N1 Vocabulary · Test 39

なだめられて (passive of なだめる) means 'being calmed down, soothed, pacified.' The speaker felt strong anger at Nakamura's selfish behavior, but a friend calmed them down and they felt a bit better. なだめる is the standard verb for soothing someone's anger or emotions.

• 1親しまれて (passive of 親しむ) means 'being befriended, being made to feel close.' Being befriended does not directly address calming anger.
• 3勧められて (passive of 勧める) means 'being recommended/advised/urged.' A friend might advise you, but the key point is emotional soothing, which is なだめる, not 勧める.
• 4ゆだねられて (passive of ゆだねる) means 'being entrusted/delegated (something to someone).' This makes no sense in context—delegating would not calm the speaker's anger.

• なだめる — to calm down, soothe, pacify (someone's anger/emotions)
• 親したしむ — to befriend, to feel close to
• 勧すすめる — to recommend, advise, urge
• ゆだねる — to entrust, delegate, leave (up to)

言及 (げんきゅう) means 'to mention' or 'to refer to'. In the context of the sentence, the department head explained the broad outline of the new plan but did not 'mention' the specific start date. 言及する is commonly used with the particle に (～に言及する) and fits perfectly here.

• 1供述 (こうじゅつ) means 'testimony' or 'statement', typically given to the police or in a court of law. It is completely out of place in a business meeting context.
• 3告白 (こくはく) means 'confession', usually referring to confessing a crime, a sin, or one's romantic feelings. It does not mean to mention a fact or detail.
• 4通話 (つうわ) means 'phone call' or 'making a phone call'. It does not fit the context of speaking in a meeting, nor does it make sense with the particle に in this sentence structure.

• 言及げんきゅう — mention, refer to
• 供述こうじゅつ — testimony, statement (legal context)
• 告白こくはく — confession (of a crime or love)
• 通話つうわ — phone call, making a call
• 大枠おおわく — broad outline, general framework

しくじって means 'messed up, failed, made a blunder.' Option 2, 失敗して ('failed / made a mistake'), is the closest paraphrase.

• 1緊張して means 'being nervous / tense.' While nervousness might lead to a mistake, it is not the same as failing.
• 3遅刻して means 'being late.' Being late is a specific type of failure but does not capture the general meaning of しくじる.
• 4誤解して means 'misunderstanding.' This is about a failure of comprehension, not the broader sense of messing something up.

• しくじる — to fail, to mess up, to make a blunder