N1 Grammar · Test 30

The correct answer is 3 (言わせると). The pattern being tested is 「Nに言わせると」, meaning 'if you let N speak / according to N.' This uses the causative form 言わせる ('let/make someone say') plus と (conditional), producing the meaning 'according to (my friends).' The sentence means: 'I don't think I'm that short-tempered, but according to my friends, I'm apparently quite quick to anger.'

• 1言われれば is the passive conditional 'if I am told (by friends).' This would mean 'if my friends tell me,' which does not convey the 'according to' nuance and does not fit the sentence structure.
• 2言われたら is the passive 'when/if I was told (by friends).' Similar to option 1, this is a passive form meaning 'when told,' not 'according to.' It does not produce the idiomatic 'according to' meaning.
• 4言わせて is the causative te-form 'letting (friends) say.' A te-form alone cannot end the clause properly here; it would need a follow-up clause. It does not form the pattern 言わせると.

• Nに言わせると（Nにいわせると） — according to N, if you let N tell it
• 言いわせる — to let/make someone say (causative of 言う)
• 短気たんき — short temper, impatience
• 怒おこりっぽい — quick-tempered, irritable

Option 3 is correct. The pattern 〜かと思いきや（かとおもいきや）means 'just when I thought ~, contrary to my expectation ~.' The sentence describes seeing a long line at a soba shop and expecting to wait, but surprisingly being seated right away. 待たされるかと思いきや = 'just when I thought I would be made to wait.' This perfectly captures the contrast between expectation and reality, matching 意外にも（いがいにも, 'surprisingly'）in the second clause.

• 1待たされたかと思えば uses 〜かと思えば, which means 'just when (A happened), then (B)' — it describes sequential or alternating events, not a contrast between expectation and contrary outcome. Also, 待たされた is past tense (already waited), but the expectation should be about something that hasn't happened yet, so 待たされる (conditional/future) is more appropriate.
• 2待たされることと思い is grammatically incomplete. There is no established grammar pattern 〜ことと思い, and it lacks the contrastive 'contrary to expectation' meaning needed here.
• 4待たされたことと思うが is grammatically incoherent. 〜ことと思う is not a valid pattern, and the past tense 待たされた doesn't fit the context of an expectation that was ultimately unfulfilled.

• 待またされる — to be made to wait (causative-passive of 待つ)
• かと思いきや（かとおもいきや） — just when I thought ~; contrary to expectation
• 意外いがいにも — surprisingly, unexpectedly
• 案内あんないされる — to be guided/shown to (a seat)

Option 1 is correct. 〜といったらない（といったらありません）is a pattern meaning 'is indescribable / is beyond words / there is nothing like it,' used to express an extreme degree of some feeling or state. The sentence says that planning proposals is painful work, but the joy when one's own proposal is adopted is beyond words. うれしさといったらない = 'the joy is indescribable.' This fits the positive, emphatic tone of the sentence.

• 2にすぎない means 'is nothing more than / merely.' This would belittle the joy, saying it's 'nothing more than joy,' which contradicts the emphatic, positive tone of the sentence.
• 3ほどのことではない means 'it's not that big a deal / not worth.' This would dismiss the joy as insignificant, contradicting the context which emphasizes how wonderful it feels.
• 4ともかぎらない means 'is not necessarily so / not limited to.' This doesn't fit grammatically after うれしさ (a noun expressing a feeling) and doesn't convey the intended emphasis on the intensity of joy.

• 企画立案きかくりつあん — planning and drafting proposals
• 採用さいようされる — to be adopted/accepted (a proposal)
• うれしさ — joy, gladness (noun form of うれしい)
• 〜といったらない — is indescribable / beyond words (expresses extreme degree)

Option 4 is correct. The clerk (店員) is in a lower position than the store manager (店長) and is requesting that the manager say a word of caution to the part-timer Ota. おっしゃってくださいませんか uses おっしゃる (honorific form of 言う, 'to say') + くださいませんか (polite request form), meaning 'Could you please say something?' This correctly shows respect upward to the manager while making a request that the manager perform the action of speaking. The phrase 一言おっしゃってください = 'please say a word (to Ota).'

• 1伺いたいのですが uses 伺う (humble form of 聞く/訪ねる, 'to ask/listen'). This would mean 'I'd like to ask you something,' but the clerk doesn't want to ask the manager a question — the clerk wants the manager to speak to Ota. The direction of the action is wrong.
• 2お聞きになるでしょうか uses お聞きになる (honorific form of 聞く, 'to listen/ask'). This means 'Will you listen?' but the clerk needs the manager to speak, not listen.
• 3申し上げてもよろしいですか uses 申し上げる (humble form of 言う, 'to say'). This means 'May I say something?' — it would have the clerk speaking, not the manager. The clerk wants the manager to say something to Ota, so this reverses who should perform the action.

• 一言ひとこと — a word, a brief remark
• おっしゃる — to say (honorific form of 言う, used for a superior's action)
• 伺うかがう — to ask/listen/visit (humble form of 聞く/訪ねる)
• 申し上げる（もうしあげる） — to say (humble form of 言う)

Option 2 is correct. どうしたものか is a fixed expression meaning 'what should I do? / what is the best thing to do?' It is used when one is troubled and cannot decide on a course of action. The sentence describes receiving a concert ticket from a friend but being too busy with work to go, and worrying about what to do (with the ticket). どうしたものかと悩んでいる = 'I'm worrying about what I should do.' This fits perfectly with the verb 悩む（なやむ, 'to worry/be troubled').

• 1どうなったのか means 'what happened? / how did it turn out?' This asks about a past outcome or result, but the speaker's problem is about a future decision (what to do with the ticket), not about understanding a past event.
• 3どうなっているか means 'what's the situation? / how are things?' This asks about the current state of affairs, which doesn't fit — the speaker knows the situation (busy, can't go) and is wondering what action to take.
• 4どうしていることか is grammatically awkward and not an established expression. 〜ことか can follow question words to express exclamation (e.g., どれほど〜ことか), but どうしていることか doesn't form a meaningful phrase in this context.

• どうしたものか — what should I do? / what is the best thing to do? (used when troubled)
• 悩なやむ — to worry, to be troubled
• 行いけそうにない — unlikely to be able to go

続けていってほしいものです is correct. The key is the pattern ぜひ～ほしい, which expresses a strong desire for someone else to do something. 「皆さんにはぜひこれからも続けていってほしいものです」means 'I definitely want everyone to continue it from now on.' The ほしいものです ending adds a tone of earnest wish or expectation.

• 1続けていくものです is a declarative statement meaning 'it is something that should be continued' or 'it is natural to continue.' This states a general truth rather than expressing the speaker's wish, and doesn't pair with ぜひ.
• 3続けていくことにしましょう means 'let's decide to continue,' which is a proposal among equals. It doesn't fit the context where the speaker is addressing 皆さん with a wish/request, and ぜひ doesn't pair naturally with this form.
• 4続けていくことでしょう means 'it will probably continue,' expressing conjecture/prediction. This doesn't match the ぜひ...ほしい wish pattern and doesn't convey the speaker's desire for others to continue the tradition.

• ぜひ — by all means / definitely (used with requests or wishes)
• ～てほしいものです — I want (someone) to do ~ (with emphasis/earnestness)
• 伝統でんとう — tradition

いたしかねます is the humble form of する (いたす) plus かねる (to be unable to / to find it difficult to), meaning 'we cannot do.' In customer-service contexts, いたしかねます is a polite, soft way to refuse a request. The sentence means: 'We are unable to accept returns after the product has been used, so please understand.' The pattern 〜ので、ご了承ください ('since…, please understand') requires a negative/unfavorable content in the blank, which いたしかねます provides.

• 2いたしかねません is the negative form of いたしかねる, which would mean 'we are not unable to do' = 'we can do.' This contradicts the sentence's request for understanding (ご了承ください), which signals a refusal. かねる already carries a negative meaning ('cannot'), so negating it reverses the intent.
• 3さしあげかねます uses さしあげる, the humble form of あげる ('to give'). 返品対応 ('handling of returns') is not something one 'gives' to a customer, so this verb is semantically wrong. The correct humble verb for 'doing' a service/action is いたす, not さしあげる.
• 4さしあげかねません has the same wrong verb (さしあげる) and also negates かねる, producing a double-negative 'not unable to give' — both semantically and logically wrong.

• いたしかねます — (humble) we are unable to do; we regretfully cannot — いたす (humble する) + かねる (cannot, find it difficult to)
• ご了承ください（ごりょうしょうください） — please understand / please acknowledge
• 返品対応へんぴんたいおう — handling of returns (返品: return of goods; 対応: response/handling)

引き出そうとしたとして means 'on the charge of / on the grounds of attempting to withdraw.' The volitional form 引き出そう + とした ('attempted to') captures the man's attempted action, and として here means 'for doing / on the grounds of,' commonly used in news/legal contexts to state the reason for an arrest. The full sentence: 'A 35-year-old man was arrested for attempting to illegally withdraw cash from someone else's account.'

• 1引き出したとするとして is grammatically broken. とするとして would be 'assuming that… and on the grounds of…,' which is redundant and unnatural. Also, 引き出した (past, completed) doesn't convey the 'attempted' nuance needed here.
• 2引き出したとするのに対して uses のに対して ('whereas / in contrast to'), which introduces a contrast — completely wrong for a news sentence reporting the reason for an arrest. There is no contrasting clause.
• 4引き出そうとしたのに対して also uses のに対して ('whereas'), which is inappropriate. The arrest reason should be expressed with として ('on the grounds of'), not a contrastive conjunction.

• 不正ふせいに — illegally, improperly
• 引き出す（ひきだす） — to withdraw (money)
• 〜として — on the grounds of ~ / for doing ~ (used to state the reason for arrest, charge, etc.)
• 〜うとした — attempted to ~ (volitional + とする past tense)

別れさせられそうになる is the causative-passive form of 別れる ('to break up / to separate') plus そうになる ('about to / on the verge of'). The causative-passive 別れさせられる means 'to be made/forced to break up (by someone).' With 親に無理やり ('forced by the parents'), the protagonist and lover are the ones being forced — they are the patients, not the agents. そうになる adds 'about to be.' The sentence: 'It's a story where the protagonist and their lover are about to be forcibly split up by their parents, and it's really thrilling.'

• 1別れそうになる = 'about to break up' (plain intransitive). This loses the crucial 'forced by parents' (親に無理やり) causation. The parents are mentioned as the agent, so a plain intransitive cannot connect to 親に properly.
• 2別れられそうになる = 'about to be able to break up' (potential form). This means they are about to gain the ability to break up, which is the opposite of being forced — and doesn't fit 親に無理やり.
• 3別れさせそうになる = 'about to make (someone) break up' (causative only). This would make the protagonist and lover the ones forcing someone else to break up, but the sentence says 親に ('by the parents'), so the protagonist and lover are the ones being acted upon — requiring the passive element.

• 別わかれる — to break up, to separate
• 別わかれさせられる — to be forced to break up (causative-passive of 別れる)
• 無理むりやり — by force, forcibly
• 〜そうになる — to be on the verge of ~, to be about to ~

もらってやってください means 'please accept it (as a favor).' Here, もらう is 'to receive' and やる is 'to do a favor for (someone of lower/equal status).' 川村 is asking 石田 to receive the guitar, and やる refers to doing a favor for 川村's brother (who said he'd be happy if someone played it). So 'please take it (doing a favor for my brother).' The sentence: 'My brother said if there's someone who'll play it, by all means — so please go ahead and take it.'

• 1やりませんか = 'won't you do (a favor)?' Using a question form here is less natural than the direct request やってください. Also, with もらって it becomes 'won't you receive it and do a favor?' which is overly indirect for this context where 川村 is clearly offering.
• 3いただきませんか uses いただく (humble 'to receive'), which would be 石田's perspective (the receiver's humble form), but the speaker is 川村 (the giver). The perspective is wrong — 川村 cannot humbly receive on behalf of 石田.
• 4いただいてください also uses いただく (humble receiving) from the wrong perspective. 川村 is the giver, not the receiver, so using humble receiving language is inappropriate.

• もらってやる — to receive (something) as a favor to someone — もらう (receive) + やる (do a favor for, casual giving to lower/equal)
• 〜てください — please do ~
• いただく — (humble) to receive — used by the receiver, not the giver