N1 Vocabulary · Test 26

「脚本」is read きゃくほん. 脚(きゃく) means 'script/text' here and 本(ほん) means 'book/written work'. Together it means 'script (for a play/film)'. The sentence means 'One could say that the script determines how interesting a play is.'

• 1きゃくぼん — wrong reading of 本; 本 is ほん, not ぼん. (ぼん would be a voiced rendaku, but no rendaku applies here.)
• 2きょくほん — wrong reading of 脚; 脚 is きゃく, not きょく. This is a plausible look-alike distractor.
• 4きゃくぽん — wrong reading of 本; ぽん is an unvoiced variant that does not occur. The correct reading is ほん.

• 脚本きゃくほん — script (for a play, film, etc.)
• 芝居しばい — play, theatrical performance
• 面白おもしろさ — interest, how interesting something is

「芝居」is read しばい. 芝(しば) + 居(い). It means 'play, theatrical performance'. The sentence: 'One could say that the script determines how interesting a play is.'

• 1ほうきょ — not a real word; fabricated distractor with plausible-looking kanji sounds.
• 2ぼうい — not a real word; fabricated distractor.
• 3しばきょ — not a real word; combines しば with a fabricated きょ reading for 居. 居 is い, not きょ.

• 芝居しばい — play, theatrical performance
• 脚本きゃくほん — script

「円滑」is read えんかつ. 円(えん) + 滑(かつ). It means 'smooth, without friction'. The sentence: 'To proceed with this work smoothly, I want the parties involved to act as carefully as possible.'

• 2えんこつ — wrong reading of 滑; 滑 is かつ, not こつ. Distractor using a similar-looking/sounding kana.
• 3えんがつ — wrong reading of 滑; がつ is not a valid reading. Distractor with voicing error.
• 4えんごつ — wrong reading of 滑; ごつ is not a valid reading. Distractor with voicing error.

• 円滑えんかつ — smooth, without friction (na-adjective)
• 関係者かんけいしゃ — parties involved, concerned parties
• 慎重しんちょう — careful, cautious

「努めて」is read つとめて, the te-form of 努める(つとめる), meaning 'to make an effort to, to try hard to'. Here it functions adverbially: 'to make a point of acting carefully.' The sentence: 'To proceed with this work smoothly, I want the parties involved to make an effort to act carefully.'

• 2きわめて (極めて) — means 'extremely, very'. Grammatically possible but changes the meaning to 'act extremely carefully', which is not the intended nuance of 'make an effort to'.
• 3せめて (せめて) — means 'at least'. Does not fit: 'at least act carefully' is a different nuance and does not match 努めて.
• 4あらためて (改めて) — means 'again, anew, freshly'. Does not match 努めて's meaning of 'making an effort'.

• 努つとめて — making an effort to, trying hard to (te-form of 努める)
• 極きわめて — extremely, very
• 改あらためて — again, anew

「慎重」is read しんちょう. 慎(しん) + 重(ちょう). It means 'careful, cautious'. The sentence: 'To proceed with this work smoothly, I want the parties involved to make an effort to act carefully.'

• 1そんちょう (尊重) — means 'respect, esteem'. Different word with similar-looking kanji; 尊 is そん, not 慎.
• 2そんじゅう — not a standard reading of 尊重 (which is そんちょう). Fabricated distractor.
• 4しんじゅう — wrong reading of 重; 重 here is ちょう, not じゅう. (じゅう is the reading for 重 in words like 重要(じゅうよう), but not here.)

• 慎重しんちょう — careful, cautious (na-adjective)
• 尊重そんちょう — respect, esteem

大幅 is read おおはば, meaning 'large-scale, substantial, sweeping'. In this sentence it modifies 削減された ('was slashed/cut'), describing that the budget was cut by a large margin. Option 3 おおはば is the correct reading.

• 1だいはば is an incorrect reading. The first character 大 here uses the kun-yomi おお, not the on-yomi だい, in this compound.
• 2だいふく is a misreading that swaps 幅 for 福 (ふく). 大福 is a real word (a type of Japanese sweet / 'great fortune'), but it is unrelated to this context.
• 4おおふく is a plausible-looking distractor that keeps the correct kun-yomi おお for 大 but misreads 幅 as ふく instead of はば.

• 大幅おおはば — large-scale, substantial, sweeping
• 削減さくげん — reduction, cutback
• 枠内わくない — within the framework/limits
• 工夫くふう — device, ingenuity, contrivance

削減 is read さくげん, meaning 'reduction, cutback'. It is a standard on-yomi compound: 削 (サク) + 減 (ゲン). The phrase 大幅に削減された予算 means 'the budget that was substantially cut'. Option 4 さくげん is correct.

• 1しょうげん is a distractor using the on-yomi ショウ for 削, which does not occur in this compound.
• 2しゅくげん is a plausible-looking distractor; しゅく is the reading of 宿 or 縮, not 削.
• 3けいげん is a distractor; けい is the reading of 軽/計/系, not 削. 軽減 (けいげん, 'lightening/reduction') is a real near-synonym, which makes this option deliberately tempting.

• 削減さくげん — reduction, cutback
• 大幅おおはば — large-scale, substantial

枠内 is read わくない, meaning 'within the framework/limits'. 枠 (わく, 'frame/framework') + 内 (ない, 'inside/within'). The phrase 予算の枠内で means 'within the budget's framework'. Option 3 わくない is correct.

• 1すいない is a distractor; すい is the reading of 水/推/遂, not 枠.
• 2そつない is a plausible-looking distractor; そつ is the reading of 卒/拙, not 枠.
• 4いきない is a distractor; いき is the reading of 行き/域, not 枠.

• 枠内わくない — within the framework/limits
• 枠わく — frame, framework, limit

工夫 is read くふう, meaning 'device, ingenuity, contrivance; to devise/figure out'. It uses the on-yomi ク for 工 and フウ for 夫. The phrase 工夫を重ねている means 'is repeatedly devising/trying various ideas'. Option 3 くふう is correct.

• 1こうふ is a plausible-looking distractor using the on-yomi コウ for 工, but in this compound 工 is read ク, not コウ.
• 2こうふう is a distractor that keeps the correct reading フウ for 夫 but misreads 工 as コウ instead of ク.
• 4くうふう is a distractor with an extra う inserted into the first syllable; the correct reading is くふう, not くうふう.

• 工夫くふう — device, ingenuity; to devise, figure out
• 重かさねる — to pile up, repeat, do repeatedly

邸宅 is read ていたく, meaning 'mansion, stately residence'. It uses the on-yomi テイ for 邸 and タク for 宅. The phrase その邸宅の客間には means 'in the guest room of that mansion'. Option 1 ていたく is correct.

• 2したく is a plausible-looking distractor; し is the reading of 支/私/使, not 邸. Note that したく (支度) is a real word meaning 'preparation', which makes this option deliberately tempting.
• 3でいたく is a distractor that inserts an extra い; the correct reading is ていたく, not でいたく.
• 4じたく is a plausible-looking distractor; じ is the reading of 自/地/寺, not 邸. 自宅 (じたく, 'one's own home') is a real word, which makes this option deliberately tempting.

• 邸宅ていたく — mansion, stately residence
• 客間きゃくま — guest room