Written Exam Practice Questions

Finally, everyone in my class has already completed the Written Exam Simulation.  The task of trying to whip up questions from nowhere has been utterly daunting and tedious and truth be told, it made me wish I were back on the other side of the exam table.  Sometimes, answering questions can be so much easier than asking them.

As I've told my students in the Foreign Service Officers Exam Simulation Class, the only way to prepare for the FSOE is to matter load and to practice given that the questions can be incredibly random.

I'm sharing with you the questions I asked them to answer in case you're starting to get serious when it comes to preparing for the Written Exams.

English

1. 1.       One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.  Would you consider the MILF, MNLF, and the BIFF as terrorist organizations?  Why or why not?
2. 2.       What should be the basis in the selection of a national language?  Should the national language be changed from Filipino to Cebuano?  Why or why not?
3. 3.       As a Foreign Service Officer, how can you convince multinational companies to invest in South Mindanao?
4. 4.       Beauty pageants have become very popular in the Philippines.  Do you think the honor given to beauty queens (e.g a hero’s welcome after winning an international beauty title) is commensurate with the contribution or honor that beauty queens have been making to Philippine society?
5. 5.       Support this proposition: The medium of instruction and research in schools should be changed from English to Filipino.
6. 6.       What is role of religion in molding Filipino culture and identity?
7. 7.       After more than a year since the onslaught of Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban, Leyte’s capital city has not yet been able to fully recover.  Provide a 6-month action plan on how to get Tacloban back on its feet.
8. 8.       What is the key to achieving sustainable peace in Mindanao?
9. 9.       Francisco Baltazar’s literary masterpiece, Florante & Laura has been considered one of the greatest Filipino literary classics of all time.  Do you think the work deserves this distinction?  Why or why not?
10. 10.    Argue against this proposition: Jose Rizal deserves to be the national hero of the Philippines.

International Affairs

1. Critique Christine Lagarde’s term as the top officer of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in terms of the IMF’s impact on developing countries like the Philippines.
2. Compare and contrast the criticisms of Voltaire and Diderot against Rosseau
3.  Relate Marquis Antoine Nicholas de Condorcet’s ideas in his work, Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind to the rapid development of science and technology in the present century.
4.  What steps does King Felipe of Spain need to take in order to restore the credibility of the Spanish throne and protect it from the onslaught of left-wing republicans?
5.  Compare and contrast the foreign policy of the United States of America in Asia under the term of President George W. Bush and President Barrack Obama.
6.  Is unrestricted internet access a universal human right?  Explain your answer.
7.  What is the probability of a cyber arms race between the United States of America and Russia from occurring?
8.  How has Egypt’s crackdown on political Islam affected the work of faith-based charities in Egypt and its surrounding countries?
9.  What is the One Belt One Road program spearheaded by China and what does China seek to achieve from this program?
10.  What can Russia do in order to save its ailing economy?
11.  What is the impact of the conflict in Ukraine on the rest of Europe?  Discuss its social, political, and economic implications.
12.  What does the reaction of French society on the Charlie Hebdo tragedy say about French identity?
13. Compare and contrast the Paris Tragedy (Charlie Hebdo) with that of Denmark’s.
14. 1How can the United States convince North Korea to pursue denuclearization?
15.  Explain cosmopolitanism.
16. 1What is the role of water in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
17. 1Compare and contrast the tension between Germany and France in the 20^th century in their territorial dispute for Alsace and Lorraine with today’s territorial disputes between China and other Southeast Asian countries.
18.  Do you think China and Japan will go to war because of the Senakaku/Diaoyu Islands?
19. How would you interpret the inaction of the United States of America in areas like Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria?  Is it strategic patience or sheer indecisiveness?
20. How can governments around the world be more responsive to the needs of climate change refugees?
21.  Disuss the role that weak socio-political institutions play in the spread of ebola in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia.
22. Why is Germany hesitant to confront Russia regarding its current aggression in Eastern Europe?
23.   How does the United States of America fit in the new Asian order?  Define the new Asian order first before pursuing your answer.
24.  Are women the best weapon on the war against terrorism?
25.  Name three great thinkers in International relations and explain their most significant theories/contributions.

Philippine Conditions

1.  What can Philippines gain out of hosting the APEC?
2.  Provide a critique on the Philippines’ current tourism campaign, IT’S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES.
3. Should the Philippines default on its current debt?
4.  Support this proposition: The Philippines is ready to pursue the ASEAN Economic Community.
5. Critique the Bangsamoro Basic Law in terms of its social, political, and economic impact.
6. 6 Name 3 ongoing Public-Private Partnership projects pursued by the Government and an established corporation and explain its significance to the Filipino people.
7.  You are given the chance to craft the budget of the Philippines for 2016.  What are your top three priority spends and why?
8. You are the President of the Philippines.  Convince the Catholic Church to stop meddling in the country’s political affairs.
9.  Give a critical analysis of the term of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III.
10. What aspect of Filipino culture is detrimental to our political affairs and how can we work around this trait?
11. What is the impact of colonialism on Filipino culture?
12. What is Filipino identity.
13. What kind of compensation should the Philippine Government ask from the United States for the damage wrought by a US Ship on Tubbataha Reef?
14. You are the Philippine Ambassador to China.  How can you improve Philippine-Chinese relations despite the ongoing territorial disputes?
15.  What industry do you think should drive Philippine economic growth in the next ten years?
16.  Is the Philippine educational system flawed?
17. What can the Philippine Government do to curb human trafficking?
18. Convince the President of the United States of America that the Philippines is indeed a significant part of its national interest.
19. The Philippine Government earmarked Php 20.9 billion to empower some of the country’s most impoverished communities.  How can the Philippine Government maximize this budget to bail out several communities from extreme poverty?
20. Will federalism work in the Philippines?
21.  Political dynasties are deeply entrenched in the dynamics of Philippine politics.  Explain how political dynasties can be beneficial to Philippine politics and governance.
22.  Does Nora Aunor deserve to be conferred the honor of being a National Artist?  Why or why not?
23. What can be done to protect the interests of the Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines?
24. 2Can the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program be considered a success? Why or why not?
25.  OFWs have faced several human rights abuses in countries like Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong.  Should the Philippine Government stop sending workers to Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong?  Why or why not?

Filipino

1. Bakit mahirap ang talunin ang serpyenteng may pitong ulo sa Ibong Adarna? Paano ito natalo ni Don Juan? Isalaysay ang buong detalye tungkol dito.

2. Ipaliwanag nang lubusan ang mga pangungusap na binitawan ni Tata Selo na "lahat ay kinuha na sa kanila... Ang lahat ay kinuha na sa kanila..." base sa kwentong "Tata Selo" ni Rogelio R. Sicat?

3. Hanggang kailan mapapanatili ng Amerika ang pagiging pinakamakapangyarihang bansa sa buong mundo sa kabila ng galuhang politikal nito? Ipaliwanag nang maigi.

4. Paano matamo ng Mindanao ang pangmatagalang kapayapaan? 

5. Bahagi sa sikolohiyang Pilipino ang hiya at utang-na-loob.  Ipaliwanag kung paano makakapagtulong ang dalawang konseptong iyon sa ikauunlad ng bansang Pilipinas.

World History

1.       Compare and contrast the strategies of colonization between England and Spain.  Gauge the success of the strategies employed by both countries.

2.       Trace the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and propose a possible solution to bring peace to the region.

3.       Explain the fall of the Aztecs.

4.       Name three important breakthroughs during the Scientific Revolution and explain how these breakthroughs were able to influence the world that we live in today.

5.       Explain the relationship between the establishment of farming and the rise of warfare.

6.       What reforms did Catherine the Great institute to transform Russia into a formidable empire?

7.       What was the greatest legacy of Greece to the world?

8.       Define realpolitik and describe how this principle is evident in the strategies of Otto von Bismarck and Camillo di Cavour.

9.       How influential was the Han Dynasty in shaping modern-day China?

10.    Compare and contrast the colonization of Mexico by the Spaniards with that of the Philippines.

11.    Discuss two of the three revolutions: Neolithic Revolution, Scientific Revolution, Green Revolution.

12.    Discuss how nationalism has had positive and/or negative effects on the following nations: Germany, China, Russia, United States of America, France.

13.    Discuss the political, social, and economic reasons for the mass movement of people s throughout global history.

14.    Describe examples of human rights abuses in the post-World War II era and discuss the efforts that the world community has made.

15.    Describe how capitalism and communism attempt to meet the needs of the people.

16.    Identify one pressing global problem and discuss its historical roots. 

17.    What has been the role of innovators and inventors in global development?

18.    Discuss two specific changes made by Genghis Khan in the areas that he had conquered and explain the impact of these changes to the world.

19.    Discuss the historical circumstances that led to the Apartheid in South Africa.

20.    Select one geographic factor that influenced life in a nation or region before 1500 AD.  Using specific examples, discuss the influence of that geographic factor on the people of that nation or region.