N1 Vocabulary · Test 53

「改革」は「かいかく」と読みます。「改（かい）」＝改める、「革（かく）」＝革める（新しくする）で、制度や仕組みを改めて良くすることを表します。「医療制度の改革が期待されている」という文脈に合致します。

• 2「かいこく」は「革」を「こく」と読む誤り（「改国」のような存在しない語）。
• 3「かいがく」は「革」を「がく」と読む誤り（「学」などの読みと混同）。
• 4「かいごく」は「革」を「ごく」と読む誤りで、存在しない語。

• 改革かいかく — reform, restructuring (of a system or institution)
• 政権せいけん — administration, government, regime

ハードル (hurdle) is the correct choice. The phrase ハードルが高い (the hurdle is high) is a common idiom meaning something is difficult to achieve or clear. The sentence says the book's content is too difficult, so the 'hurdle is high' for beginners — a perfect fit.

• 1リミット (limit) does not collocate naturally with 高い in this context. One might say リミットが来た (reached the limit), but not リミットが高い to mean 'difficult.'
• 2ブロック (block) does not fit here. ブロックが高い is not a meaningful collocation in Japanese.
• 3ノルマ (quota/norm) can collocate with 高い (ノルマが高い = the quota is high), but it refers to a required amount of work, not the difficulty level of a book. It does not match the context.

• ハードル — hurdle (borrowed from athletics); used figuratively as ハードルが高い to mean 'the bar is high / it is difficult to achieve'
• ノルマ — quota, norm (required amount of work)
• リミット — limit
• ブロック — block, bloc

大筋 (おおすじ, main outline/gist) is correct. The phrase 大筋が固まる (the main outline is settled) is a natural collocation. The sentence means 'the broad outline of the plan is already fixed.'

• 2大幅 (おおはば, large-scale/significant) is an adjective/adverb describing degree, not a noun that can be the subject of 固まる. 大幅が固まる is not grammatical.
• 3大口 (おおぐち) means a large account/customer or a big-mouthed person. It does not collocate with 固まる and is irrelevant to a plan's outline.
• 4大台 (おおだい) refers to a milestone or round-number mark (e.g., in prices or quantities). It does not pair with 固まる in the context of a plan's framework.

• 大筋おおすじ — main outline, gist, broad framework
• 大幅おおはば — large-scale, significant (degree)
• 大口おおぐち — large account/customer; big-mouthed
• 大台おおだい — milestone, round-number mark (e.g. in prices/quantities)

版 (ばん, edition/version) is correct. 改定版 (かいていばん) means 'revised edition,' a standard compound. The sentence says the revised edition of this book is scheduled for release in early September.

• 1刷 (さつ) refers to a printing run/impression (e.g., 第3刷 = 3rd printing). 改定刷 is not a standard term; one would say 改定版 instead.
• 2刊 (かん) relates to publication (出版, 刊行) but is not used as a suffix meaning 'edition' in this way. 改定刊 is not a valid compound.
• 3誌 (し) means magazine/journal (雑誌). 改定誌 is not a standard term and does not fit a book (本書).

究明（きゅうめい）means 'to investigate thoroughly, to get to the bottom of (a matter).' The sentence says 'We want to thoroughly investigate the cause of the system trouble and work to prevent recurrence.' 究明 pairs naturally with 原因 (cause) and 徹底的に (thoroughly), making option 1 the correct choice.

• 2釈明（しゃくめい）means 'to explain or justify one's own actions, to clear up a misunderstanding.' It is used when someone defends or explains their own conduct, not when investigating a cause, so it does not fit here.
• 3察知（さっち）means 'to perceive, sense, or intuit something.' It implies noticing or sensing something, not conducting a thorough investigation into a cause.
• 4探知（たんち）means 'to detect or discover something hidden' (e.g., signals, gas, enemies). It does not convey the systematic investigation of a cause that 究明 does.

• 究明きゅうめい — thorough investigation, getting to the bottom of a matter
• 釈明しゃくめい — explaining/justifying one's own actions
• 察知さっち — perceiving, sensing, intuiting
• 探知たんち — detecting, discovering (something hidden)
• 徹底的てっていてきに — thoroughly, exhaustively
• 再発防止さいはつぼうし — prevention of recurrence

手際 is read てぎわ, meaning 'skillful handling; dexterity; smooth execution.' The sentence means 'The young staff were proceeding with the work skillfully/smoothly.' 手際よく is a common adverbial expression meaning 'skillfully; adroitly.'

• 1しゅざい corresponds to 取材 (gathering news/material), a different word with similar kanji shape.
• 2てきわ is an incorrect reading; 際 is read ぎわ in this compound, not きわ.
• 3しゅさい corresponds to 主催 (sponsorship/hosting), a different word.

• 手際てぎわ — skillful handling; dexterity; smooth execution
• 作業さぎょう — work; operation; task

急遽（きゅうきょ）means 'hastily, on short notice, suddenly.' The sentence describes a situation where, right before a meeting, the section chief became unavailable, so the speaker had to attend as a proxy at the last minute. 急遽 conveys exactly this sense of a sudden, unplanned change requiring hasty action.

• 1瞬時に（しゅんじに）means 'in an instant, momentarily.' It describes something happening in a flash of time (e.g., a reflex or split-second reaction), not a hastily arranged substitution due to changed circumstances.
• 2迅速に（じんそくに）means 'promptly, swiftly.' It describes efficient, quick action, usually in a positive sense of being fast and effective. It does not convey the sudden, unplanned nature of the situation here.
• 3即刻（そっこく）means 'immediately, at once, without delay.' It is used for commands or demands for immediate action (e.g., '即刻やめろ'). It does not fit the context of a last-minute change of plans.

• 急遽きゅうきょ — hastily, suddenly, on short notice
• 瞬時しゅんじに — in an instant, momentarily
• 迅速じんそくに — promptly, swiftly
• 即刻そっこく — immediately, at once

言い張って（いいはって）is the て-form of 言い張る, meaning 'to insist, to stubbornly maintain/claim.' The sentence describes someone who is still insisting 'I definitely submitted the application by the deadline.' The まだ〜ている construction ('still doing') pairs naturally with the stubborn, persistent nuance of 言い張る.

• 1言い残して（いいのこして）is the て-form of 言い残す, meaning 'to leave something unsaid' or 'to say something before departing/leaving behind.' It does not convey repeated insistence on a claim.
• 3言い渡して（いいわたして）is the て-form of 言い渡す, meaning 'to announce, to declare (a ruling/judgment),' typically used by someone in authority handing down a decision. It does not mean insisting on one's own claim.
• 4言い放って（いいはなって）is the て-form of 言い放つ, meaning 'to declare bluntly, to blurt out, to say and leave.' It describes making a bold statement once, not the ongoing insistence that まだ〜ている requires.

• 言い張る（いいはる） — to insist, to stubbornly claim
• 言い残す（いいのこす） — to leave something unsaid, to say before departing
• 言い渡す（いいわたす） — to announce, to declare (a ruling)
• 言い放つ（いいはなつ） — to declare bluntly, to blurt out

妥協（だきょう）means 'compromise.' The sentence says that if things continue as they are, the negotiation won't be settled, so both sides have no choice but to compromise (せざるをえない). 妥協 is the standard word for each side giving ground to reach an agreement in a negotiation.

• 1同調（どうちょう）means 'agreement, sympathy, going along with.' It describes aligning one's opinion or feelings with someone else's, not the mutual concession that negotiations require.
• 3和解（わかい）means 'reconciliation, settling a dispute.' While related to resolving conflict, it refers to the act of making peace or settling a legal dispute, not the give-and-take process of compromise during ongoing negotiations.
• 4融合（ゆうごう）means 'fusion, merging, amalgamation.' It describes two things blending into one, which is far too strong and not what happens in a negotiation compromise.

• 妥協だきょう — compromise
• 同調どうちょう — agreement, sympathy, going along with
• 和解わかい — reconciliation, settling a dispute
• 融合ゆうごう — fusion, merging

寄与（きよ）means 'contribution.' The pattern 〜するところは大きい ('the contribution/effect of ~ is great') is a common formal expression. The sentence states that this thesis's contribution to the future development of medicine will be significant. 寄与するところは大きい is a set phrase in academic/formal writing.

• 2普及（ふきゅう）means 'spread, popularization, dissemination.' While a thesis might spread knowledge, 普及するところは大きい is not a natural collocation, and 'popularization' does not capture the active contribution to a field's development.
• 3供与（きょうよ）means 'provision, granting, supplying' (e.g., funds, resources). It refers to giving or providing something concrete, not contributing to an abstract development.
• 4波及（はきゅう）means 'spread (of influence/effects), ripple effect.' 波及するところは大きい could describe indirect consequences, but the sentence is about a thesis directly contributing to medical progress, making 寄与 the better and more standard choice.

• 寄与きよ — contribution
• 普及ふきゅう — spread, popularization
• 供与きょうよ — provision, granting
• 波及はきゅう — spread of influence, ripple effect