Phil-IRI for JHS – Graded Passage in English
English 10
Teacher’s Copy
Read this passage and answer the questions that follow.
Butuan Archeological Sites
[1] In 1975, as a result of the construction of an extensive network of large drainage
channels, or esteros, to relieve Butuan City from destructive annual floods, significant
amounts of archaeological artifacts were discovered that dated back to the Age of
Contact with the Great Traditions of Asia, coeval with the Yueh type wares to Ming
Dynasties of ancient China from the 10th Century to the 16th Century AD.
[2] The major find in various areas is the appearance of the remains of large open-
water-going boats, the "balanghai" of historical records. The same type of boats and
construction has been recovered in Sumatra and Pontian in Malaysia, apparently of
the same period. There are eleven of these boats: three were fully excavated, two
preserved, and the rest are still unexcavated. The boats are of Neolithic architecture
using a planking edge-peg technology. The boats range in age from the 10th to the
13th century AD.
[3] The other significant sites yielded multiple interred wooden coffin burials,
containing secondary burials that feature modified skulls that are frontally flattened,
ascribed to the 14th-15th Century AD. Similar finds in Central Philippines have yielded
similar burials but with the difference that all these were found in caves along the
island’s coasts.
[4] The third significant feature of the stratified sites are the tremendous amounts
of trade high-fired ceramics coming from China, Cambodia, Thailand, and other
southeast Asian countries, as well as the distinctive white stamped pottery from
Thailand; and Persian glassware, suggesting prehistoric links as far as the Middle
East.
[5] There were other notable discoveries like the Ivory Seal and the Silver
Paleograph. Gold and tools for gold processing of ornaments have also been
recovered from a village site. Over a hundred clay crucibles and tools for the
processing of gold items were discovered in the area, leading to the conclusion that
an extensive gold ornaments industry was in these areas as far back as a thousand
years ago.
[6] Altogether, these data demonstrate that Butuan was a thriving international trading
port a thousand years ago, this site has a tremendous historical impact in the Asian
region.
Number of words: 350
Questions written by Justine Paul Alimento
SOURCE: https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/2071/
Phil-IRI for JHS – Graded Passage in English
Questions:
1. What was the reason behind the construction of an extensive network of large
drainage channels in Butuan in 1975?
A. to discover significant amounts of archaeological artifacts
B. to enhance the drainage system against damaging floods
C. to excavate the remains of large open-water-going boats
D. to unearth proofs of historical trading in the Asian region
2. What does “esteros” mean in the first paragraph?
A. a network of large drainage channels
B. a result of an extensive construction
C. a number of archaeological artifacts
D. an effect of destructive annual floods
3. Which of the following will benefit from the discovery of the archeological artifacts?
A. art, tradition, and industry
B. culture, history, and tradition
C. history, archeology, industry
D. tradition, architecture, art
4. Which paragraph talked about the sites of wooden coffin burials?
A. paragraph 2
B. paragraph 3
C. paragraph 4
D. paragraph 5
5. Which of the following is NOT implied in the selection?
A. The early Filipinos did business with countries in Asia.
B. The early Filipinos engaged in different types of trading.
C. The early Filipinos had great traditions.
D. The early Filipinos had knowledge of technology.
6. Which academic discipline or field of study does the topic of this text fall under?
A. Anthropology
B. Engineering
C. Ethnography
D. Psychology
Phil-IRI for JHS – Graded Passage in English
7. Which of the following should be consulted regarding the discovery?
A. Department of Environment and Natural Resources
B. National Commission for Culture and the Arts
C. National Historical Commission of the Philippines
D. National Museum of the Philippines
8. Which type of paragraph development is used in the second paragraph to talk
about “Balanghai”?
A. Descriptive paragraph
B. Literary paragraph
C. Narrative paragraph
D. Persuasive paragraph
9. How did the author conclude the text?
A. A massive gold ornaments industry already existed a thousand years ago.
B. Butuan was a thriving international trading harbor a thousand years ago.
C. Wooden coffin burials in Butuan are similar to that in Central Philippines.
D. Discovered artifacts are dated back to the Age of Great Traditions of Asia.
10. Which of the following statements is NOT stated in the given text?
A. Butuan exported high-fired ceramics to China and stamped pottery to
Thailand.
B. The Balanghai is of Neolithic architecture using a planking edge-peg
technology.
C. There is a significant amount of archaeological artifacts found in Butuan.
D. Wooden coffins contained burials that feature frontally flattened modified
skulls.
Phil-IRI for JHS – Graded Passage in English
Learner’s Record
Name: ___________________________________________ Grade Level: _____
School: __________________________________________
Division: _________________________________________ Region: __________
Selection: Butuan Archeological Sites
Part A
Total time in Reading the Text: _________ minutes
Reading Rate: ____ words per minute
Responses to Questions: Score____ _____% Comprehension Level: _____
1. (B)____ 6. (A)____
2. (A)____ 7. (D)____
3. (B)____ 8. (A)____
4. (B)____ 9. (B)____
5. (C)____ 10. (A)___
Part B
Word Reading
Types of Miscues Number of Miscues
1 Mispronunciation (Maling Bigkas)
2 Omission (Pagkakaltas)
3 Substitution (Pagpapalit)
4 Insertion (Pagsisingit)
5 Repetition (Pag-uulit)
6 Transposition (Pagpapalit ng lugar)
7 Reversal (Paglilipat)
Total Miscues
Number of Words in the Passage
Word Reading Score
Word Reading Level
