N1 Vocabulary · Test 65

幅広い（はばひろい）means 'wide-ranging, broad.' 幅広い年齢層 ('a wide range of age groups') is a standard collocation. The sentence says this song is enjoyed by everyone from children to the elderly, i.e., across a wide age range.

• 1分厚い（ぶあつい）means 'thick' (e.g., a thick book or slice). It is not used to describe age groups.
• 3広大な（こうだいな）means 'vast, extensive,' describing physical area (e.g., 広大な土地). It is not used for age ranges.
• 4重厚な（じゅうこうな）means 'solid, dignified, imposing,' describing style or atmosphere. It is not used for age groups.

• 幅広はばひろい — wide-ranging, broad
• 分厚ぶあつい — thick
• 広大こうだいな — vast, extensive (area)
• 重厚じゅうこうな — solid, dignified, imposing

起伏（きふく）means 'ups and downs, fluctuations.' 感情の起伏が激しい ('one's emotions fluctuate violently') is a standard expression describing someone whose feelings rise and fall dramatically. This fits the description of the novel's protagonist.

• 1高低（こうてい）means 'height difference, high and low,' typically used for physical elevation or pitch. It is not used for emotions.
• 2出没（しゅつぼつ）means 'appearing and disappearing,' used for things like animals or suspicious figures showing up. It is not used for emotions.
• 3明暗（めいあん）means 'light and dark, brightness and darkness,' used literally or figuratively for contrast in fortune/situation. It is not used for emotional fluctuation.

• 起伏きふく — ups and downs, fluctuations
• 高低こうてい — height difference, high and low
• 出没しゅつぼつ — appearing and disappearing
• 明暗めいあん — light and dark, contrast

取り戻した (とりもどした) means 'regained/recovered.' The sentence says Mori was agitated when he heard the story, but gradually regained his usual calmness. 取り戻す collocates naturally with a state or quality you previously had (冷静さ = calmness) and then lost temporarily.

• 1引き寄せた (ひきよせた) means 'pulled closer/attracted.' You cannot 'pull closer' a mental state like calmness; it is used for physical objects or drawing people/situations toward you.
• 2呼び込んだ (よびこんだ) means 'invited in/brought about.' This is used for inviting guests or drawing in a situation (e.g., trouble), not for recovering a state you already possess.
• 4受け入れた (うけいれた) means 'accepted.' You 'accept' facts, criticism, or conditions, not your own calmness — calmness is something you regain, not something you accept from outside.

• 動揺どうようする — to be agitated/shaken
• 冷静れいせいさ — calmness/composure
• 取り戻す（とりもどす） — to regain/recover
• 引き寄せる（ひきよせる） — to pull closer/attract
• 呼び込む（よびこむ） — to invite in/bring about
• 受け入れる（うけいれる） — to accept

弁解 (べんかい) means 'making excuses/justifying oneself.' 言い訳する (いいわけする) is the closest synonym: both refer to explaining or defending one's actions to avoid blame. 必死に (desperately) fits the nuance of someone frantically making excuses.

• 1考えて (かんがえて) means 'thinking.' 弁解 is not mere thinking; it involves verbal defense/excuse-making.
• 2反論して (はんろんして) means 'rebutting/arguing back.' This is countering someone else's argument, not defending/excusing oneself.
• 3謝って (あやまって) means 'apologizing.' 弁解 is not apologizing; it is explaining or making excuses, often to deflect blame rather than to admit fault.

• 弁解べんかい — making excuses/justifying oneself
• 言い訳する（いいわけする） — to make excuses
• 反論はんろんする — to rebut/argue back
• 謝あやまる — to apologize

ありふれた means 'common/ordinary/commonplace.' 平凡な (へいぼんな) means 'ordinary/mediocre,' making it the best synonym. The sentence says many of the proposals at today's meeting were commonplace/unremarkable.

• 2特殊な (とくしゅな) means 'special/unusual,' which is the opposite of ありふれた.
• 3幼稚な (ようちな) means 'childish/immature,' unrelated to being common.
• 4複雑な (ふくざつな) means 'complex/complicated,' unrelated to being common.

• ありふれた — common/ordinary/commonplace
• 平凡へいぼんな — ordinary/mediocre
• 特殊とくしゅな — special/unusual
• 幼稚ようちな — childish/immature
• 複雑ふくざつな — complex/complicated

The correct answer is 1 (ウエイト). 「ウエイト（weight）を置（お）く」is a common katakana expression meaning 'to put emphasis/weight on something.' The sentence means: 'In our company's recruitment exam, we place more weight on the interview than the written exam.' ウエイトを置く is the standard collocation.

• 2トップ (top) means 'the top / the highest position.' トップを置く is not a standard expression for emphasizing something.
• 3パワー (power) means 'power / energy.' パワーを置く is not a standard collocation in Japanese.
• 4メイン (main) means 'main / principal.' While メイン can be used as an adjective-like modifier (e.g., メインの試験), メインを置く is not a standard expression for placing emphasis.

• ウエイトを置く（うえいとをおく） — to put weight/emphasis on something
• ウエイト（うえいと） — weight, emphasis (from English 'weight')

The correct answer is 4 (予断). 「予断（よだん）を許（ゆる）さない」is a fixed expression meaning 'not allowing any premature conclusion / unpredictable / too close to call.' It describes a situation where the outcome is uncertain until the very end. The sentence means: 'The elected Mr. Hayashi told reporters that this election was a fierce battle that did not allow any premature predictions until the final stage.' 予断を許さない is the standard collocation.

• 1予期（よき）means 'expectation / anticipation.' 予期を許さない is not a standard fixed expression in Japanese.
• 2見通し（みとおし）means 'outlook / prospect / foresight.' 見通しを許さない is not a standard collocation; the fixed phrase uses 予断.
• 3見込み（みこみ）means 'prospect / chance / expectation.' 見込みを許さない is not a standard fixed expression.

• 予断を許さない（よだんをゆるさない） — not allowing premature conclusions; unpredictable; too close to call
• 予断よだん — premature conclusion, hasty judgment
• 予期よき — expectation, anticipation
• 見通みとおし — outlook, prospect, foresight
• 見込みこみ — prospect, chance, expectation

てきぱきと (手際よく) means doing things promptly and efficiently. The sentence says Tanaka always proceeds with work efficiently/smoothly, so てきぱきと fits perfectly. It collocates well with 手際よく (てぎわよく, 'skillfully/neatly').

• 1めきめきと means 'remarkably/fast' and is used for rapid improvement or progress (e.g., 上達する), not for describing how one handles work tasks.
• 2さらさらと means 'smoothly/fluently' and is typically used for writing or speaking smoothly, not for the manner of doing work.
• 4すくすくと means 'growing rapidly/healthily' and is used for plants or children growing, not for work progress.

• 手際てぎわよく — skillfully, efficiently, neatly
• てきぱきと — promptly and efficiently
• めきめきと — remarkably, rapidly (improvement)
• さらさらと — smoothly, fluently
• すくすくと — growing rapidly/healthily

無償 (むしょう) means 'free of charge, without compensation.' ただで ('for free') is the correct paraphrase. The sentence says registered customers can receive this service free of charge.

• 2優先的に (ゆうせんてきに) means 'preferentially/giving priority,' which is unrelated to 'free of charge.'
• 3いつでも means 'anytime,' which does not capture the meaning of 無償.
• 4予約しなくても means 'even without a reservation,' which is unrelated to 'free of charge.'

• 無償むしょう — free of charge, without compensation
• ただで — for free, without paying

打ち込んでいる (うちこんでいる) means 'devoting oneself to something, being deeply engaged in.' 熱心に取り組んでいる ('enthusiastically working on / tackling') is the best paraphrase. The sentence says Yamamoto seems to be devoting himself to his new job.

• 1興味を持ってい (きょうみをもってい) means 'having interest,' which is weaker than 打ち込む — it implies only interest, not deep engagement.
• 2しつこく誘われている (しつこくさそわれている) means 'being persistently invited/pursued,' which is unrelated.
• 3時間をとられている means 'being taken up (time),' which has a negative nuance of being busy/burdened, unlike 打ち込む which is positive engagement.

• 打ち込む（うちこむ） — to devote oneself to, to be deeply engaged in
• 熱心に取り組む（ねっしんにとりくむ） — to enthusiastically tackle/work on