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