N1 Grammar · Test 24

The correct answer is 2 (出ようとしたとたんに). 「〜ようとしたとたんに」combines two patterns: 〜ようとする ('to be about to do ~ / to try to do ~') and 〜たとたんに ('the moment ~ / just as ~ happened'). The sentence means: 'Just as I was about to get out of the car at the parking lot, heavy rain came pouring down.' This correctly describes an action that was about to happen when something sudden occurred.

• 1出るようにしたとたんに is grammatically awkward. 出るようにする means 'to try to get out / to make an effort to get out,' but combined with とたんに it is unnatural. The key is that the person was about to get out (volitional), not making an effort to get out.
• 3出るようにするにつれて is wrong. 〜につれて means 'as ~ progresses / along with ~,' which does not fit the sudden, momentary event described (rain suddenly pouring down). Also, 出るようにする is not the right verb form here.
• 4出るようとするにつれて is grammatically incorrect. The correct volitional form is 出ようとする, not 出るようとする. Additionally, 〜につれて does not convey the sudden timing needed here.

• 〜たとたんに — the moment ~; just as ~ happened (describes a sudden event immediately after another)
• 〜ようとする — to be about to do ~; to try to do ~ (volitional + とする)
• 〜につれて — as ~ progresses; along with ~ (describes gradual/parallel change)
• 大粒の雨（おおつぶのあめ） — large raindrops; heavy rain

The correct answer is 3. 「言うべきところを」means 'where one should say X, (but instead did Y).' The sentence describes a situation where the speaker should have said「御社で」(your company) but mistakenly said「弊社で」(our company). The pattern 「〜べきところを」is used when someone does the wrong thing in a situation where they should have done the correct thing, expressing that the expected action was not taken.

• 1「〜のにひきかえ」means 'in contrast to ~,' used to compare two things. It doesn't fit because the speaker isn't contrasting saying「御社で」with saying「弊社で」—they made a mistake, not a comparison.
• 2「〜たことにしても」means 'even if we assume that ~ happened.' This doesn't fit the context of making a verbal slip.
• 4「〜たつもりはないのに」means 'even though I didn't intend to ~.' While this conveys lack of intention, it doesn't capture the key meaning of 'where I should have said X' that「べきところを」provides. The sentence needs to express that there was a correct thing to say, not just lack of intention.

• 〜べきところを — where one should do X [but did Y instead]; used when the expected/proper action was not taken
• 御社おんしゃ — your company (honorific language used in business)
• 弊社へいしゃ — our company (humble language used in business)
• ひきかえ — in contrast to; as opposed to

The correct answer is 2. 「文句のつけようがないだけに」means 'precisely because there is nothing to complain about.' The sentence says the lead actor's acting is poor, but the other actors are so good that there's nothing to complain about—and precisely because of that (だけに), it's a real waste (もったいない). The 〜だけに pattern expresses 'all the more because ~,' showing that the quality of the other actors makes the lead's poor performance even more regrettable.

• 1「文句のつけようがないのか」ends with a question marker か, which doesn't fit the declarative sentence structure. The sentence needs a connective that leads to もったいない.
• 3「文句をつけずにはいられないのか」means 'can't help but complain?' This is the opposite meaning—the other actors are good, so there's nothing to complain about, not an urge to complain. The question marker か also doesn't fit.
• 4「文句をつけずにはいられないだけに」means 'precisely because I can't help but complain.' This would mean the other actors are also bad, which contradicts the feeling of もったいない (it's a waste). If everything were bad, it wouldn't be 'a waste'—it would just be a bad movie.

• 文句もんくのつけようがない — there is nothing to complain about; flawless
• 〜だけに — precisely because ~; all the more because ~ (expresses that a cause makes the result especially strong)
• もったいない — a waste; regrettable (that something good is undermined)
• 〜ずにはいられない — cannot help doing ~; cannot resist doing ~

The correct answer is 4. 「着てくるんじゃなかった」means 'I shouldn't have worn it (and come).' The pattern V-る + んじゃなかった expresses regret about something one did: 'I shouldn't have done X.' Here, 着てくる (to wear something and come) is the verb, and んじゃなかった expresses the regret. The sentence means: 'If I had known the weather would turn out this nice, I shouldn't have worn a raincoat.'

• 1「きたんだった」is not a grammatical pattern. The past tense of くる (きた) cannot be followed by んだった in this way.
• 2「くるんだった」would mean 'I should have worn it and come' (expressing regret about NOT doing something). This is the opposite of the intended meaning—the speaker regrets wearing the raincoat, not regrets not wearing it.
• 3「きたんじゃなかった」uses the past tense きた instead of the dictionary form くる. The pattern んじゃなかった requires the dictionary form (V-る), so this is grammatically incorrect.

• 〜んじゃなかった — should not have done ~ (expresses regret about an action one took); attached to V-る (dictionary form)
• レインコート — raincoat
• 着きてくる — to wear (something) and come; to come wearing

The correct answer is 4. 「ならないともかぎらない」means 'it is not necessarily the case that it won't happen' = 'it might happen.' The full phrase 欠航にならないともかぎらない means 'it's not necessarily the case that (the flights) won't be cancelled' = 'the flights might be cancelled.' This fits the context: the speaker is considering finding a hotel for tonight because, depending on the typhoon's path, afternoon flights might all be cancelled. The pattern 〜ないともかぎらない means 'might ~ / it's not necessarily impossible that ~.'

• 1「なるにこしたことはない」means 'it would be best if it becomes (cancelled).' This makes no sense—the speaker doesn't want flights to be cancelled; they're worried they might be.
• 2「なりそうですらない」is not a valid grammatical expression. This appears to be a distractor combining そう and ない incorrectly.
• 3「なっているはずがない」means 'there's no way they are cancelled.' This contradicts the context—if flights definitely aren't cancelled, there would be no need to look for a hotel.

• 〜ないともかぎらない — it might ~; it's not necessarily the case that ~ won't happen (expresses possibility)
• 欠航けっこう — cancellation (of flights/ships)
• 〜にこしたことはない — it would be best to ~; nothing is better than ~
• 進路しんろ — course; path (e.g., of a typhoon)

「そうかと思えば」means 'just when you think (that), ...' and is used to describe unpredictable, alternating behavior. The sentence describes the cat's capricious nature: sometimes it suddenly acts affectionate, and just when you think it will, it ignores you and goes somewhere else. This fits the 「気まぐれ」(capricious/fickle) description perfectly.

• 1「そうだと思って」means 'thinking that it is so', which would need to connect differently and does not form the alternating/unpredictable pattern needed with 「〜たり、〜たりする」.
• 3「こうだと見て」is not a natural established pattern for describing alternating behavior. 「見て」as 'judging/seeing' does not create the 'just when you think ~' nuance.
• 4「こうかと見れば」is not the standard form; the correct idiomatic pattern uses 「そうかと思えば」with the demonstrative 「そう」referring back to the described behavior.

• 〜かと思えば（〜かとおもえば） — just when you think ~; sometimes ~, sometimes ~ (describing unpredictable/alternating behavior)
• 気きまぐれ — capricious, fickle, moody

The correct answer is 1. The pattern 〜をいいことに means 'taking advantage of the fact that ~' or 'using ~ as a good excuse to.' The sentence means: 'After I started living alone, taking advantage of the fact that nobody says anything to me, I ended up living a sloppy life.' The structure (clause)のをいいことに perfectly connects the cause (nobody criticizes me) with the resulting negative behavior (living sloppily).

• 2のがよければ means 'if (it) is good that ~,' which would create a conditional clause that doesn't connect logically to the main clause. The sentence needs a causal/advantage-taking relationship, not a conditional.
• 3といいものだから is not a well-formed grammar pattern. 〜といい is used for suggestions/wishes ('it would be nice if ~'), and combining it with ものだから ('because ~') here produces an ungrammatical jumble that doesn't fit the sentence structure.
• 4とよさそうなのに is not a recognized grammar pattern. 〜そうなのに could mean 'even though it seems ~,' but the whole phrase doesn't form a coherent connector and doesn't express the idea of taking advantage of a situation.

• をいいことに — taking advantage of the fact that ~; using ~ as a good excuse
• だらしない — sloppy; untidy; undisciplined
• 一人暮ひとりぐらし — living alone

The correct answer is 4. 聞かせていただく is the humble (謙譲語) form meaning 'I had the privilege of hearing/listening to.' The causative-receptive pattern 〜（さ）せていただく expresses humility: the speaker humbly receives the favor of being allowed to do something. 中で means 'in the process of / through.' The full phrase means 'through having the privilege of hearing the victims' stories,' which naturally leads to 'I learned of their great hardships and came to want to help them.' This fits the interview context where B speaks humbly about listening to victims.

• 1聞いてくださる uses くださる (honorific: someone kindly does something for the speaker), but here the speaker themselves is the one doing the listening, so a humble form is needed, not an honorific one. Also, 一方で means 'on one hand ~, on the other hand ~,' which implies a contrasting parallel action that doesn't fit this context.
• 2聞かせてくださる mixes causative form with honorific くださる, which would mean 'someone kindly lets someone listen,' but the subject relationship is confused. The speaker should use humble form about their own action. 一方で ('on the other hand') also doesn't fit the sequential/causal flow of the sentence.
• 3聞いていただく is grammatically awkward. いただく (humble 'receive') normally attaches to the causative or passive form (〜ていただく requires the other party's action), not to the plain て-form of the speaker's own action in this way. 聞いていただく would mean 'I had them listen,' which reverses the intended meaning.

• 聞きかせていただく — humble form: to have the privilege of hearing/listening to (causative-receptive humble)
• 中なかで — in the process of; through; during
• 取材しゅざい — news gathering; coverage (reporting)
• 転職てんしょく — changing jobs; career change

The correct answer is 2. 〜しかあるまい means 'there is nothing but ~ / the only option is to ~.' しか is a particle meaning 'only' (with negative predicate), and あるまい is the volitional-negative form of ある ('there is not likely to be'). Together, 〜しかあるまい means 'there is surely nothing but (this option)' = 'we have no choice but to ~.' The sentence means: 'Given that conditions can't be agreed upon and immediate contract signing is difficult, with Company A, even if it takes time, we have no choice but to patiently continue negotiations.' This fits perfectly — the only viable path forward is persistent negotiation.

• 1どころではなかろう is based on 〜どころではない ('this is not the time/place for ~; far from ~'). This would mean 'it's not about continuing negotiations,' which contradicts the sentence's intent. The sentence advocates FOR continuing negotiations, not against it.
• 3などあるものか uses 〜ものか ('there is no way that ~; absolutely not'), which expresses strong denial. This would mean 'there's no way we can continue negotiations,' again contradicting the sentence's message that patient negotiation is the way forward.
• 4ことすらない is not a standard grammar pattern. 〜こともない can mean 'there is no need to ~,' but ことすらない is not an established expression and doesn't convey the intended 'we have no choice but to ~' meaning.

• しかあるまい — there is nothing but ~; the only option is to ~ (しか + negative existential)
• 折り合いがつく（おりあいがつく） — to reach a compromise; to come to terms
• 根気こんきよく — patiently; perseveringly
• 交渉を重ねる（こうしょうをかさねる） — to continue/repeat negotiations

The correct answer is 3. くれればよかったのに means 'if (you) had done (it) for me, it would have been nice (but you didn't).' Here, 声をかけてくれればよかったのに means 'It would have been nice if you had called out to me (but you didn't).' くれる indicates the action flows toward the speaker (A calls out to B), and よかったのに expresses regret about a past counterfactual. This perfectly fits B's response: 'Yes! If you noticed me, you should have called out to me!'

• 1くれたと思ったんだね means 'you thought (I/someone) called out to you, huh?' This uses past tense + と思った (thought) + だね (confirming), which doesn't express regret. It would mean B is confirming what A thought, which makes no sense in context.
• 2もらったと思ったのに means 'I thought I had received (your calling out), but...' This uses past tense もらった + と思ったのに, implying B believed something had already happened, which doesn't fit. B is expressing a wish/regret, not a mistaken belief.
• 4もらえばよかったんだね means 'it would have been good if (I) had gotten (you) to call out to (me), huh.' While もらう can work here (B receives A's action), the だね ending makes it sound like B is confirming/agreeing with something A said, rather than expressing B's own regret. The nuance is off — B should be expressing their own disappointment, which requires のに (regret) rather than だね (confirmation).

• 声こえをかける — to call out to; to speak to (someone)
• 〜ばよかったのに — it would have been nice if ~ had (but it didn't) — expresses regret about a past counterfactual
• くれる — to do something for the speaker (direction of action: toward speaker)
• もらう — to receive (a favor); to have someone do something for one