N1 Vocabulary · Test 127

到底（とうてい）is an adverb used exclusively with negative predicates, meaning 'by no means; utterly impossible.' 到底達成できないだろう = 'it is utterly impossible to achieve this goal within this year.' This is the classic N1-level collocation.

• 2大層（たいそう）means 'very; greatly; exceedingly' and is used with affirmative statements, not with ～ない.
• 3相当（そうとう）means 'considerably; quite.' It does not pair with a negative to mean 'impossible.'
• 4格別（かくべつ）means 'especially; exceptionally.' It also does not collocate with negative impossibility.

• 到底とうてい — by no means; utterly (always with negative)
• 大層たいそう — very; greatly; exceedingly
• 相当そうとう — considerably; quite
• 格別かくべつ — especially; exceptionally

主導権（しゅどうけん）を握る（にぎる）is a fixed phrase meaning 'to take the initiative / seize the leadership.' In the Diet, the opposition party seized the initiative, so 主導 is correct.

• 2優位（ゆうい）means 'superiority; advantageous position.' 優位権 is not a standard compound; the correct word is 優位性 or 優位に立つ.
• 3誘導（ゆうどう）means 'guidance; induction.' 誘導権 is not an established political term.
• 4優勢（ゆうせい）means 'dominance; superiority (in a contest).' 優勢権 is not a standard compound; one says 優勢に立つ or 優勢を占める.

• 主導権を握る（しゅどうけんをにぎる） — to take the initiative; to seize the leadership
• 主導しゅどう — leadership; initiative
• 優位ゆうい — superiority; advantageous position
• 誘導ゆうどう — guidance; induction
• 優勢ゆうせい — dominance; superiority

ジャンル means 'genre.' どんなジャンルの音楽が好きですか = 'What genre of music do you like?' This is the natural and common phrasing.

• 1フィルター means 'filter.' フィルターの音楽 makes no sense.
• 2ボジション is a deliberate distractor resembling ポジション (position). Even ポジション would not fit 'what ___ of music.'
• 3コントロール means 'control.' コントロールの音楽 is not a natural expression.

• ジャンル — genre
• フィルター — filter
• ポジション — position (note: option 2 uses ボジション, a lookalike distractor)
• コントロール — control

進呈（しんてい）means 'to present/give something as a gift' and is used as a humble verb (進呈いたします) when offering a souvenir or gift to others. Here, the speaker humbly offers 記念品 (souvenirs) to attendees, so 進呈 is the correct choice.

• 1交付（こうふ）means 'to issue/deliver' and is used for official documents, certificates, or licenses issued by an authority. It does not fit giving souvenirs to guests.
• 3寄附（きふ）means 'to donate' (money or goods to an organization/cause). The speaker is not donating to the attendees; they are presenting gifts.
• 4配給（はいきゅう）means 'to ration/distribute' goods in a controlled manner (e.g., wartime rationing). It is inappropriate for handing out commemorative souvenirs.

• 進呈しんてい — to present (a gift), to give (humble)
• 交付こうふ — to issue, to deliver (official documents)
• 寄附きふ — to donate, to contribute
• 配給はいきゅう — to ration, to distribute

とぼけて（恍けて）means 'to play dumb / to feign ignorance.' The sentence says he knows the truth but when asked, says 'I don't know anything' and plays dumb. This fits perfectly with とぼけて.

• 1もらして（漏らして）means 'to let slip / to leak' a secret unintentionally. He is not leaking anything; he is hiding what he knows.
• 2こぼして（零して／溢して）means 'to spill (liquid)' or 'to complain/vent.' Neither sense fits pretending not to know.
• 3ぼやいて（暈いて）means 'to grumble / to complain vaguely.' He is not complaining; he is evading the question.

• とぼける（恍ける） — to play dumb, to feign ignorance
• もらす（漏らす） — to let slip, to leak
• こぼす（零す） — to spill, to complain
• ぼやく（暈く） — to grumble, to complain vaguely

返却 (へんきゃく) means 'to return a borrowed item,' and is the standard term for returning books to a library. The sentence says: 'I returned the books I had borrowed from the library for my report.' 返却する is the correct word for returning borrowed items (books, rentals, etc.).

• 1返還 (へんかん) means 'to return/restore (territory, rights, property) to its original owner,' used in formal/political contexts (e.g., returning land). It is not used for returning library books.
• 3返済 (へんさい) means 'to repay (a debt/loan).' It is used for money owed, not books.
• 4返品 (へんぴん) means 'to return (purchased goods to a store).' The books were borrowed, not purchased, so this does not fit.

• 返却へんきゃく — returning a borrowed item (books, rentals)
• 返還へんかん — returning/restoring territory, rights, property
• 返済へんさい — repaying a debt/loan
• 返品へんぴん — returning purchased goods to a store

肝心 (かんじん) means 'crucial, essential, the most important.' 肝心な人 means 'the key person, the crucial person.' The sentence says: 'Everyone has gathered, but the crucial person still hasn't come.' This conveys irony/frustration that the one person who really matters is absent.

• 1格別 (かくべつ) means 'exceptional, special.' While it can describe something out of the ordinary, it does not naturally modify 人 in this context of 'the one who matters most.'
• 3貴重 (きちょう) means 'precious, valuable.' It describes things/experiences that are rare and valuable, not a person whose presence is essential.
• 4重大 (じゅうだい) means 'serious, grave, weighty' (e.g., a重大な問題). It describes the gravity of a matter, not the indispensability of a person.

• 肝心かんじん — crucial, essential, the most important
• 格別かくべつ — exceptional, special
• 貴重きちょう — precious, valuable
• 重大じゅうだい — serious, grave, weighty

ややこしい means 'complicated, confusing, convoluted.' The sentence says: 'This camera's operation is complicated, so it got a bad reputation.' This fits perfectly — a camera that is hard to use because its controls are confusing.

• 1あつかましい means 'brazen, shameless, cheeky' (describing a person's attitude). It cannot describe 操作 (operation).
• 2たくましい means 'robust, strong, sturdy' (e.g., a person's physique or spirit). It does not describe ease/difficulty of operation.
• 3ふさわしい means 'suitable, fitting, appropriate.' If the operation were 'suitable,' the camera would get a good reputation, not a bad one.

• ややこしい — complicated, confusing, convoluted
• あつかましい — brazen, shameless
• たくましい — robust, strong, sturdy
• ふさわしい — suitable, fitting, appropriate

未練 (みれん) means 'lingering attachment' or 'reluctance to let go.' The sentence says there is talk of changing jobs, but the speaker has 未練 (lingering attachment) toward the current workplace and cannot make up their mind. The pattern 「〜に未練がある」is a common collocation meaning 'to have lingering feelings/attachment to something.'

• 1後悔 (こうかい) means 'regret.' You might feel regret after leaving, but the sentence describes hesitation *before* deciding, caused by attachment — not regret.
• 2後退 (こうたい) means 'retreat' or 'decline/backward movement.' This does not fit the pattern 「〜に後退がある」and makes no sense in context.
• 3未満 (みまん) means 'less than / below (a certain level),' used with numbers or quantities (e.g., 18歳未満). It cannot follow 「〜に…がある」here.

• 未練みれん — lingering attachment; reluctance to let go
• 後悔こうかい — regret
• 後退こうたい — retreat; decline
• 未満みまん — less than; below (a threshold)

概説 (がいせつ) means 'outline / overview / general explanation.' The sentence says 'This is a book that gives an overview of Japanese literature.' 「概説した本」(a book that provides a general overview) is a natural and common expression.

• 2演説 (えんぜつ) means 'speech / public address.' One does not write a book that '演説した' about a topic — speeches are spoken, not written as books.
• 3閲覧 (えつらん) means 'viewing / browsing (documents, etc.).' A book is not something that '閲覧した' about Japanese literature; rather, a book is the object that gets browsed.
• 4回覧 (かいらん) means 'circulation (of documents/materials among people).' This describes passing materials around, not the content of a book about literature.

• 概説がいせつ — outline; overview; general explanation
• 演説えんぜつ — speech; public address
• 閲覧えつらん — viewing; browsing (documents)
• 回覧かいらん — circulation (of documents among people)