LEPT Practice Questions: Social Studies Specialization with Answers

Answer: A. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription, dated 900 AD, is the earliest known written document found in the Philippines. Written in Old Malay using the Kavi script, it records the pardon of a debt and mentions places in Luzon and references to the Medang Kingdom in Java. This proves that pre-colonial Filipinos had a literate society with established legal customs and active trade connections with neighboring Southeast Asian kingdoms long before the Spanish arrived in 1521.

Answer: B. The Philippine Revolution began on August 23, 1896, after the Spanish authorities discovered the existence of the Katipunan through Teodoro Patino's confession to Fr. Mariano Gil. Once the secret revolutionary society was exposed, Andres Bonifacio and the Katipuneros had no choice but to launch an immediate armed uprising — the famous "Cry of Pugad Lawin" (or Balintawak). Rizal's execution came later, on December 30, 1896, and actually intensified the revolution rather than starting it. The Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was an earlier event that inspired the reform and revolutionary movements.

Answer: B. The Tydings-McDuffie Act (officially the Philippine Independence Act) was approved by the U.S. Congress on March 24, 1934. It provided for the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines with a ten-year transition period, after which the Philippines would gain full independence. Under this law, the 1935 Constitution was drafted, and Manuel L. Quezon was elected as the first President of the Philippine Commonwealth. Full independence was eventually granted on July 4, 1946, delayed by the Japanese occupation during World War II.

Answer: B. Article III of the 1987 Philippine Constitution is the Bill of Rights. It contains 22 sections that enumerate the fundamental rights of every person, including the right to due process, equal protection of the law, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of religion, the right against unreasonable searches and seizures, and the right to privacy. Article II sets out the Declaration of Principles and State Policies, while Article XIII addresses Social Justice and Human Rights — related but distinct from the Bill of Rights itself.

Answer: C. Under Article VIII, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution, judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court and in such lower courts as may be established by law. Judicial review — the power to determine whether a law, treaty, or government action violates the Constitution — is a core function of the Supreme Court. This power serves as a check on both the legislative and executive branches, ensuring that no law or act contradicts the fundamental law of the land. A minimum of a majority vote of the members who participated in deliberations is needed to declare a law unconstitutional.

Answer: B. The Law of Demand states that, all other factors being equal (ceteris paribus), as the price of a good or service increases, the quantity demanded decreases, and vice versa. This creates a downward-sloping demand curve. The Law of Supply, in contrast, describes the positive relationship between price and quantity supplied. The Law of Diminishing Returns relates to production, and the Law of Comparative Advantage deals with international trade specialization.

Answer: B. When the BSP raises interest rates, borrowing becomes more expensive for banks, businesses, and consumers. This discourages borrowing and spending, which reduces the amount of money circulating in the economy. With less money chasing goods and services, upward pressure on prices (inflation) is reduced. This is known as contractionary monetary policy. Option A describes the opposite — expansionary policy achieved by lowering interest rates. Option C relates to fiscal policy (taxation), not monetary policy.

Answer: B. The Pacific Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped zone around the edges of the Pacific Ocean where a large number of tectonic plate boundaries converge. The Philippines sits at the boundary of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, making it highly susceptible to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The country has more than 20 active volcanoes, including Mount Mayon, Taal Volcano, and Mount Pinatubo. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) monitors these geologic hazards continuously.

Answer: B. The Corona Classification (Modified) divides the Philippines into four climate types. Type II is characterized by the absence of a dry season and a very pronounced maximum rainfall period from November to January. Areas under Type II include the eastern parts of the country (e.g., Eastern Visayas, eastern Mindanao, and parts of Bicol) that are directly exposed to the northeast monsoon (amihan) and Pacific typhoons. Type I areas, on the other hand, have two distinct seasons and are found on the western side of the archipelago.

Answer: C. Bayanihan is a traditional Filipino practice rooted in the value of communal unity and cooperation. It exemplifies social solidarity — the bonds that hold a community together and motivate individuals to act for the collective good. In Emile Durkheim's terms, this reflects mechanical solidarity, where shared values, beliefs, and customs bind members of a community. Bayanihan demonstrates that Filipino culture places a high premium on pakikipagkapwa (shared identity with others) and mutual aid, which are core values of Filipino social life.