N1 Grammar · Test 51

よそに means 'ignoring' or 'without regard for,' from よそ (elsewhere/indifferent) + に. 親の期待をよそに means 'ignoring/disregarding their parents' expectations.' The sentence reads: 'Disregarding their parents' expectations, the children are engrossed in games every day.' This fits perfectly — the children ignore what their parents expect of them.

• 1もとに means 'based on' or 'on the basis of' (〜をもとに). Children are not playing games 'based on' their parents' expectations, so this is wrong.
• 2きっかけに means 'taking ~ as an opportunity/trigger' (〜をきっかけに). Parents' expectations are not the trigger for playing games, so this is wrong.
• 4めぐって means 'concerning/about' (〜をめぐって), used for topics of discussion or conflict. It does not convey the meaning of 'ignoring.'

• よそに — ignoring; disregarding; without regard for (〜をよそに)
• もとに — based on; on the basis of (〜をもとに)
• きっかけに — taking ~ as an opportunity (〜をきっかけに)
• めぐって — concerning; about (〜をめぐって)

たりとも means 'even' and is used in the pattern 〜たりとも〜ない, meaning 'not even ~.' 1円たりとも無駄にできない means 'cannot waste even one yen.' The sentence reads: 'Money collected through donations cannot be wasted, not even a single yen.' This fits perfectly — it emphasizes that absolutely nothing can be wasted.

• 1もかまわず means 'without caring about ~' (〜もかまわず). While it conveys disregard, it does not pair with the negative 無駄にできない in the required 'not even' structure.
• 2もそこそこに means 'barely ~' or 'with only ~,' suggesting haste or insufficiency. It does not fit the 'not even one yen' meaning.
• 3かたがた means 'at the same time as ~' or 'doing X while also doing Y' (〜かたがた). It is used for combining actions, not for 'not even' emphasis.

• たりとも — even (used with negatives: 〜たりとも〜ない = not even ~)
• もかまわず — without caring about ~
• もそこそこに — barely; with only ~; hastily
• かたがた — at the same time as; while also doing ~

なしに is the correct choice. The pattern V-るともなしに means 'doing something without any particular intention/purpose' or 'half-heartedly, without really meaning to.' 見るともなしに見ていた means 'was watching without any particular purpose in watching.' The sentence reads: 'My mother was watching TV absentmindedly, without any particular intention of watching.' This is a fixed expression and fits perfectly.

• 2なくて is the te-form of ない, used for reason/cause or simple negation in compound sentences. It does not form the fixed expression 見るともなくて, which is not a valid pattern.
• 3ないで is used for negative accompaniment or manner ('without doing ~'), but 見るともないで is not a valid fixed expression. The correct pattern requires なしに.
• 4ないと is a conditional form ('if not ~'). 見るともないと does not form a valid expression and does not fit the sentence's meaning.

• ともなしに — without any particular intention; half-heartedly (V-るともなしに = doing something without really meaning to)
• ぼんやり — absentmindedly; vacantly; vaguely

しゃべりもしないで means 'without even speaking.' The sentence 一言もしゃべりもしないで帰ってしまった means 'He went home without saying even a single word.' The structure V-もしないで emphasizes the total absence of the action, and 一言も...ない reinforces this negative meaning perfectly.

• 2しゃべらなかったとて uses 〜とて meaning 'even if/even though.' This would mean 'even though he didn't speak, he went home,' which is grammatically possible but semantically awkward — the とて conjunctive does not naturally connect to 帰ってしまった in this way, and 一言も...なかったとて is an unusual and unnatural combination.
• 3しゃべらなければ means 'if (he) doesn't speak.' This creates a conditional clause that does not connect logically to 帰ってしまった — 'If he doesn't speak a word, he went home' is ungrammatical and nonsensical.
• 4しゃべらざるとも is a literary expression meaning 'even without speaking.' While grammatically possible, it is archaic/formal and does not pair naturally with 一言も... in this context, nor does it flow well with the casual 帰ってしまった.

• V-もしないで — without even doing X (emphatic negative); not doing X at all and then...
• しゃべる — to chat, to talk, to speak (casual)

「がさいご」means 'once (you) do ~, it's the end / once ~ happens, there is no going back.' 「一度手放したがさいご、二度と再びこの手には戻って来ないだろう」= 'Once you let it go, it will probably never return to your hands again.' The pattern 「Vたがさいご」expresses that after a certain action is taken, an irreversible state follows — exactly the meaning needed here.

• 1「そばから」means 'as soon as ~, (immediately again)' and implies a repeated or habitual cycle (e.g., 片付けるそばから散らかす). It does not fit a one-time irreversible event like letting go of a precious book.
• 2「とたんに」means 'the moment ~ happened, suddenly.' While it can show immediate sequence, it typically describes a sudden change at that instant, not an ongoing irreversible consequence. It also sounds too abrupt for the reflective tone of the sentence.
• 3「ところで」means 'even if ~ (it won't help)' (Vたところで). 「手放したところで」= 'even if you let it go,' which would imply resignation, not the intended 'once you let it go, it's gone forever.'

• がさいご — once ~ happens, it's the end (irreversible); Vたがさいご
• そばから — as soon as ~ (repeatedly/habitually); Vるそばから
• とたんに — the moment ~ happened, suddenly; Vたとたんに
• ところで — even if ~ (it won't help); Vたところで

「をもって」means 'by means of / with (a feeling or means).' 「衝撃をもって伝えられた」= 'was reported with shock (impact) throughout the world.' This is the standard expression for describing how something was conveyed or received with a particular feeling or attitude.

• 1「めいて」means 'in a ~-like manner / seemingly' (from 〜めく). 「衝撃めいて」= 'in a shocking manner' is grammatically possible but unnatural in this context; it would suggest the reporting merely 'seemed' shocking rather than genuinely being done with shock.
• 3「なしには」means 'without ~.' 「衝撃なしには伝えられた」is ungrammatical — なしには requires a negative or potential expression (e.g., なしには〜できない), not the passive 「伝えられた」.
• 4「にそくして（に即して）」means 'in accordance with / based on (facts, reality).' 「衝撃に即して」= 'in accordance with the shock,' which is semantically nonsensical — you do not base a report 'on' shock.

• をもって — by means of, with (a feeling/means); Nをもって
• めいて — in a ~-like manner, seemingly (from 〜めく)
• なしには — without ~ (requires negative/potential main clause)
• にそくして — in accordance with, based on (facts/reality); に即して

「〜までもなく」means 'there is no need to ~; without even having to ~.' The sentence reads: 'There is no need to be told; I already acknowledge my responsibility.' The passive form 言われる ('be told') plus までもなく fits perfectly — the speaker is saying they don't need someone to point it out because they already accept responsibility.

• 1「言われるには」is ungrammatical in this context. には after a verb typically expresses purpose ('in order to'), which makes no sense here: 'in order to be told' does not connect logically to 'I acknowledge my responsibility.'
• 2「言うにあたらず」means 'it is not the case of saying' and uses the active form 言う, but the speaker is the one being told, not the one doing the telling. The subject mismatch makes this wrong.
• 3「言うからしても」means 'even judging from the fact of saying,' which is both grammatically and semantically inappropriate. Again it uses active 言う (wrong subject), and the expression 〜からしても implies drawing an inference from something, which does not fit the sentence's meaning.

• までもなく — there is no need to ~; without even having to ~ (used with a verb to say something is unnecessary)
• わざわざ — going to the trouble of; expressly; purposely

「〜てでも」means 'even if I have to ~; even at the cost of ~.' It expresses strong determination or willingness to use extreme means. The sentence reads: 'For today's meeting, I must arrive on time, even if I have to use any means necessary.' どんな手段を使ってでも conveys 'no matter what means I have to use.'

• 1「使いつつ」means 'while using' and simply describes simultaneous action. It lacks the strong sense of determination ('even if I must') that the sentence requires.
• 2「使ううちに」means 'while using / in the process of using' and describes a change happening during an ongoing action. It does not convey the 'even if I must' resolve needed here.
• 3「使おうとして」means 'trying to use / about to use.' It describes an attempt but does not convey the 'even at any cost' nuance that the sentence demands.

• 〜てでも — even if one has to ~; even at the cost of ~ (expresses strong determination to do something by any means)
• 手段しゅだん — means; method

「〜がため」is a literary/formal expression meaning 'in order to ~,' equivalent to 〜ために. It attaches to the stem of the negative form: 通す → 通さない → 通さ(ん)がため = 'in order to pass (the bill).' The sentence reads: 'In order to pass the bill in the Diet, the Prime Minister began lobbying efforts.' The structure を通さんがため correctly expresses purpose.

• 1「通せばこそ」means 'precisely because it can be passed,' using 〜ばこそ ('precisely because'). This expresses a reason, not a purpose, and does not fit the context of the PM starting lobbying to achieve passage.
• 2「通るまいと」uses the intransitive verb 通る ('to pass' on its own) rather than the transitive 通す ('to pass (a bill)'), and 〜まいと ('trying not to ~') would mean 'trying NOT to pass,' which is the opposite of the intended meaning.
• 3「通ろうとして」means 'trying to pass,' but with を it is grammatically awkward — 通ろうとする would normally take が or be used differently. More importantly, it describes an attempt rather than a purpose, and does not convey 'in order to.'

• 〜がため — in order to ~ (literary/formal equivalent of 〜ために; attaches to the negative stem: V-未然形 + がため)
• 法案ほうあん — bill; proposed law
• 根回ねまわし — lobbying; laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes negotiation