N1 Grammar · Test 57

The sentence means 'No matter how safe the area, it's best to be cautious, such as putting two locks on the door.' The grammar ～にこしたことはない means 'there is nothing better than ～; it's best to ～.' It gives advice that being cautious is the wisest course, which fits the context of recommending double locks even in a safe area.

• 2用心するにたりない means 'it's not worth being cautious,' which contradicts the speaker's intent of recommending caution.
• 3用心したくてならない means 'I can't help wanting to be cautious.' While grammatically possible, it expresses an uncontrollable personal desire and does not fit the advisory tone of など (recommending an action like putting two locks).
• 4用心しがいがない means 'there's no point/reward in being cautious,' which contradicts the recommendation to be careful.

• 用心ようじんする — to be cautious, to take care
• ～にこしたことはない — there's nothing better than ～; it's best to ～
• ～にたりない — not worth ～ing; insufficient for ～
• ～がいがない — not worth doing; no reward/satisfaction in doing

The sentence means 'The accident was so sudden, I couldn't do anything — I could only stand dumbfounded.' The word ただ ('only/just') pairs naturally with ～のみだった ('it was only ～'), giving ただぼう然とするのみだった = 'I could only be dumbfounded.' This fits the context of being helpless in the face of a sudden accident.

• 1ぼう然とするまでもなかった means 'there was no need to be dumbfounded,' which contradicts the situation — the accident was so sudden that being dumbfounded is the natural reaction.
• 2ぼう然としがちだった means 'I tended to be dumbfounded,' implying a habitual tendency, which doesn't fit a one-time sudden accident. It also doesn't pair well with ただ.
• 4ぼう然とするきらいがあった means 'I had a tendency to be dumbfounded,' which like option 2 implies a habitual pattern rather than a single reaction to a specific event.

• ぼう然とする（ぼうぜんとする） — to be dumbfounded, to be stunned
• ～のみ — only; just (formal equivalent of だけ)
• ～までもない — no need to go so far as to ～
• ～がちだ — tend to ～; liable to ～ (usually negative)
• ～きらいがある — have a tendency to ～ (negative connotation)

The sentence means 'There are only a few minutes left until the exam ends, so I can't afford to spend so much time on this problem.' The pattern ～てはいられない means 'can't afford to keep doing ～ / can't just go on doing ～.' 時間をかけてはいられない = 'I can't afford to spend time (on this)' — perfectly matching the urgency of having only minutes left.

• 1かなわない means 'unbearable / impossible / can't match,' and 時間をかけてはかなわない does not form a natural or meaningful expression in this context.
• 2しかたがない means 'it can't be helped,' and while 時間をかけてはしかたがない could loosely mean 'it can't be helped that you spend time,' it doesn't convey the needed sense of 'you shouldn't / can't afford to spend time,' which is what the context demands.
• 4いなめない means 'can't deny,' which does not collocate with 時間をかけては in a meaningful way here.

• ～てはいられない — can't afford to keep doing ～; can't just go on ～ing
• かなわない — unbearable; impossible to match/withstand
• しかたがない — it can't be helped; there's nothing to be done
• いなめない — cannot deny; cannot refuse

The sentence means 'The once-beautiful forest was entirely cut down for development, and it was unbearable to look at.' The fixed expression 見るにたえない (みるにたえない) means 'too painful/miserable/sad to look at; unbearable to behold.' It describes something so distressing that one cannot bear to see it — perfectly matching the tragic image of a beautiful forest destroyed.

• 2たえる (dictionary form) does not work in this pattern — 見るにたえる is not a valid collocation; the expression requires the negative form たえない.
• 3たえていない means 'has not endured,' which is not part of the fixed expression 見るにたえない and does not convey 'unbearable to look at.'
• 4たえた (past tense) also breaks the fixed expression, which requires たえない specifically.

• 見みるにたえない — too painful/miserable to look at; unbearable to behold
• 切り倒す（きりたおす） — to cut down (trees)
• 森林しんりん — forest

The sentence means 'To lose weight in a healthy way, rather than taking pills or skipping meals, you should first move your body well.' The pattern ～ことだ means 'you should do ～' and gives advice/recommendation. よく体を動かすことだ = 'you should move your body well' — a natural piece of advice contrasting with the less healthy alternatives mentioned.

• 1一方だ means 'keep ～ing more and more / continue to change in one direction,' usually indicating a continuing trend. It does not give advice and doesn't fit the recommendation context.
• 3限りだ means 'to the utmost / as long as,' expressing an extreme degree or condition. よく体を動かす限りだ is not a natural expression and doesn't convey advice.
• 4始末だ means 'end up ～ing (with a bad result)' and carries a negative, troublesome connotation. It would imply that moving one's body is a bad outcome, which contradicts the positive recommendation.

• ～ことだ — you should do ～ (advice/recommendation)
• ～一方だ（～いっぽうだ） — keep ～ing more and more; continue to change in one direction
• ～限りだ（～かぎりだ） — to the utmost; as long as ～
• ～始末だ（～しまつだ） — end up ～ing (with a bad/negative result)
• 食事しょくじをぬく — to skip a meal

Option 2「でなくてなんだろう」is a rhetorical pattern meaning 'if this isn't X, what is?' or 'this is nothing but X.' It strongly affirms that something is indeed X. Here: 'If this isn't a tragedy, what is?' — strongly emphasizing that war killing many people is truly a tragedy.

• 1「でやまない」means 'do X without ceasing / endlessly' (e.g., 感謝してやまない). It does not fit after a noun like 悲劇 and conveys ongoing emotion, not emphatic identification.
• 3「だといったところだ」means 'I would say it's about ~' or 'it's roughly ~.' It weakens the statement and is too casual/understated for the emotional weight of the sentence.
• 4「だといったらありはしない」is grammatically awkward. The pattern といったらありはしない (or といったらありゃしない) is used to describe something as unbearable/extreme, but it does not attach properly after だ here and is not the correct form for this context.

• 〜でなくてなんだろう — if this isn't X, what is?; this is nothing but X (emphatic rhetorical affirmation)
• 悲劇ひげき — tragedy

Option 1「決めがたい」means 'hard to decide / difficult to settle on.' The pattern V-stem + がたい indicates difficulty. Here: 'I can't easily settle on one (computer).' This pairs naturally with なかなか…ない ('not easily').

• 2「決めかねない」means 'might end up deciding' (V-stem + かねない = might inadvertently do X). This expresses a negative possibility, not difficulty, and does not fit the context of struggling to choose.
• 3「決めるしかない」means 'have no choice but to decide.' This implies resignation to a single option, contradicting the context of being unable to choose.
• 4「決めてたまらない」is grammatically incorrect. てたまらない (unbearably X) attaches to adjectives/verbs expressing emotion (e.g., 悔しくてたまらない), not to 決める in this way.

• 決きめがたい — hard to decide; difficult to settle on (V-stem + がたい)
• なかなか — (with negative) not easily; hard to

Option 2「べくもない」means 'there is no possibility of / cannot possibly expect to.' It attaches to a verb's dictionary form (or V-べくもない) and expresses that something is utterly impossible. Here: 'In the city where land is expensive, one cannot possibly expect to obtain a house so easily.'

• 1「べきだ」means 'should do.' It expresses obligation/recommendation, which makes no sense here — one cannot say a house 'should' be easily obtained.
• 3「べきではない」means 'should not.' This would mean 'one should not easily obtain a house,' which is nonsensical in context.
• 4「べからざるものだ」means 'something that should not be (done).' べからざる is a classical negative form of べき, meaning 'ought not.' It expresses prohibition, not impossibility, and does not fit the context.

• べくもない — cannot possibly expect to; there is no hope of (V-辞書形 + べくもない)
• 手に入る（てにはいる） — to obtain; to come into one's possession

Option 2 「きらいがある」means 'has a tendency to (do something undesirable).' The sentence reads: 'She has a tendency to think about everything in a negative way.' This grammar point is used to describe a habitual negative inclination, which fits perfectly here.

• 1「にあたる」means 'to correspond to / to fall under.' It does not convey a tendency and does not fit the context of describing someone's habitual negative thinking pattern.
• 3「にかたくない」means 'not difficult to (do),' and is typically used with verbs like わかる or 想像できる (e.g., 理解するにかたくない). It cannot directly follow a plain verb phrase like 悪い方に考える in this way.
• 4「上でのことだ」means 'it is a matter of after doing...' and is grammatically and semantically inappropriate here. It suggests something that happens on top of or after some action, not a tendency.

• きらいがある — has a tendency to (do something undesirable); is prone to
• にあたる — to correspond to; to fall under; to amount to
• にかたくない — not difficult to (understand/imagine)
• 悪い方に考える（わるいほうにかんがえる） — to think about things in a negative way

Option 4 「なくしては」means 'without... (it would be impossible).' The sentence reads: 'The nation's economy depends on freight transport by rail and truck. Without the transportation network spread across the entire country, it could not function even for a single day.' The structure XなくしてはY means 'without X, Y is impossible,' which matches perfectly with 「1日たりとも成り立たない」(cannot function even for one day).

• 1「以上に」means 'more than / beyond.' It would imply the economy is something beyond the transportation network, which makes no sense here.
• 2「にそって」means 'along / in accordance with.' While 'along the transportation network' is physically possible, it does not create the logical relationship of necessity that the sentence requires (without it, the economy cannot function).
• 3「をよそに」means 'ignoring / disregarding / indifferent to.' This would mean 'ignoring the transportation network, the economy cannot function,' which is semantically contradictory and nonsensical.

• なくしては — without (something); but for (something) — implies something is indispensable
• 貨物かもつ — freight; cargo
• 交通網こうつうもう — transportation network
• 1日たりとも（いちにちたりとも） — even for a single day
• 成り立たない（なりたたない） — cannot function; cannot be sustained