N1 Vocabulary · Test 56

穏やか is read おだやか, meaning 'calm, mild, gentle.' It is a native Japanese adjective (na-adjective) describing weather, temperament, or situations that are peaceful and undisturbed. The sentence describes 'calm weather (穏やかな天気) like the arrival of spring,' which fits perfectly.

• 1ゆるやか (緩やか) means 'loose, lax, lenient, relaxed.' It describes things like rules, clothing, or slopes that are not tight or strict. It does not describe calm weather.
• 3すこやか (健やか) means 'healthy, sound, hale.' It describes physical or mental health and does not apply to weather.
• 4さわやか (爽やか) means 'refreshing, brisk, clear.' While it can describe weather (e.g., a refreshing breeze), it emphasizes a crisp, refreshing quality rather than the calm, gentle, settled quality of 穏やか. The sentence's context of 穏やかな天気 continuing for days points to 'calm/mild,' not 'refreshing.'

• 穏おだやか — calm, mild, gentle, peaceful
• 緩ゆるやか — loose, lax, lenient, relaxed
• 健すこやか — healthy, sound
• 爽さわやか — refreshing, brisk, clear

沈黙 is read ちんもく, meaning 'silence' or 'muteness.' The sentence means 'The two stayed silent, gazing for a while at the mountain range as evening darkness closed in.' Option 3 ちんもく is the correct reading.

• 1ちんばく is an incorrect reading that misreads 黙(もく) as ばく — a plausible-sounding but wrong voicing.
• 2しんばく misreads both characters: 沈 is ちん, not しん, and 黙 is もく, not ばく.
• 4しんもく misreads 沈(ちん) as しん; the correct first character reading is ちん.

• 沈黙ちんもく — silence, muteness
• 夕闇ゆうやみ — evening darkness
• 迫せまる — to approach, to close in
• 山並やまなみ — mountain range, row of mountains
• 眺ながめる — to gaze at, to look out over

夕闇 is read ゆうやみ, meaning 'evening darkness' — the darkness that comes at dusk. The phrase 夕闇の迫る山並み means 'the mountain range as evening darkness closes in.' Option 1 ゆうやみ is correct.

• 2ゆぐれ is a truncated/incorrect form; the word for 'dusk/twilight' is 夕暮れ(ゆうぐれ), not ゆぐれ.
• 3ゆやみ drops the long vowel う from ゆう; correct is ゆうやみ.
• 4ゆうぐれ is the reading of 夕暮れ (dusk/twilight), a different word from 夕闇 (evening darkness). The kanji 闇(やみ, darkness) is not read ぐれ.

• 夕闇ゆうやみ — evening darkness
• 夕暮ゆうぐれ — dusk, twilight (different word)

迫る is read せまる, meaning 'to approach, to close in (on someone/something).' Here 夕闇の迫る modifies 山並み: 'the mountain range as evening darkness closes in.' Option 2 せまる is correct.

• 1とまる (止まる/泊まる) means 'to stop' or 'to stay (overnight),' which does not fit the context of darkness approaching.
• 3たまる (溜まる/堪まる) means 'to accumulate' or 'to be bearable,' unrelated to the meaning needed here.
• 4そまる (染まる) means 'to be dyed/colored,' which is semantically wrong for darkness closing in.

• 迫せまる — to approach, to close in, to press upon

眺める is read ながめる, meaning 'to gaze at, to look out over (something at a distance).' The sentence says they gazed at the mountain range for a while. Option 4 ながめて is correct.

• 1さめて (覚めて/冷めて) means 'to wake up' or 'to cool down,' unrelated to looking at scenery.
• 2みとめて (認めて) means 'to acknowledge, to recognize, to accept,' a different verb.
• 3ほめて (褒めて/誉めて) means 'to praise,' which does not fit the context of gazing at mountains.

• 眺ながめる — to gaze at, to look out over
• 認みとめる — to acknowledge, to recognize, to accept

「奉仕」is read ほうし. 奉(ほう) + 仕(し). It means 'service, volunteer service'. The sentence: 'The singer gladly donated the concert proceeds to an organization engaged in volunteer/service activities.'

• 1ぼうし (防止) — means 'prevention'. Different word; 奉 is ほう (unvoiced), not ぼう. Plausible look-alike distractor.
• 3ぞうし (造詣/増資?) — not a reading of 奉仕; ぞう is wrong for 奉. Fabricated distractor.
• 4そうし (掃除/騒姿?) — not a reading of 奉仕; そう is wrong for 奉. Fabricated distractor.

• 奉仕ほうし — service, volunteer service
• 寄付きふ — donation, contribution
• 収益しゅうえき — proceeds, profit, revenue
• 快こころよく — gladly, willingly

収益 is read しゅうえき, meaning 'profit / proceeds / earnings.' The sentence means 'The singer gladly donated the proceeds (収益) of the concert to an organization doing volunteer work.'

• 1しゅうかく is 収穫 (harvest), a different word with a similar-looking first kanji.
• 2しゅかく is not a standard reading of 収益; it is a distractor that drops the long vowel う.
• 3しゅえき drops the long う from しゅうえき; a plausible but incorrect shortened reading.

• 収益しゅうえき — profit, proceeds, earnings
• 寄付きふ — donation, contribution
• 快こころよく — gladly, willingly

快く is read こころよく, meaning 'gladly / willingly / cheerfully.' It modifies 寄付した, describing the singer's willing attitude in donating.

• 1いさぎよく (潔く) means 'graciously / resolutely (without hesitation),' often used for accepting defeat or taking responsibility — not for donating willingly.
• 3いちじるしく (著しく) means 'remarkably / noticeably,' an adjective in く-form, unrelated in meaning.
• 4まぎらわしく (紛らわしく) means 'deceptively similar / confusingly alike,' unrelated in meaning.

• 快こころよく — gladly, willingly, cheerfully
• 寄付きふ — donation, contribution

寄付 is read きふ, meaning 'donation / contribution.' The sentence says the singer donated the concert proceeds to a volunteer organization.

• 1きぶ is an incorrect voicing (rendaku-like) distractor; there is no word きぶ meaning donation.
• 2きぶう is not a valid reading of 寄付; it adds an extra vowel and wrong voicing.
• 4きふう is not a valid reading of 寄付; it adds an unnecessary long vowel う.

• 寄付きふ — donation, contribution
• 収益しゅうえき — proceeds, earnings

首相 is read しゅしょう, meaning 'prime minister.' The sentence means 'The opposition party took a stern stance toward the prime minister's diplomatic policy.'

• 1しゅうそう is not the correct reading of 首相; it is a distractor with a long う and そう.
• 3しゅそう drops the long う from しゅしょう; a plausible but incorrect shortened reading.
• 4しゅうしょう inserts an extra long う before しょう; not the correct reading.

• 首相しゅしょう — prime minister
• 野党やとう — opposition party
• 外交方針がいこうほうしん — diplomatic policy