N1 Reading · Test 19

Option 3 「していたところでした」is correct. The sentence reads 「大学に通いつつ仕事をしていたところでした」—'I was in the midst of working while attending university.' The pattern 〜ところでした describes the state/situation one was in at that point in time. The following sentence explains that he named the dog after a character from a work he was involved in, so this contextualizes that period: he was a university student who was also working (as a voice actor). The 〜ところでした neatly encapsulates 'that was the situation I was in at the time.'

• 1「していたはずでした」means 'should have been doing (work).' This expresses an expectation or supposition about what ought to have been the case, which does not fit—the speaker is stating a fact about his past, not expressing what should have happened.
• 2「していたからでした」means 'it was because I was doing (work).' This would require a preceding or following clause that the から explains, but the sentence stands on its own as a description of his situation. There is no cause-effect structure here.
• 4「していたぐらいでした」means 'I was only doing (work)' or 'it was to the extent of doing (work).' The 〜ぐらい pattern belittles or downplays the action, implying 'merely' or 'only,' which contradicts the neutral-to-positive tone of the passage.

• 通かよいつつ — while attending (university); 〜つつ = while doing ~
• ところでした — was in the state/midst of doing ~; was just doing ~ at that time

Option 4 「思って」is correct. The sentence reads 「日本人の名前で祖父も覚えられると思って」—'Thinking that with a Japanese name, my grandfather would also be able to remember it.' In colloquial Japanese, ending a sentence with the て-form (思って) is a common way to express the reason or motivation behind an action mentioned just before. The preceding sentence says he named the dog 'Naoji' after a character, and this sentence explains the reasoning: 'I thought my grandfather could remember a Japanese name, so (I named him that).' The て-ending softly implies 'that's why I did it.'

• 1「思います」is present tense ('I think'), but the context is entirely past tense—he already named the dog. Present tense does not match the temporal setting.
• 2「思うようです」means 'it seems that (someone) thinks.' This is used for reporting someone else's thoughts or making an inference, not for stating one's own past reasoning. The speaker is explaining his own motivation, not observing someone else's thinking.
• 3「思うのに」means 'even though I think ~.' The 〜のに pattern expresses contrast or complaint ('even though'), which does not fit—the speaker is explaining a reason, not expressing frustration or contradiction.

• 覚おぼえられる — can remember; potential form of 覚える (おぼえる, to remember)
• 〜と思って（〜とおもって） — thinking that ~; (colloquial sentence-ending) I thought ~, so that's why I did it

Option 2 「が」is correct. The sentence reads 「自分がもう1人いるような感じです」—'It feels like there is one more of myself.' The particle が marks 自分 as the subject of the verb いる (to exist). The speaker, being the youngest child (末っ子), feels that Naoji—who is now the youngest in the household—is like another version of himself. The が specifically identifies '自分' (oneself) as the thing that exists 'もう1人' (one more person).

• 1「は」would make 自分 a topic marker (自分は), implying contrast: 'as for myself, there's one more...' This would suggest the speaker is contrasting 'myself' with something else, but there is no contrasting element in the sentence. The sentence is simply identifying what exists, which calls for が, not は.
• 3「も」(自分も) means 'also' or 'too,' implying 'there is also one more of myself, in addition to something else.' While this might seem plausible, the sentence is not adding 自分 to a list—it is specifically identifying 'another me' as what exists. The が is more precise and natural here.
• 4「だけ」(自分だけ) means 'only myself,' which would read 'there is one more of only myself.' This restricts the subject in a way that does not fit the intended meaning of 'it feels like there's another me.'

• 末っ子（すえっこ） — youngest child
• 立場たちば — position; status

Option 1 「聞いてます」is correct. The sentence reads 「実家にまめに電話して『直司、元気？』と父や母に聞いてます」—'I diligently call home and ask my parents, "Is Naoji doing well?"' The speaker is the one calling and asking. 聞いてます is the contracted colloquial form of 聞いています (is asking / asks), and it naturally follows 電話して (calling and ~). The subject is the speaker (僕), who calls his parents and asks about the dog.

• 2「聞いてきます」means 'I'll go and ask' or 'I ask and come back.' The 〜てくる pattern implies physical movement toward a place and back, or a change developing over time. Here the speaker is calling by phone from outside, not going to the parents' location, so きて is unnatural.
• 3「聞いてくれます」means '(someone) asks for me / does me the favor of asking.' The 〜てくれる pattern indicates someone else does an action for the speaker's benefit. This would mean the parents ask on the speaker's behalf, which reverses the roles—the speaker is the one asking 'Is Naoji well?'
• 4「聞かれてます」is the passive form (聞かれている), meaning 'I am being asked.' This would mean the parents are asking the speaker something, which is the opposite of what the sentence describes—the speaker asks the parents about Naoji.

• まめに — diligently; frequently; without neglect
• 実家じっか — one's parents' home; family home

Option 1 「いたいです」is correct. The sentence reads 「直司の残りの人生もできるだけ近くにいたいです」—'I want to be as close as possible for the rest of Naoji's life too.' The 〜たいです pattern expresses the speaker's own desire. After describing his affection for and sense of responsibility toward Naoji ('ほっとけない存在'—someone he can't just leave alone), the passage naturally concludes with the speaker's wish to stay close to the dog for the rest of its life.

• 2「いたがっています」uses 〜たがる, which expresses a third person's desire (what someone else wants). This would mean 'Naoji wants to be close,' but the subject is the speaker, not the dog. One cannot use 〜たがる for one's own desire.
• 3「いたのです」is the explanatory past form ('it's that I was there' / 'I was there'). This states a past fact with explanation, but the context calls for a forward-looking wish or desire about the future, not a past factual statement.
• 4「いたことです」can mean 'it is the thing of being there' or function as advice ('you should be there'). Neither fits: the passage is not giving advice to someone, nor is it stating a general truth. It expresses the speaker's personal wish.

• きれいごと — pretty words; idealistic talk (often implying words that sound nice but lack substance)
• ほっとけない — cannot leave alone; cannot ignore (colloquial negative potential of 放っておく)
• 残のこり — the rest; remaining