Q 01/05

When explorers named the islands 'Filipinas' after Philip in the 1540s, what was he?

A) Crown prince

B) Reigning king

C) Viceroy of Mexico

D) Holy Roman Emperor

Answer · why

A) Crown prince

Crown prince: he took the throne as Philip II only years later, so the islands were named for an heir, not a king.

Q 02/05

Manila's name is said to combine Tagalog for 'there is' with the name of what?

A) Shrub

B) Fish

C) Seashell

D) Bird

Answer · why

A) Shrub

Shrub: the city's name later passed to manila hemp, the fiber that first gave manila paper its name.

Q 03/05

Which of these languages does the 1987 Philippine Constitution promote on a voluntary and optional basis?

A) Arabic

B) Chinese

C) Malay

D) Japanese

Answer · why

A) Arabic

Arabic: it has been a language of worship and religious learning for Filipino Muslims since Islam reached the islands centuries ago.

Q 04/05

The jeepney's name blends 'jeep' with which older word for a small hired passenger vehicle?

A) Jitney

B) Hackney

C) Trolley

D) Rickshaw

Answer · why

A) Jitney

Jitney: jeepneys began as army jeeps that Filipinos customized to carry paying passengers after World War II.

Q 05/05

Most Philippine languages descend from a language carried by ancient migrants from where?

A) Borneo

B) Taiwan

C) Vietnam

D) Japan

Answer · why

B) Taiwan

Taiwan: that is why the island's surviving aboriginal languages are still relatives of most Philippine languages.