A story is titled "The Empty Banig." It ends with Lola Iska rolling up the mat her grandson used before he left for Manila. How does the title earn its meaning?

In a poem titled "Salt," a fisher's daughter waits at the shore, then tastes salt on her father's sleeve when he comes home. How does the title earn its meaning?

A family rarely talks over the noise of the television. During a brownout they sit on the porch and talk. When the lights return, they stay outside. How does the ending complete the story?

In a story set in a coastal town, rain falls at every goodbye: when the father leaves, when the sister moves away, and at the last farewell. What makes the rain a motif?

A poem's three stanzas follow a rising tide: ankle-deep, waist-deep, then over the seawall. Suppose the stanzas were printed in reverse order. What would the change break?

A story about a girl who repairs her brother's slippers every week is titled "Stitches." Suppose it were retitled "Rainy Season." What would the change break?

Jose Rizal's poem "Mi Ultimo Adios" ("My Last Farewell") was written shortly before his execution in 1896. How does the title earn its meaning?

Edith Tiempo's poem "Bonsai" describes folding small keepsakes into a box. Bonsai is the art of keeping a tree small. How does the title work with the poem's central image?

In Amador Daguio's story "The Wedding Dance," the gongs of Awiyao's new wedding sound while Lumnay, his first wife, stays away from the celebration. How does the title earn its meaning?

A story opens with an empty balikbayan box in the corner of the room. It ends with the mother taping it shut, full, the night before she flies out. How does the ending complete the opening?

In a poem, a lamp is lit in every stanza: at the wake, at the study table, at the gate. The tone is quiet and steady. How does the motif support the tone?

A story follows a boy who measures his height against a mango tree each year. Suppose it ended with the tree cut for firewood and no mention of the boy. What would the change break?

A poem about a fisher's dawn uses calm words: hush, drift, slow water. Suppose the last line called the sea "a jaw waiting." What would the change break?

A story shows Aling Vira giving credit to neighbors who cannot pay. It ends with those neighbors repairing her store roof after a typhoon. How does the ending complete the story?

A story tells one school day in five short parts, each named for a bell. The last part ends at the final bell of the day. How does this structure serve the story?

In a story, a grandmother's rosary appears at each family decision and again at her funeral. Suppose every mention but the funeral one were cut. What would the change break?

A story titled "Low Tide" follows a family whose catch keeps shrinking. It ends with the father selling his boat. How does the title earn its meaning?

A story opens with Marisol asking why her mother keeps an unused key. It ends with the mother opening the old house in the province one last time. How does the ending complete the opening?

A short story about a blackout on a fishing boat is tight and quiet throughout. Suppose the writer added a long, funny scene about a school quiz bee. What would the change break?

A poem titled "Bagoong Jar" returns to one jar on the shelf in every stanza and ends with the jar passed to a daughter. What makes the jar the poem's unifying image?