N1 Vocabulary · Test 130

合間 (あいま) means 'interval' or 'break between activities.' 仕事の合間に means 'in between work / during a break from work.' The sentence says: 'I took care of other errands in between work.' This is the standard expression for doing something during a spare moment.

• 2手間 (てま) means 'time and effort' or 'labor' required for a task. 仕事の手間に is not a natural expression; you would say 手間がかかる 'takes effort.'
• 3空間 (くうかん) means 'physical space' or 'room.' 仕事の空間に does not make sense in this context.
• 4仲間 (なかま) means 'colleague' or 'companion.' 仕事の仲間に would mean 'to a work colleague,' which does not fit the sentence structure or meaning.

• 合間あいま — interval; break between activities
• 手間てま — time and effort; labor
• 空間くうかん — space; physical space
• 仲間なかま — colleague; companion; fellow

かさばる (嵩張る) means 'to be bulky' or 'to take up a lot of space.' The sentence says: 'This luggage is bulky relative to its weight (重さの割にかさばる).' The phrase 重さの割に sets up a contrast — despite being light, it takes up a lot of space — making かさばる the correct choice.

• 1かせぐ (稼ぐ) means 'to earn (money)' or 'to work hard to gain something.' It has nothing to do with the physical characteristics of luggage.
• 3かすむ (翳む) means 'to become hazy/blurry' (e.g., a distant view) or 'to be overshadowed.' It does not describe luggage size.
• 4かぶれる (気触れる) means 'to develop a rash/skin irritation' or 'to be unduly influenced by something (e.g., a philosophy).' It does not describe physical bulk.

• かさばる — to be bulky; to take up a lot of space
• 重さの割に（おもさのわりに） — relative to its weight; considering how heavy it is
• かせぐ — to earn (money); to work for
• かすむ — to become hazy; to be overshadowed
• かぶれる — to develop a rash; to be influenced by

もろい (脆い) means 'fragile,' 'brittle,' or 'vulnerable,' both physically and mentally. 精神的にもろい means 'mentally fragile / emotionally vulnerable.' The sentence contrasts the outward appearance of being solid (しっかりしている) with an inner fragility, making もろい the correct choice.

• 1しぶい (渋い) means 'austere,' 'refined,' or 'bitter' (e.g., taste, style). It does not describe mental fragility.
• 2だるい (怠い) means 'sluggish' or 'languid,' typically describing a physical feeling of tiredness or heaviness. 精神的にだるい is not a natural expression.
• 3ゆるい (緩い) means 'loose,' 'lax,' or 'not strict.' While it can describe rules or physical tightness, 精神的にゆるい would mean 'mentally lax/unfocused,' which does not convey the intended meaning of fragility.

• もろい — fragile; brittle; vulnerable (physically or mentally)
• しぶい — austere; refined; bitter (taste)
• だるい — sluggish; languid; tired
• ゆるい — loose; lax; not strict

Option 3: きしみはじめた (軋み始めた) means 'started to creak/grind,' metaphorically 'started to deteriorate.' The sentence says the prime minister's careless remark caused the previously good bilateral relationship to start going bad. 軋む (きしむ) is commonly used for relationships that become strained, making this the perfect fit.

• 1きずきはじめた (築き始めた) means 'started to build/construct.' This is the opposite of what the context requires—the relationship was already good and is now worsening, not being built.
• 2きたえはじめた (鍛え始めた) means 'started to forge/temper/train (e.g., metal, skills, body).' It does not collocate with 関係 in this context.
• 4きざみはじめた (刻み始めた) means 'started to cut/mince/chop (e.g., vegetables) or engrave.' It makes no sense with 両国の関係.

• 軋きしむ — to creak, grind; (of relationships) to become strained/deteriorate
• 軽率けいそつな — careless, rash, thoughtless
• 良好りょうこう — good, favorable

Option 2: かお (顔) gives the idiom 顔が広い (かおがひろい), meaning 'to have a wide network of acquaintances/connections.' The sentence says Hori-san has wide connections, so you should ask him to introduce you to an expert in that field. This is a classic JLPT1 vocabulary idiom.

• 1くち (口) being 広い would mean 'big-mouthed' or 'talkative/loose-lipped,' which is negative and irrelevant to introducing experts.
• 3まゆ (眉) being 広い is not an established idiom and makes no sense here.
• 4みみ (耳) being 広い is not a standard idiom; 耳がいい means 'good hearing,' which is unrelated.

• 顔が広い（かおがひろい） — to have a wide network/many connections and acquaintances

The correct option is 2. The phrase '焦点がぼやけていて' (shōten ga boyakete ite) means 'the focus is blurry/unclear.' This fits the context perfectly: 'His talk lacks a clear focus, making it hard to understand.' The verb 'ぼやける' (boyakeru) is commonly used with '焦点' (shōten - focus) to describe something that is vague or not clearly defined.

• 1ほどけて (hodokete) is the te-form of ほどける (to come untied/loosened, like a knot or a knot in a string). It cannot be used with '焦点' (focus).
• 3とぼけて (tobokete) is the te-form of とぼける (to play dumb, to feign ignorance). It applies to a person's behavior, not to the 'focus' of a story.
• 4ぼやいて (boyaite) is the te-form of ぼやく (to grumble, to complain). While grammatically a verb, it does not mean 'to be blurry' and does not collocate with '焦点'.

• 焦点しょうてん — focus, focal point
• ぼやける — to be blurry, to be vague, to be unclear
• ほどける — to come untied, to loosen
• とぼける — to play dumb, to feign ignorance
• ぼやく — to grumble, to complain

The correct option is 2. のどかな (nodokana) means 'peaceful,' 'tranquil,' or 'rustic.' The sentence describes a mountain village where the wave of development has not yet reached (まだ開発の波も押し寄せていない). A village untouched by modern development is best described as peaceful and rustic, making のどかな the perfect fit. All four options share the ~かな ending, which is a classic JLPT distractor pattern testing whether you know the exact meaning of each adjective.

• 1なめらかな (namerakana) means 'smooth' or 'fluent,' typically used for physical surfaces (e.g., smooth skin, smooth road) or fluid movement (e.g., smooth speech). It cannot be used to describe a village or scenery.
• 3すこやかな (sukoyakana) means 'healthy' or 'sound,' used to describe physical or mental health (e.g., a healthy body, a healthy mind). It does not apply to a mountain village.
• 4すみやかな (sumiyakana) means 'prompt,' 'swift,' or 'quick,' used to describe actions or responses (e.g., prompt action, swift reply). It is completely out of context for describing a rural village.

• のどかな — peaceful, tranquil, rustic (often used for countryside or scenery)
• なめらかな — smooth, fluent (surfaces, speech, movement)
• すこやかな — healthy, sound (body and mind)
• すみやかな — prompt, swift, quick (actions, responses)
• 開発かいはつ — development
• 波なみ — wave
• 押し寄せる（おしよせる） — to surge in, to sweep over, to press forward
• 山村さんそん — mountain village

The correct option is 1. 画期的な (かっきてきな) means 'epoch-making' or 'groundbreaking.' The sentence states that from the perspective of the history of science and technology, the invention of the computer was a groundbreaking event. This fits perfectly, as the computer's invention marked a major turning point in history.

• 2周期的な (しゅうきてきな) means 'periodic' or 'cyclical,' referring to something that happens in cycles. The invention of the computer was a one-time historical breakthrough, not a recurring cyclical event, so this is incorrect.
• 3定期的な (ていきてきな) means 'regular' or 'periodic,' referring to something that occurs at fixed intervals (like a regular meeting or checkup). An invention is not a regularly scheduled event, so this does not fit the context.
• 4末期的な (まっきてきな) means 'terminal' or 'end-stage,' usually referring to the final stages of a disease or decline. This has a strongly negative connotation and makes no sense for a revolutionary invention like the computer.

• 画期的かっきてきな — epoch-making, groundbreaking
• 周期的しゅうきてきな — periodic, cyclical
• 定期的ていきてきな — regular, periodic (at fixed intervals)
• 末期的まっきてきな — terminal, end-stage
• できごと — event, happening

The correct option is 3. キャリア (career). The phrase '15年のキャリアを持つ' (having a 15-year career) is a natural and common collocation in Japanese, meaning she has 15 years of experience/history as a tennis player.

• 1ベテラン (veteran) refers to a person who is experienced in a particular field. While '15年のベテラン' (a 15-year veteran) might make sense as a noun phrase modifying the player, it cannot be used with the verb 持つ (to have) in this context. You cannot 'have' a veteran.
• 2ポジション (position) refers to a role or location in a team or field. Saying '15年のポジションを持つ' (having a 15-year position) is unnatural and does not fit the context of describing a player's experience.
• 4トレーニング (training) refers to practice. While a player might have trained for 15 years, the collocation '15年のトレーニングを持つ' (having 15 years of training) is unnatural. One would typically use a different verb, such as 積む (to accumulate), as in '15年のトレーニングを積む'.

• キャリア — career (one's work history or experience in a specific field)
• ベテラン — veteran (an experienced person)
• ポジション — position (role or location)
• トレーニング — training (practice)

The correct option is 4. めど. The phrase being tested is the idiom 「めどが立つ」 (medo ga tatsu), which means 'a prospect is in sight' or 'progress is being made toward a goal.' In the sentence, the negative form 「めどはまだ立っていない」 means 'there is no prospect yet' or 'no end is in sight yet' for the restoration of the railway. Thus, '復旧のめどはまだ立っていない' translates to 'The railway was suspended due to flooding, and there is no prospect for restoration yet.'

• 1ほど (程) means 'degree' or 'extent.' It does not collocate with the verb 立つ (tatsu) in this context. One might say ほどに達する (reach a certain degree), but not ほどが立つ.
• 2まと (的) means 'target' or 'mark.' While one can hit a target (的を射る), the phrase まとが立つ does not exist as an idiom meaning 'a prospect is in sight.'
• 3あと (跡/後) means 'trace,' 'remains,' or 'after.' It does not collocate with 立つ to mean a prospect or plan is coming together.

• めど — prospect, goal, expectation (often written as 目処 or 目途)
• めどが立つ（めどがたつ） — to have a prospect in sight, to make progress toward a goal
• 復旧ふっきゅう — restoration, recovery
• 不通ふつう — suspension (of service), closed (of traffic/communication)