N1 Vocabulary · Test 2

「寡黙（かもく）」 means 'taciturn', 'uncommunicative', or 'of few words'. Option 1, 「口数が少ない」 (くちかずがすくない), means 'having few words' or 'not talking much', which is the exact meaning of 寡黙.

• 2「知識に乏しい」 (ちしきにとぼしい) means 'lacking in knowledge', which is unrelated to being quiet.
• 3「意見が少ない」 (いけんがすくない) means 'having few opinions', which is not the same as being uncommunicative.
• 4「話題に乏しい」 (わだいにとぼしい) means 'lacking topics to talk about', which is not what 寡黙 means.

• 寡黙かもく — taciturn, uncommunicative, of few words

「紛糾（ふんきゅう）する」 means to become confused, complicated, or thrown into turmoil due to conflicting opinions. Option 4, 「混乱した」 (こんらんした), means 'became confused/chaotic', which perfectly matches the meaning of 紛糾した in the context of a meeting with many differing opinions.

• 1「盛り上がった」 (もりあがった) means 'livened up' or 'became enthusiastic', which has a positive connotation unlike 紛糾.
• 2「長引いた」 (ながびいた) means 'was prolonged' or 'dragged on', which describes duration rather than the state of confusion.
• 3「中断した」 (ちゅうだんした) means 'was interrupted' or 'suspended', which is not the meaning of 紛糾.

• 紛糾ふんきゅう — confusion, turmoil, complication (often of a meeting or discussion)

「ずれ込む（ずれこむ）」 means to be delayed, pushed back, or slip from the original schedule. Option 3, 「遅くなりそうだ」 (おそくなりそうだ), means 'likely to become late/delayed', which correctly paraphrases ずれ込みそうだ.

• 1「早くなりそうだ」 (はやくなりそうだ) means 'likely to become early', which is the opposite of ずれ込む.
• 2「多くなりそうだ」 (おおくなりそうだ) means 'likely to become many', which is unrelated to scheduling.
• 4「少なくなりそうだ」 (すくなくなりそうだ) means 'likely to become few', which is also unrelated to scheduling.

• ずれ込む（ずれこむ） — to be delayed, to be pushed back, to slip (in schedule)

「ろくに〜ない」 means 'hardly', 'not properly', or 'not sufficiently'. Option 2, 「大して〜ない」 (たいして〜ない), means 'not much' or 'hardly'. In the context of not being explained well, both convey that the explanation was insufficient or barely given.

• 1「全く〜ない」 (まったく〜ない) means 'not at all', which is a stronger absolute negation than ろくに, which implies 'not sufficiently/properly'.
• 3「なかなか〜ない」 (なかなか〜ない) means 'not easily' or 'takes a long time to', which does not fit the context of the degree of explanation.
• 4「事前に」 (じぜんに) means 'in advance' or 'beforehand', which is completely unrelated to the degree or quality of the explanation.

• ろくに — properly, sufficiently (used with negative verbs to mean 'hardly', 'barely')

「スケール」 in this context means 'scale' or 'scope' of a plan. Option 2, 「規模」 (きぼ), means 'scale' or 'extent', which is the direct Japanese translation and synonym for スケール.

• 1「方針」 (ほうしん) means 'policy' or 'course of action', which is not what scale refers to.
• 3「目的」 (もくてき) means 'purpose' or 'objective', which is unrelated to size or scale.
• 4「意義」 (いぎ) means 'significance' or 'meaning', which is not the meaning of scale.

• スケール（すけーる） — scale, size, scope

絶滅 (ぜつめつ) means 'extinction' — the complete dying out of a species. Option 2 correctly uses it for dinosaurs, a classic example of a species that went extinct due to environmental changes.

• 1絶滅 refers to a species dying out entirely, not to enemies being defeated in a game. The appropriate word here would be 全滅 (ぜんめつ, annihilation/wipeout).
• 3絶滅 is about living species going extinct, not about snow disappearing. Snow melting should use 消える or 融解 (ゆうかい).
• 4A festival dying out/discontinuing is not 絶滅. The appropriate word would be 廃絶 (はいぜつ) or 廃れる (すたれる).

• 絶滅ぜつめつ — extinction (of a species)

素早い (すばやい) means 'quick/swift' and describes an intentional, prompt action or response. Option 1 correctly describes the police's swift response leading to the arrest.

• 2紙が飛んでしまった is an accidental physical event, not an intentional swift action. The natural word here would be 速く (はやく) or 一瞬で.
• 3話し方が速い (fast speech) uses 速い (はやい), not 素早い. 素早い describes physical or behavioral quickness, not speed of speech.
• 4Selling out quickly describes a commercial result, not a swift action. The natural word is あっという間に or 早々に.

• 素早すばやい — quick, swift (in action/response)

露骨 (ろこつ) means 'blatant/obvious' with a negative nuance, describing something shown openly and unreservedly (often attitudes or expressions). Option 3 correctly uses it: 彼 was blatantly shown an unpleasant face — openly and unmistakably displaying displeasure.

• 1露骨なデザイン could sound plausible, but 露骨 typically describes attitudes/expressions/behavior, not visual design. A more natural phrase would be 派手な (はでな) or 過激な (かげきな).
• 2税金の使い道 being 露骨 makes no sense. The intended meaning is 'efficient/clear,' for which 適切 (てきせつ) or 明確 (めいかく) would be used.
• 4誰の目にも明らか (あきらか, obvious to anyone) is the correct expression. 露骨 carries a negative nuance of something being shamelessly exposed, not simply 'clear to everyone.'

• 露骨ろこつ — blatant, overt (with negative nuance)

交付 (こうふ) means 'issuance' — officially issuing documents, certificates, licenses, etc. Option 4 correctly uses it: people who need a certificate issued should complete procedures here.

• 1機会 (opportunity) is not something issued by an authority. The appropriate word would be 提供 (ていきょう, provision) or 付与 (ふよ).
• 2Spraying pesticide from the air is 散布 (さんぷ, spraying/dispersing), not 交付.
• 3Distributing snacks at a workplace is 配布 (はいふ, distribution) or 配る (くばる), not 交付.

• 交付こうふ — issuance (of official documents/certificates)

かたくな (頑な, かたくな) means 'stubborn/obstinate' — refusing to change one's mind or listen to advice. Option 3 correctly uses it: he ignored his family's advice and stubbornly pushed through his own ideas.

• 1友情 (friendship) being かたくな is unnatural. かたくな describes a person's attitude of refusing to yield, not a bond. 固い (かたい, firm) would be more appropriate.
• 2Tying something tightly with string uses 固く/硬く (かたく, tightly/firmly), written in hiragana or as 固く, not かたくな.
• 4Having a strong/resilient body is 丈夫 (じょうぶ) or 頑丈 (がんじょう). かたくな means 'stubborn (in attitude),' not physically sturdy.

• かたくな — stubborn, obstinate (refusing to yield)