D. Read the same article to answer each of the following questions. Write your answer on
the space provided. (10 points)
1. The revelation that the Philippines actually has 7641 islands was made in 2017.
Why did it not generate much publicity?

2. What is considered an island, according to the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea?

3. What was the repute of the Philippines before the Philippine Islands?

4. According to the author, how did this change in figure affect us Filipinos?

5. Write the statement from the article that expresses the author’s doubt about the
reliability of the islands of the Philippine archipelago.

this is the article

From 7107 to 7641
Social media was recently abuzz with excitement over the
revelation that Philippines actually has 7641 islands – not 7107, as we
have always thought. Actually, this piece of news is quite dated, but the
initial disclosure was made during the heat of last year’s election season,
which is probably why it didn’t generate that much publicity at the time,
and why today it continues to make waves.
Some reactions were expectedly humorous. “High tide or low
tide?” some netizens asked, alluding to Charlene Gonzales’ answer, in
the 1994 Miss Universe pageant, to the question of how many islands
make up the Philippines. Technically speaking, per the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea, an island has to be “a naturally
formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high
tide.”
In any case, the new figure shores up our status as one of the
world’s largest archipelagos. Our country’s archipelagic nature has
always been part of our national self- image and repute: We were “Las
Islas Filipinas” and then “P.I.” (for Philippine Islands) before we
became “RP” and “PH.” We still see this in our travel industry, where
many companies include the word “island” in their branding (perhaps
the only casualties of 7641 are brands that make use of 7107).
The change is a reminder of how knowledge, even scientific
knowledge, is a matter of faith. Most of us never really counted the
Philippine islands ourselves; we rely on “experts” to do it for us – but
their methods are not perfect; results can change through time. It’s good
for our critical thinking to be reminded of the contingency of “expert
knowledge.”
Actually, geographers have known for quite a while that 7107
was incorrect. On top of better surveying, Earth’s primordial forces
have participated in the revision: In 1952, a volcano called Didicas
emerged east of the Babuyan islands, rising to over 200 meters above
sea level. That alone should have revised the figure to 7108.
I wonder, though, how long the current figure of 7641 will last.