Republic of the Philippines

Province of Camarines Sur

Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

APPLICANTS’ COMPETITIVENESS EXAM

___________________________________________________________________________

* TEST BEGINS HERE *

DIRECTIONS: For each of the word in boldface, select the word or phrase that has the
SAME meaning as used in the sentence. On your Answer Sheet, shade completely the box
that corresponds to your answer.
___________________________________________________________________________
1. The class president will respond to his most challenging task with diligence and
resourceful.
1. Perseverance 2. Punctuality 3. Skillfulness 4. Purity

2. His deep insight on the vanity of wealth impresses us all.

1. Importance 2. Worthlessness 3. Value 4. Success

3. He always calls his doctor whenever he feels a twinge that doesn’t seem right.
1. sudden pain 2. Anxiety 3. Torture 4.
Nightmare

4. The recent announcement about the new rules is more conciliatory in tone than the
previous ones.
1. Advisory 2. Winning over 3. Undoing 4.
Defeating

5. As a career, Physics appeals to me because it is amoral.

1. Scientific 2. Rewarding 3. Challenging 4. Unprincipled

6. Doing a repetitive job in the dessert of Saudi Arabia adds up to his ennui.
1. Fear 2. Boredom 3. Sadness 4. Confusion
7. His pugilistic skill impressed the spectators, for he knocked his opponent out in just
two minutes of the first round.
1. Boxing 2. Musical 3. Athletic 4. Slack

8. His profound insight on the meaning of existing impresses many.

1. Prolific 2. Deep 3. Pragmatic 4. Fruitful

9. Until Harry Potter stepped into her life, J.K Rowling was a “happily obscure being”
1. Pensive 2. Overt 3. Unknown 4. Famous

10. Children of parents who work honestly hard to earn a living rarely become
spendthrift.
1. Thrifty 2. Frugal 3. Miser 4.
Extravagant
Source: MSA Science High School Entrance Test Reviewer (Alferez, 2012)
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Camarines Sur
Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

DIRECTIONS: Each of the sentences below is missing one or two portions. Read each
sentence, then select the word or words that most logically complete the sentence considering
the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

11. To her Mom’s relief, the biopsy revealed that the tumor on her skin was ________
1. Malignant 2. Benign
3. Fatal 4. Irreversible
5. Serene

12. A student sees the importance of logical thinking when he realizes that most so-called
facts are merely _____ claims, each serving its purpose only temporarily.
1. Provisional 2. Potential
3. Authoritative 4. Dramatic
5. Truthful

13. The two friends really enjoy each other’s company although they rarely agreed on any
issue; in fact, or any important topic their opinions would likely _______.
1. Retreat 2. Coincide
3. Truncate 4. Diverge
5. Converge

14. Once accepted as incontrovertible, the theory that nine planets revolve around our sun
is now regarded by astronomers as ________.
1. Irrefutable 2. Dubious
3. Enacted 4. Universe
5. Conclusive

15. Maintaining a courageous ______ even while in prison. Ninoy Aquino spent years
trying to convince others that the fight against martial rule was not ______.
1. Optimism …worthwhile 2. Will …. Treacherous
3. hope … futile 4. Fortitude … premeditated
5. instability … porous
Source: UPCAT Reviewer (Vea & Espiritu, 2007)

16. The _____ impressed us with his profound knowledge that we invited him to come
and speak in our school symposium.
1. Saturnine 2. Savant 3. Benighted 4. Resilient

17. She overlooked major flaws in the system when she inspected the production plant in
her _______ manner of evaluation.
1. Perverse 2. Nefarious 3. Mutinous 4.
Perfunctory

18. The traffic policeman cannot tolerate the ______ of the bus drivers. They stop at any
place and at any time if they want to pick-up passengers.
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Camarines Sur
Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

1. Submissiveness 2. Perversity 3. Deference 4. Gentility

19. A ______ person is one who is concerned about other people’s feelings and needs,
forgiving and peaceable.
1. Literate 2. Uncultured 3. Magnanimous 4. Petty

20. One of the guests in a sumptuous dinner party lauded “This is indeed the most _____
dinner”.
1. Palatable 2. Munificent 3. Ceremonious 4. Prominent

Source: MSA Science High School Entrance Test Reviewer (Alferez, 2012)

DIRECTIONS: Some of the following sentences contain errors in grammar, usage and
idiom. A sentence, however, can only have one error. Find the error in any underlined part,
note the number under it and blacken the corresponding space on the answer sheet.

21. I am staying by my daughter. No error

1 2 3 4
22. Natacia will return to the city where she was born in three months. No error
1 2 3 4
23. The speaker pronounces his words too indistinct. No error
1 2 3 4
24. The patient returned back from the hospital in perfect health. No error
1 2 3 4
25. Shirley, together with her friends have gone home. No error
1 2 3 4
Source: MSA Science High School Entrance Test Reviewer (Alferez, 2012)

26. Its dificcult to live in this time of war and imminent world economic crisis.
1 2 3 4 5
27. My mother asked me to take her clothes for dry-cleaning and to make certain none of
1 2 3
them were in need of repair.
4 5
28. People are scared of travelling presently because of fear in getting Severe Acute
1 2 3 4
Respiratory Syndrome, otherwise known as SARS.
5
29. The domestic helper is living in Hong Kong for the past seven years and was taking
her
1 2 3
vacation only this year when she got sick and died.
4 5
Source: UPCAT Reviewer (Vea & Espiritu, 2007)
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Camarines Sur
Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

DIRECTIONS: Each item below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word or phrase that
best completes the sentence. Note the letter and blacken the corresponding space in the
answer sheet.

30. The cabinet officials _____ from their inspection of the damaged area.
1. have just came 2. Is going
3. will arrived 4. Are coming today
5. must have came

31. He is __________.
1. one of the member of the board of our company
2. one member who do not attend meetings regularly
3. one of the members of the board of our company
4. one members in the committee
5. one of many member in the board

32. We have been informed ______

1. that SARS is very communicable
2. why rainbow appear after a shower
3. where the government get its funds
4. why earthquake happen
5. that school ending March 16

33. She is studying ______

1. in a science High School
2. at Miriam high school
3. on a private school
4. at Rizal High School
5. in a university High School
34. Do many teachers want to go abroad? No, _______.
1. many of them do
2. some of them have
3. a few of them are not
4. most of them cannot
5. some of them don’t
Source: UPCAT Reviewer (Vea & Espiritu, 2007)

DIRECTIONS: The underlined part of each sentence below may or may not be the best
phrasing to make the most precise and most effective sentence. Choose the best answer from
the given choices.

35. If I was he, I would drop the discussion now.

1. If I was he
2. If I was him
3. If I were he
4. If I had been him
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Camarines Sur
Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

5. If I were him
36. Not only Mary Ann but her friends and relatives as well was area of your need for
assistance.
1. was aware of your need for
2. were aware of your need for
3. have been aware of your need of
4. is aware of your need of
5. are aware of your need for
37. Carlo told me when I arrived I was to go directly to Dad.
1. Carlo told me when I arrived I was to go directly to Dad.
2. Carlo told me, when I arrived I was to go directly to Dad.
3. Carlo told me when I arrived, I was to do directly to Dad.
4. Carlo told me, “when I arrived I was to go directly to Dad.
5. Carlo told me that I was to go directly to Dad when I arrived.
38. Mr. Cruz is the member of the committee whom I think can best advise you.
1. whom I think can best advise you
2. whom I think can best advice you
3. whom, I think, can best advice you
4. which, I think, can best advise you
5. who I think can best advise you

39. Everyone thinks that Lisa lives in a white big house.

1. Lisa lives in a white big house
2. Lisa is an old wise lady
3. Lisa is a young charming lady
4. Lisa is an ambitious young woman
5. Lisa is a young beautiful girl

Source: UPCAT Reviewer (Vea & Espiritu, 2007)

DIRECTIONS: The group of sentences below form a paragraph. Choose the answer
showing a logical arrangement of the sentences and shade the corresponding circle on the
answer sheet.

40. A. Many innovations without proven results and follow up evaluation are educational
wastages
B. One wonders in the final analysis if these changes have been deeply rooted on
basic problems of the people they serve.
C. Some curriculum changes were mere fads without foreseeable achievements.
D. What we need are innovations that overcome the mis-education of the young

1. BACD 2. ACDB 3. ABCD 4. CBAD

41. A. A responsive educational system should be directed towards regional cooperation.

B. Commonality of educational objectives should be replaced by better ways of
achieving goals that fit the regional needs.
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Camarines Sur
Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

C. It is necessary to revolutionize the contemporary methodologies in the teaching-

learning processes.
D. The educational goals should seek for a better way of experimentation in the
teaching strategies and technologies.

1. ABCD 2. ABDC 3. BCAD 4. DABC

Source: CSE complete reviewer (Tayone, 2020).

42. A. Many children who happened to swallow small articles raced hundreds and even
thousands of miles with death to reach Dr. Chevalier Jackson, the inventor of this
device.
B. One, however, which has saved the lives of thousands of people, many of them
small children, is a remarkable life-saving invention known as the bronchoscope.
C. It would be impossible to cover in a brief statement all the valuable inventions
and discoveries that have recently been made in the field of medicine and surgery.
D. It is an arrangement of mirrors and lights by which the surgeon can see into the
bronchial tubes and lungs and locate and remove any foreign object that may have
lodged there.

1. CBAD 2. ACBD 3. BDAC 4. CBDA

Source: UPCAT Reviewer (Vea & Espiritu, 2007)

43. A. A group of outrageously talented writers is busy rescuing fantasy from under a
mountain of New Age junk, collectible card games and heavy-metal album covers.
B. A decade ago, nobody wanted anything to do with it.
C. Fantasy may be the greatest comeback story of the past 10 years.
D. All that stuff – swords and sorcery, dungeons and dragons – was so nerdy that even
science-fiction fans look down on it.
E. Two of the biggest, megabillion-dollar entertainment franchises in the world, Harry
Potter and The Lord of the Rings, come from fantasy novels.
F. Now all that has changed.

1. FBACED 2. ABCDFE 3. BDFEAC 4. EABDFC 5. CBDFEA

44. A. However, disobedience of laws not the subject of dissent, is regarded as morally as
well as legally unacceptable.
B. It is only with respect to those laws which offend the fundamental values of human
life that moral defense of civil disobedience can be rationally supported.
C. The theory of civil disobedience recognizes that its actions, regardless of their
justifications, must be punished.
D. Civil disobedience is by definition a violation of the law.

1. ABCD 2. CDAB 3. DCAB 4. BDCA 5. BCDA

Source: MSA Career Service Executive Exam Reviewer (Alferez & Duro, 2014)
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Camarines Sur
Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

DIRECTIONS: Read the following passages carefully. After each selection there are
questions to be answered or statements to be completed. Select the best answer. Then shade
the appropriate space in the answer sheet.

For nos. 81-83. Excerpt from the Descent of Man by Charles Darwin

Man in the rudest state in which he now exists is the most dominant animal that has
ever appeared on this earth. He has spread more widely than any other highly organized form:
and all others have yielded before him. He manifestly owes this immense superiority to his
intellectual faculties, to his social habits, which lead him to aid and defend his fellows, and to
his corporeal structure. The supreme importance of these characters has been proved by the
final arbitrament of the battle for life. Through his powers of intellect, articulate language has
been evolved; and on this his wonderful advancement has mainly depended. As Mr.
Chauncey Wright remarks: “a psychological analysis of the faculty of language shows, that
even the smallest proficiency in it might require more brain power that the greatest
proficiency in any other direction”. He has invented and is able to use various weapons, tools,
traps with which he defends himself, kills or catches prey, and otherwise obtains food. He has
made rafts or canoes for fishing or crossing over to neighboring fertile islands. He has
discovered the art of making fire, by which hard and stringy roots can be rendered digestible,
and poisonous roots or herbs innocuous. This discovery of fire, probably the greatest ever
made by man, excepting language, dates from before the dawn of history. These several
inventions, by which man in the rudest state has become so pre-eminent, are the direct results
of the development of his powers of observation, memory, curiosity, imagination and
reason…

45. According to the passage, what is the greatest discovery of man?

1. Weapon 2. Fire 3. Language 4. Canoes

46. Which of the following is implied in the passage?

1. Man’s dominance over other animals result only from his intellectual
faculties.
2. Man invented weapons basically to obtain food and defend himself.
3. The discovery of language was more important than the discovery of fire.
4. Language evolved out of the development of the intellect of man.
47. What could be the best title of the passage?
1. Man’s Superiority
2. Man’s Dominance over other Animals
3. The Power of Language
4. The Discovery of Fire

For nos. 84-86.

Habang tumatanda and tahanang daigdig, ang kaunlaran, kaligtasan at kaligayahan ng

kanyang mamamayan ay nakasalalay sa makapangyarihang bisig ng agham at teknolohiya.
Ang bagong kalakaran sa teknolohiya ay nagbunga at patuloy pang nagbubunga ng mga
bagong tuklas at imbensyon na nakatutulong nang malaki sa paglikha, pamamahagi at
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Camarines Sur
Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

paggamit ng mga produkto at iba pang pangangailangang ng tao. Dahil sa makabagong

agham, nabigyan ang sangkatauhan ng mabutuing pagkakataong magamit ng buong talino
ang mga likas na kayamanang di-gaanong napakinabangan ng mga unang tao rito sa mundo.

48. Ayon sa talata, ano ang maaring mangyari kung hindi nagamit ng husto ng tao ang
kanyang kaalaman sa agham?
1. Hindi mapapakinabangan ng tao ang mga likas na kayamanan ng
mundo kahit na sa modernong panahon.
2. Maraming teorya o “natural laws” ang hindi madidiskubre
3. Hindi matutulungan ang pangunahing pangangailangan ng tao.
4. Kaunti lamang ang pag-aaralan ng mga estudyante sa science class.
49. Ang “makapangyarihang bisig” ng agham at teknolohiya ay nangangahulugang
1. Ang agham at teknolohiya ay hindi maaring paghiwalayin
2. Ang agham at teknolohiya ay sandigan ng mga mamamayan tungo sa
kaunlaran
3. Ang agham at teknolohiya ay may kapangyarihang magpatakbo ng buhay
ng tao
4. Ang agham at teknolohiya ay may kontrol sa kaligtasan ng tao.

50. Ang teknolohiya ay patuloy pang nagbubunga ng mga bagong tuklas at imbensyon.
Ayon sa talata, alin sa mga sumusunod ang nagging epekto nito?
1. Patuloy na paggamit ng likas na kayamanang di-gaanong napakinabangan
ng mga unang tao sa mundo
2. Maunlad na pamumuhay dahil sa mga bagong imbensyon
3. Nakatutulong nang malaki sa paglikha at paggamit ng mga produkto
at pangangailanagn ng tao
4. Hindi kailanagan magtrabaho ng tao
Source: UPCAT Reviewer (Vea & Espiritu, 2007)

DIRECTIONS: From the list of words, choose the one that is most related to the third word
in each item in almost the same way as the second word is related to the first.

51. Genuine : Authentic :: Mirage : _______

1. Illusion 2. Image 3. Hideout 4. Reflection

52. Philanthropist: munificence :: _________

1. aristocrat: gratitude 2. Skeptic: disbelief
3. symptom: treatment 4. Anomaly: plausibility
5. cynic: melancholy

53. Diaphanous: opaque

1. disheveled : messy 2. Disconsolate: happy
3. disrespectful: injurious 4. Disallow : reject
5. distraught : calm
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Camarines Sur
Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

54. Search : Find

1. sleep : wake 2. explore: discover
3. draw: paint 4. think : relate
5. walk : run

55. Layer : tier

1. section : segment 2. dais: speaker
3. curtain: stage 4. chapter : verse
5. cotton : bale

Source: CSE complete reviewer (Tayone, 2020).

DIRECTIONS: Select the best answer for each and shade the appropriate number in your
answer sheet.

56. (15-8+3), 8, (4÷2x3), _____

1. 4 2. 3 3. 8 4. 2

57. 12 is 125% of what number?

1. 9.6 2. 8 3. 9 4. 10 5. 8.6

1
58. 1 subtracted from its reciprocal is?
4
1. -9/20 2. 0.45 3. 2.25 4. 9/20 5. -1/5

59. What is the difference between √ 150 and √ 54

1. 3 √ 6 2. 16 √ 6 3. √ 96 4. 6 √ 2 5. 2 √ 6

60. 99 0−(−22 ) + (−3 2 )−¿

1. - 28 2. -10 3. -9 4. 30 5. None of the above

61. A one fourth percent of a number is 25. What is the number?

1. 100 2. 1,000 3. 10,000 4. 100,000

62. A cyclist took 3 hours to complete a race at an average speed of 35 kph. For the first
4
of the lap, he cycle at an average speed of 42 kph. Find his average speed for the
5
rest of the tournament.
1. 7 kph 2. 21 kph 3. 32 kph 4. 77 kph

63. 90 increased by what percent of itself gives 180?

1. 50% 2. 90% 3. 150% 4. 100% 5. 200%
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Camarines Sur
Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

64. Cassy’s father was 38 years of age when she was born while her mother was 36 years
old when her brother four years younger to her was born. What is the difference
between the ages of her parents?
1. 2 years 2. 4 years 3. 6 years 4. 8 years

Source: CSE complete reviewer (Tayone, 2020).

65. Chuck rolls a standard six-sided die twice. What is the probability that he rolls exactly
one 3? Express your answer as a common fraction.
1 1 5 11
1. 2. 3. 4.
6 12 18 36

66. Julia and Jensen had the same number of pencils. After Julia gave away four of her
pencils and Jensen gave away six of his, the ratio of the remaining pencils they now
have becomes 3 : 2. Altogether, how many pencils did Julia and Jensen had at first?
1. 4 2. 6 3. 10 4. 20
67. A hamster runs on its exercise wheel at a rate of 48 revolutions per minute. How long
does it take for it to complete a 120-revolution exercise?

1
1. 90 seconds 2. 3 minutes
2
1
3. 150 seconds 4. 4 minutes
2

68. Nicole and Ivan are neighbors who usually meet at 5:30 a.m. on a street corner in the
village to make their Sunday morning walk together. One Sunday, Nicole came at
5:15 a.m., and started to walk, slower than usual, at a constant speed at 2 kph. Ivan
came 15 minutes after 5:30 a.m., and started to walk, faster than before to catch
Nicole, at a constant speed of 6 kph. At what time will Ivan catch Nicole?
1. 5:45 am 2. 6:00 am
3. 6:15 am 4. 6:30 am

69. A leaking faucet can fill a 9-liter pail in 2.5 hours. The water from the leak drops
every 5 sec. Find the average volume of water in terms of mL, of a single drop.

1. 5 mL 2. 0.2 mL
3. 50 mL 4. 20 mL

70. When a number is divided by 25, it leaves a remainder of 18. What will the remainder
be when this number is divided by 5?
1. 1 2. 2 3. 3 4. 4
71. The sum of 100 integers 51, 52, 53 … 150 is how much greater than the sum of the
integers 1, 2, 2 …100?
1. 100 2. 250 3. 500 4. 5000
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Camarines Sur
Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

72. If 9 times a number is increased by 12, the result is 10 times a number decreased by 4.
Find the number.
1. 8 2. 16 3. -8 4. -16
73. If the price of gasoline increases by 20% and Pete intends to spend only 8% more on
gasoline, by how many percent should he reduce the quantity of petrol he buys?
1. 8% 2. 10% 3. 12% 4. 90%
Source: MSA Science High School Entrance Test Reviewer (Alferez, 2012)

74. The average speed of two cars are in the ratio of 4 : 5. What is the speed of the faster
one, if it takes half an hour less to complete a 50-km distance than the other?

1. 10 kph 2. 40 kph
3. 50 kph 4. 60 kph

75. Philip works as a real estate agent. He earns P15 000 plus 2% commission on the
sales above P3 million. In a particular month, he earns P35 000. How much was his
total sales on this month?

1. 4 million 2. 40 million
3. 1.75 million 4. 35 million

76. Jeff is 3 years older than Tina. If in 8 years, the sum of their ages will be 89, how old
is Jeff now?
1. 35 2. 38 3. 43 4. 46

77. The ages of three sister are consecutive even integers. Their brother is 8 years older
than the middle sister. If the sum of the ages of the four kids is 48, how old is the
brother?
1. 8 2. 12 3. 18 4. 20
Source: MSA Science High School Entrance Test Reviewer (Alferez, 2012)

78. A businessman sells 60% English books and still has 28 English books. Originally,
he had:
1. 47 2. 39 3. 60 4. 70

79. If the price of a book is first decreased by 25% and then increased by 20%, then the
net change in the price will be:
1. 10% 2. 20% 3. 30% 4. 40%

80. Partcipants in a certain conference from Luzon, Visayas and Midanao are in the ratio
of 4:3:2. If there are 120 participants from Luzon, how many participants are there in
all?
1. 270 2. 150 3. 240 4. 420
Source: CSE complete reviewer (Tayone, 2020).
DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions in not less than ten (10) sentences.
 Republic of the Philippines
Province of Camarines Sur
Local Government Unit of Bula

MUNICIPAL LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD

In the midst of a culture of apathy and disinformation, how can education combat the
wave of systemic disinformation? (10 points)

As future scholars, what do you think is the importance of access to quality education
in nation building? (10 points)

------------------------------------------- End of Test ------------------------------------------------