s The Last Leaf shows that Johnsy was already ________________.
A. Dying B. Doubtful C. Desperate D. Devastated E. Demoralized
65. “But now there came from out the niche a low laugh that erected the hairs upon my head. It was succeeded by a sad voice, which
I had difficulty in recognizing as that of the noble Fortunato.”
Montresor could have possibly heard the voice of _____________________________.
A. His conscience D. Montresor’s servant
B. Fortunato E. Other bodies buried in the tomb
C. The people who saw them enter the house
66. Who was the narrator in the William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily?
A. Tobe C. Homer Baron E. The townspeople
B. The father D. Col. Sartoris
67. What psychological disorder could Miss Emily have?
A. Psychosis B. Necrophilia C. Abulia D. Incest E. Schizophrenia
68. What is the atmosphere of the story?
A. Death and Decay C. Hatred and Anguish E. Pain and Struggle
B. Terror and Mystery D. Coldness and Numbness
69. The following are Roman goddesses except ________________.
A. Diana B. Demeter C. Juno D. Venus E. Nike
70. The following are examples of an epithet except ___________________________.
A. Swift foot C. Ghost chase E. Horse whisperer
B. Mighty thunderer D. Cloud gatherer
71. The following are Greek heroes except __________________________.
A. Aeneias B. Ajax C. Theseus D. Perseus E. Heracles
72. The following are present in the Throwing of the Golden Apple except _____________________________.
A. Hera B. Eris C. Atalanta D. Paris E. Aphrodite
73. The following are Divine Myths except ___________________________.
A. Pygmalion and Galatea C. Eros and Psyche E. Pyramus and Thisbe
B. Narcissus and Echo D. Leto and the Swan
74. The following are demigods except ____________________.
A. Achilleus B. Paris C. Heracles D. Perseus E. Theseus
75. The following are the conventions of Epic except _______________________________.
A. Singing to a god or goddess D. Introducing a character in a formal way
B. Invocation to a muse E. Sacrificing of crops to Dionysus
C. Starting en medias res
76. The following are the ways of the author’s revealing the psychological dimension of the character except____________.
A. Flashback D. Indirect interior monologue
B. Stream of consciousness E. Dramatic monologue
C. Direct interior monologue
77. The following are principles of vocabulary learning, except
A. Expose students to new words only during the pre-reading stage
B. Allow students enough practice in working with strategies in getting meaning
C. Concentrate on key concepts only
D. Use dictionaries everyday
E. Allow contextual clues

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78. Which sound is not a realization of the simple past tense?

A. /d/ B. /ed/ C. /t/ D. /et/ E. none of the options
79. Would you mind ___________ me tomorrow?
A. meet B. to meet C. meeting D. if we meet E. to meeting
80. Which of the following shows the correct stress pattern for a compound noun?
A. bláckbìrd B. blàck bírd C. blâckbìrd D. bláckbírd E. blàckbìrd
81. For thousands of years, rice ______________ a staple food for many people.
A. is B. had been C. was D. was been E. has been
82. Beth’s new digital camera is more user friendly than _________.
A. she B. hers C. her D. me E. my
83. Lhizza Lyn is taller than ____________.
A. she B. her C. hers D. his E. him
84. Neither of the accused officers decided to quit _______ position.
A. his B. her C. his/her D. their E. its
85. Can you tell me what time _________________?
A. the train arrives C. the train does arrive E. will the train arrive
B. does the train arrive D. arrives the train
86. What is the most appropriate response for agreeing the following statement?
“I love eating chocolates!”
A. Me, too! B. Me either. C. Neither do I. D. Me neither. E. Either do I.
87. What is the most appropriate response for agreeing the following statement?
“I hate waiting too long.”
A. Me, too! B. Me either. C. Neither am I. D. Me neither. E. Either do I.
88. Which “while” expresses a contrast?
A. While waiting for them, let’s have some coffee first.
B. The farmers are very hopeful while walking from the province to the city.
C. She’s taking a shower while her mother is preparing a breakfast.
D. I am a pessimist while she is very optimistic.
E. It would take for a while for me to believe her.
89. The air around us ______________________.
A. both contains oxygen and water C. contain both oxygen and water
B. contains both oxygen and water D. contained both oxygen and water
E. both contain oxygen and water
90. You expect a visitor by 3 P.M.. The doorbell rings at 2:45 P.M. it _____ be your friend.
A. can B. will C. should D. might E. must
91. I hate it when people stand and walk in front of the screen ___________ the climax of the movie.
A. during B. while C. towards D. in E. after
92. Sandra is beautiful in her red overall, ______________
A. is she? B. does she? C. doesn’t she? D. isn’t she? E. didn’t she?
93. People who casually lie cannot be trusted, _______________ can be expected to keep a secret.
A. much more B. much less C. all the more D. even so E. more so
94. You have to face the music. He does not love you anymore.
To face the music means to ____________________
A. accept the reality C. see the ugliness of life E. search for the facts
B. indulge to emotion D. receive criticism
95. Having this class respond is to bleed a stone.
The underlined part means __________.
A. to surrender C. to ask for the impossible E. to be unhappy
B. to get wounded D. to be in pain
96. The Tempest is William Shakespeare’s swansong to the world of theater.
Swansong means________________.
A. favorite song C. final words E. farewell speech
B. favorite drama D. farewell performance
97. If you believe for the absence of the seniority syndrome, well then you are a Quixote before the windmills.
The statement shows the use of _________________________.
A. metaphor B. metonymy C. allusion D. personification E. hyperbole
98. He might have gotten what he wants, but he also lost his friends. He experienced ________________.
A. pyrrhic victory B. sour grapes C. dead pan D. sweet escape E. holocaust
99. Do not just claim things for the sake of claiming. You have to _________________them!
A. materially B. materialize C. material D. materializing E. immaterial
100. Poverty cannot be mitigated by mere statistics. Actions must be taken.
The word in bold means to be__________________.
A. worsened B. lessened C. addressed D. escaped E. solved

(Let not what we don’t know hinder us from doing what we know.☺)

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