The Retraction Controversy

Question 1

What is José Rizal’s full name?

A) José Protasio Mercado
B) José Protasio Rizal y Realonda
C) José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda
D) José Rizal y Alonso

Answer 1

C) José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso

Question 2

When was José Rizal born?

A) June 19, 1861
B) June 19, 1865
C) July 19, 1861
D) May 19, 1861

Answer 2

A) June 19, 1861

Question 3

Where did Rizal study ophthalmology?

A) University of Santo Tomas
B) Ospital de San Juan de Dios
C) Ateneo Municipal de Manila
D) Universidad Central de Madrid

Answer 3

B) Ospital de San Juan de Dios

Question 4

Who were José Rizal’s parents?

A) Francisco Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Teodora Alonso Realonda y Quintos
B) Carlos de la Cruz and Maria Santos
C) Juanito Reyes and Ana Villanueva
D) Pedro Garcia and Isabel Torres

Answer 4

A) Francisco Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Teodora Alonso Realonda y Quintos

Question 5

On what date did José Rizal die?

A) December 30, 1896
B) January 1, 1896
C) December 25, 1896
D) November 30, 1896

Answer 5

A) December 30, 1896

Question 6

How old was Rizal at the time of his death?

A) 30
B) 35
C) 40
D) 32

Answer 6

B) 35

Question 7

Where was Rizal executed?

A) Intramuros
B) Bagumbayan
C) Luneta
D) San Juan

Answer 7

B) Bagumbayan

Question 8

Which of the following novels was written by Rizal?

A) Noli Me Tángere 1887
B) El Filibusterismo 1891
C) Both A and B
D) La Solidaridad 1886

Answer 8

C) Both A and B

Question 9

How many versions of the alleged retraction letter of José Rizal have surfaced?

A) Two
B) Three
C) Four
D) Five

Answer 9

C) Four

Question 10

When was the first text of the retraction letter published?

A) February 14, 1897
B) December 30, 1896
C) May 18, 1935
D) January 1, 1897

Answer 10

B) December 30, 1896

Question 11

Who revealed themselves as the author of the second text 14 years later?

A) José Rizal
B) Fr. Balaguer
C) An anonymous writer
D) A journalist from La Voz Española

Answer 11

B) Fr. Balaguer

Question 12

When was the original text of the retraction letter discovered?

A) February 14, 1897
B) December 30, 1896
C) May 18, 1935
D) January 1, 1935

Answer 12

C) May 18, 1935

Question 13

Where was the fourth text of the retraction letter published?

A) La Voz Española
B) Dairo de Manila
C) El Imparcial
D) La Juventud

Answer 13

C) El Imparcial

Question 14

What was the main subject of José Rizal’s alleged retraction?

A) His political beliefs
B) His reversion to the Catholic Faith
C) His literary works
D) His travels abroad

Answer 14

B) His reversion to the Catholic Faith

Question 15

Who claimed that the retraction document was a forgery?

A) Roman Catholic defenders
B) Anti-retractionists
C) Handwriting experts
D) José Rizal’s family

Answer 15

B) Anti-retractionists

Question 16

Who discovered the lost “original” document of Rizal’s retraction?

A) José Rizal’s family
B) Fr. Manuel Garcia
C) A historian
D) An anonymous writer

Answer 16

B) Fr. Manuel Garcia

Question 17

What was significant about the differences noted in the retraction documents?

A) They were identical to each other
B) They were minor and easily explained
C) They raised more questions about the authenticity
D) They were irrelevant to the debate

Answer 17

C) They raised more questions about the authenticity

Question 18

Which of the following statements is true regarding the discovered document?

A) It matched perfectly with previously published versions
B) It was found in a public library
C) It had significant differences from other retraction texts
D) It was written in a different language

Answer 18

C) It had significant differences from other retraction texts

Question 19

Which phrase did Rizal insist on adding to his dictated retraction?

A) “I love my country”
B) “In which I was born and educated”
C) “I renounce my previous beliefs”
D) “I am a loyal servant of the church”

Answer 19

B) “In which I was born and educated”

Question 21

How many commas were present in Fr. Balaguer’s copy compared to the original and Manila newspaper texts?

A) Four
B) Seven
C) Eleven
D) Ten

Answer 21

C) Eleven

Question 22

What did Baron Fernandez claim Rizal told his sister Narcisa to look for before his execution?

A) A hidden treasure
B) A letter in his shoes
C) A secret diary
D) A map of Dapitan

Answer 22

B) A letter in his shoes

Question 23

Where was Rizal buried, and what was unusual about his burial?

A) In a Catholic cemetery, with a public mass
B) In a secret location, without an official mass
C) In a public cemetery, with many witnesses
D) At sea, according to his wishes

Answer 23

B) In a secret location, without an official mass

Question 24

Who claimed to have seen and read Rizal’s handwritten retraction?

A) Fr. Pio Pi
B) The publishers of La Voz Española
C) Fr. Balaguer
D) Josephine Bracken

Answer 24

B) The publishers of La Voz Española

Question 25

Who was José Rizal’s common-law wife?

A) Maria Clara
B) Josephine Bracken
C) Leonor Rivera
D) Gertrude Beckett

Answer 25

B) Josephine Bracken

Question 26

What challenges did Rizal face in marrying Josephine Bracken?

A) Lack of financial resources
B) Legal restrictions on marriage
C) Requirements from the Catholic Church
D) Opposition from his family

Answer 26

C) Requirements from the Catholic Church

Question 27

How many documents did Fernandez discover related to José Rizal?

A) 20
B) 34
C) 50
D) 10

Answer 27

B) 34

Question 28

What was the title of Rizal’s unofficial defense found among the documents?

A) Mi Último Adiós
B) Adiciones a Mi Defensa
C) Noli Me Tángere
D) El Filibusterismo

Answer 28

B) Adiciones a Mi Defensa