N1 Grammar · Test 53

The correct answer is 3: 増えつつある. V-辞書形 + つつある means 'is in the process of (V)-ing' — an ongoing, gradual change. The sentence reads: 'Interest in environmental issues has risen, and the number of people who use trains instead of cars is increasing.' 増えつつある perfectly describes a trend that is currently in progress.

• 1増えるかねる means 'cannot bring oneself to increase / is unlikely to increase.' 〜かねる expresses inability or reluctance, which is the opposite of the intended meaning.
• 2増えてばかりいる means 'is only increasing (and nothing else)' with a nuance of complaint or dissatisfaction. This negative/complaint nuance does not fit the neutral, factual tone of the sentence.
• 4増えようことか is not a grammatical pattern. 〜ようことか does not exist as a valid expression, making this option ungrammatical.

• 環境問題（かんきょうもんだい） — environmental issues
• 関心（かんしん） — interest, concern
• 〜つつある — is currently in the process of [V]-ing (ongoing change)

The correct answer is 4: にあたります. にあたる means 'to correspond to / to be equivalent to / to fall under the category of.' The sentence reads: 'Suzuki-san is (corresponds to being) a distant relative of Professor Yamada.' 親戚にあたる is a formal way of saying 'is a relative of,' identifying someone's relationship or status.

• 1からあります is not a valid grammatical pattern for expressing identity or relationship. 〜からある means 'at least (quantity) exists' (e.g., 50キロからある), which is unrelated.
• 2からなります means 'is made from / consists of' (e.g., このチームは5人からなります). It describes composition, not a personal relationship.
• 3にたえます means 'can withstand / is worth (doing)' (e.g., 見るにたえる). It does not express identity or relationship.

• 遠い親戚（とおいしんせき）（とおいしんせき） — distant relative
• 〜にあたる — to correspond to, to be equivalent to, to fall under (a category)

The correct answer is 1: 出そうにも出せない. V-ようにもV-ない means 'even if one tries to (V), one cannot (V)' — expressing inability despite effort. The sentence reads: 'I have a sore throat from my cold and can't produce my voice even if I try.' 出そうにも出せない perfectly captures the frustration of wanting to speak but being physically unable to.

• 2出してもともとだ (〜てもともとだ) means 'it's no loss even if (X) happens / nothing is lost by trying.' This would imply that trying to speak costs nothing, which does not match the context of being unable to speak due to a sore throat.
• 3出さざるをえない (〜ざるをえない) means 'have no choice but to (V).' This would mean 'I have no choice but to produce my voice,' which contradicts the situation — the person cannot speak, not that they are forced to.
• 4出さずにはおかない (〜ずにはおかない) means 'will definitely (V) / cannot help but (V)' (strong volition or inevitable action). This expresses determination or inevitability, not inability.

• 喉（のど） — throat
• 〜ようにも〜ない — even if one tries to [V], one cannot [V] (inability despite effort)

「ご心配なく」 is a fixed polite expression meaning 'please don't worry.' Here, なく is the conjunctive/continuative form (連用形) of the adjective ない, used in this set phrase to softly reassure the listener. The sentence means: 'I have fully recovered, so please do not worry.'

• 1なし is the noun form of ない and cannot directly follow ご心配 in this construction. While 心配なし is possible as a standalone phrase, the polite ご心配なく is the idiomatic expression used when addressing someone.
• 3なき is the 連体形 (attributive form) of ない, used before nouns (e.g., なきにしもあらず). It cannot end this sentence naturally.
• 4なけれ is the 仮定形 (conditional stem) of ない, appearing in forms like なければ. It is incomplete here and cannot function as a sentence-ending form.

• ご心配なく（ごしんぱいなく） — please don't worry (set polite phrase)
• 体調たいちょう — physical condition, health

っぱなし is a suffix that attaches to the ます-stem (verb stem without ます) of a verb. For つける, the stem is つけ, so つけ + っぱなし = つけっぱなし, meaning 'left on (without turning off).' The sentence means: 'You left the room light on!'

• 1つけるっぱなし incorrectly attaches っぱなし to the dictionary form つける rather than the stem つけ. This is grammatically incorrect.
• 2つけたっぱなし incorrectly uses the past tense つけた before っぱなし. The suffix attaches to the verb stem, not a conjugated form.
• 3つけてっぱなし incorrectly uses the て-form つけて before っぱなし. Again, っぱなし attaches to the bare stem, not the て-form.

• 〜っぱなし — leaving something in a state (e.g., left on, left open); also conveys a slight complaint
• 電気でんき — electric light

Option 2「かぎりだ」is correct. The pattern「〜かぎりだ」attaches to emotional adjectives (especially い-adjectives like うれしい, なつかしい, etc.) and expresses that the feeling has reached its utmost limit: 'I am as ~ as can be / extremely ~.' Here,「うれしいかぎりだ」= 'I am truly overjoyed / as happy as can be.' The sentence means: 'To think my work would be evaluated by so many people—I am as happy as can be.'

• 1「きりだ」(〜きりだ) means 'just did ~ and haven't done it since' or 'only ~.' It does not collocate with emotional adjectives to express degree.
• 3「ほどだ」(〜ほどだ) can express degree ('to the extent that ~'), but it is typically used with verbs or to describe a concrete situation's extent (e.g., '泣きたいほどだ'). It is not the idiomatic choice for expressing the depth of an emotion like うれしい.
• 4「ぐらいだ」(〜ぐらいだ) expresses approximate degree or minimum expectation ('at least ~ / about ~'). It lacks the emphatic, emotional nuance of かぎりだ and sounds too casual/quantitative for this context.

• 〜かぎりだ — to the utmost; as ~ as can be (used with emotional adjectives)
• 評価ひょうかされる — to be evaluated/appreciated
• うれしい（嬉しい） — happy, glad

Option 4「言えよう」is correct.「〜と言えよう」is a formal/written expression meaning 'one could say ~ / it can be said that ~.' It is the volitional form of the potential verb 言える (can say). The sentence means: 'The improvement in the company's performance can be said to be the result of management reform.' This fits the formal, declarative tone of the sentence, which presents a conclusion.

• 1「言わずじまいだ」means 'ended up not saying ~.' This would mean 'I ended up not saying it was the result of management reform,' which contradicts the sentence's purpose of stating a conclusion.
• 2「言ってやまない」means 'cannot stop saying ~ / keep saying ~ endlessly.' While it can express strong ongoing praise, it does not fit the pattern「〜と言えよう」(a declarative conclusion) and would imply someone repeatedly saying something, which is unnatural here.
• 3「言ってたまらない」is not a standard set phrase.「〜てたまらない」means 'unbearably ~' and typically attaches to adjectives/verbs expressing feelings (e.g., 悔しくてたまらない). With 言って it is unnatural and does not convey 'it can be said.'

• 〜と言えよう（〜といえよう） — one could say ~; it can be said that ~ (formal/written)
• 業績ぎょうせき — business performance, results
• 経営改革けいえいかいかく — management reform
• 成果せいか — result, fruit, achievement

「ところがある」means 'has a tendency/aspect of' or 'there is a side of (someone) that is ~.' The sentence says: 'The point that she asserts her opinions clearly is good, but she has a somewhat stubborn side.' 「頑固なところがある」is a natural collocation describing a personality trait.

• 2「はずがない」means 'there is no way / it is impossible.' It expresses strong denial and does not fit a sentence describing someone's personality trait.
• 3「きざしがある」means 'there are signs of (something happening),' used for emerging trends or changes (e.g., rain, recovery). It is not used for personality traits like stubbornness.
• 4「わけがない」means 'there is no reason it could be / impossible.' Like option 2, it expresses impossibility and cannot describe a personality characteristic.

• ところがある — has a tendency/aspect of; there is a side that is ~
• 頑固がんこ — stubborn, obstinate
• 主張しゅちょうする — to assert, to insist
• きざし — sign, omen (of change)

「それまでだ」is a set phrase meaning 'that is the end / it is all over (once that happens).' The sentence means: 'No matter how beautiful a flower is, once it scatters, that is the end.' The conditional 「〜てしまえば」sets up a situation after which everything is lost, making 「それまでだ」the perfect fit.

• 1「これまでだ」also means 'that's the end,' but the established set phrase in this pattern is 「それまでだ」, which refers back to the situation just described (the flower scattering). 「これまでだ」is not the idiomatic choice here.
• 3「それからだ」means 'from then on / after that,' which would imply something begins after the flower scatters—the opposite of the intended meaning.
• 4「これからだ」means 'from now on,' which contradicts the idea that the flower's beauty is finished once it falls.

• それまでだ — that is the end; it is all over (once ~ happens)
• 散ちる — to fall (of flowers/leaves), to scatter

「ありうる」is the potential form of 「ある」meaning 'is possible / can happen.' The sentence says: 'If sea-level rise continues like this, it is also possible that these islands will sink into the sea.' The structure 「〜こともありうる」('it is also possible that ~') fits perfectly.

• 2「ありえない」means 'is impossible / cannot happen,' the opposite of what the sentence requires.
• 3「しうる」means 'can do,' the potential form of 「する」. While it means 'is possible,' it attaches to verb stems (e.g., 沈みしうる), not to the noun 「こと」. The pattern needed here is 「ことがありうる」.
• 4「しえない」means 'cannot do,' the negative potential of 「する」. It is both wrong in meaning (negative) and in grammar (attaches to verb stems, not こと).

• ありうる — is possible, can happen (potential form of ある)
• 海面かいめん — sea level
• 沈しずむ — to sink