N2 Grammar · Test 4

The correct answer is 2 (も). The pattern V-ますstem + も + しないで means 'without even doing ~' or 'not even doing ~'. Here, 聞きもしないで means 'without even listening to other people's opinions.' The particle も emphasizes the negation, conveying 'not even once / not even slightly.'

• 1まで: 聞きまでしないで is grammatically incorrect. まで cannot be inserted between a verb stem and しないで in this pattern.
• 3と: 聞きとしないで is not a valid grammatical construction. The particle と does not work here.
• 4を: 聞きをしないで is ungrammatical. While を is the object marker for 聞く, in this V-ますstem + しないで pattern, only も is valid.

• 聞ききもしないで — without even listening (V-ますstem + も + しないで: without even doing ~)
• 主張しゅちょう — assertion, insistence

The correct answer is 3 (のついでに). N + のついでに means 'while doing ~ / on the occasion of doing ~ (as a convenient side activity).' 買い物のついでに means 'while out shopping, I dropped by a convenience store and withdrew money from the ATM.' The ATM visit was done conveniently alongside the shopping trip.

• 1の場合: 買い物の場合 means 'in the case of shopping,' which is a conditional/situational expression and does not convey the idea of doing something alongside another activity.
• 2にしては: 買い物にしては means 'for a shopping trip / considering it was shopping,' expressing that something is inconsistent with expectations. This does not fit the context of doing a side errand.
• 4というのは: 買い物というのは means 'the thing called shopping / as for shopping,' which introduces a topic definition and does not connect the two actions.

• のついでに — while doing ~ / on the occasion of ~ (doing something as a convenient side activity)
• 寄よって — dropping by, stopping at
• 下おろしてきた — withdrew (money) and came back

The correct answer is 4 (いったい). いったい is used in questions to express strong curiosity, puzzlement, or emphasis, equivalent to 'on earth' or 'in the world' in English. いったいどうやってできたのでしょうか means 'How on earth was it formed?' This fits the TV program's tone of exploring a mystery.

• 1とうとう: とうとう means 'finally / eventually,' indicating something happened after a long wait or process. It does not pair with a question like どうやって.
• 2おそらく: おそらく means 'probably / perhaps,' expressing conjecture. It does not fit with a direct question.
• 3まもなく: まもなく means 'soon / shortly,' referring to time. It does not fit the context of asking about how the Earth was formed.

• いったい — on earth, in the world (used in questions to express strong curiosity or puzzlement)
• どうやって — how, by what means
• 誕生たんじょう — birth, origin

The correct answer is 1 (下がる). The grammar pattern V-辞書形 + にしたがって means 'as ~ happens, ~ changes proportionally.' 年齢が下がるにしたがって増加している means 'as the husband's age decreases, the proportion increases.' The dictionary form (辞書形) is required before にしたがって when expressing proportional change.

• 2下がっている: V-ている cannot be used before にしたがって in this proportional-change pattern. Only the dictionary form is grammatically correct here.
• 3下がった: The past tense 下がった cannot be used before にしたがって. This pattern requires the dictionary form to express an ongoing proportional relationship.
• 4下がっていた: The past progressive form is also incorrect before にしたがって. Only the dictionary form is valid.

• にしたがって — as ~ happens, in proportion to ~ (V-辞書形 + にしたがって: as X changes, Y changes accordingly)
• 共働ともばたらき — dual-income, both spouses working
• 家事負担かじふたん — housework burden

The correct answer is 3 (一方だ). V-辞書形 + 一方だ means 'keep ~ing more and more / show a one-sided trend of ~ing.' 増える一方だ means 'the number of patients keeps increasing (in one direction).' This describes a continuing, unidirectional trend, which perfectly fits the context of flu patient numbers rising after entering December.

• 1ほどだ: V-辞書形 + ほどだ means 'to the extent that ~,' expressing a degree or extent. This does not describe a continuing trend.
• 2までだ: V-辞書形 + までだ means 'that's all / just ~,' expressing limitation. This does not fit the context of an increasing trend.
• 4次第だ: V-ますstem + 次第だ means 'the situation is that ~ / it depends on ~,' expressing a reason or circumstance. It does not convey a one-directional continuing trend.

• 一方いっぽうだ — keep ~ing more and more, show a continuing one-sided trend (V-辞書形 + 一方だ)
• インフルエンザ — influenza, flu
• 患者数かんじゃすう — number of patients

The correct order is: 山や植物の写真家 として(1) 有名な(4) ★の(2) 岩本まさき氏(3) 写真展が… The full noun phrase is 「山や植物の写真家として有名な岩本まさき氏の写真展」, meaning 'a photo exhibition by Masaki Iwamoto, who is famous as a photographer of mountains and plants.' Option 2 (の) links the person's name to 写真展 (photo exhibition), creating the possessive/modifying relationship 岩本まさき氏の写真展.

• 1として goes in the first blank, right after 写真家, forming 写真家として ('as a photographer'). It cannot go in the ★ position because we need the linker between the person's name and 写真展.
• 3岩本まさき氏 goes in the fourth blank, after の, forming 岩本まさき氏の写真展. If placed at ★, the sentence would break because の would have nothing to connect on its left side.
• 4有名な goes in the second blank, modifying 岩本まさき氏: 有名な岩本まさき氏 ('the famous Mr. Iwamoto'). Placing it at ★ would disrupt the modifier chain.

• 写真家しゃしんか — photographer
• 氏し — Mr. (honorific title for a person)
• 写真展しゃしんてん — photo exhibition
• 開催かいさいされる — to be held/opened (of an event)

The correct order is: 年をとる につれて(2) 短く感じるようになる(4) ★のは(1) なぜ(3) だろうか。 The full sentence means: 'When I was a child, a year felt long, but why is it that as I get older, I come to feel it shorter?' Option 1 (のは) nominalizes the entire preceding clause (年をとるにつれて短く感じるようになる) so that なぜ can question it: ～のはなぜだろうか ('why is it that…?').

• 2につれて goes in the first blank: 年をとるにつれて ('as one gets older'). This grammar means 'as X changes, Y also changes.' It cannot go at ★ because the clause needs to be nominalized first before なぜ.
• 3なぜ goes in the fourth blank, right before だろうか: なぜだろうか ('I wonder why'). Placing it at ★ would break the sentence structure.
• 4短く感じるようになる goes in the second blank: につれて短く感じるようになる ('come to feel (time) shorter'). At ★ it would not connect properly with だろうか.

• ～につれて — as…; along with… (indicates proportional change)
• ～のはなぜだろうか — why is it that…? (nominalization + question)
• 感かんじられる — to be felt; to seem (passive of 感じる)

The correct order is: 情報をどのような 順番で(4) 提示するか(2) ★によって(3) 相手の受け止め方(1) が変わってくるので… The full sentence means: 'Depending on what order you present information, the way the other party interprets it changes, so you need to be conscious of the order when speaking.' Option 3 (によって) means 'depending on / according to,' linking 順番で提示するか ('in what order you present') with 相手の受け止め方 ('how the listener receives it').

• 1相手の受け止め方 goes in the fourth blank, as the subject of 変わってくる: 相手の受け止め方が変わってくる ('the listener's interpretation changes'). At ★ it would not connect grammatically with が変わってくる later.
• 2提示するか goes in the second blank: 順番で提示するか ('in what order (you) present'). At ★ the sentence would not form a coherent clause.
• 4順番で goes in the first blank: どのような順番で ('in what kind of order'). At ★ it would leave the first blank unfillable in a meaningful way.

• 提示ていじする — to present; to show
• 受け止め方（うけとめかた） — way of receiving/interpreting; how one takes something
• ～によって — depending on; according to
• 順番じゅんばん — order; turn

The correct order is: 「百」の字から「一」をとる と(1) 「白」という(4) ★字になる(2) ことから(3) そう呼ばれています。 The full sentence means: 'In Japan, the celebration of 99 years is called 「白寿」(hakuju). It is called that because when you remove the character 「一」 from the character 「百」, it becomes the character 「白」.' Option 2 (字になる) completes the clause: と「白」という字になる ('it becomes the character 「白」'), and ことから then gives the reason.

• 1と goes in the first blank: 「一」をとると ('when you remove 「一」'). This conditional と cannot go at ★ because the clause needs the result (字になる) before ことから.
• 3ことから goes in the fourth blank: 字になることからそう呼ばれています ('from the fact that it becomes (the character 白), it is called so'). At ★ it would leave the clause incomplete.
• 4「白」という goes in the second blank, modifying 字になる: 「白」という字になる ('becomes the character called 白'). At ★ it would not connect properly.

• 白寿はくじゅ — 99th birthday celebration (from 百 minus 一 = 白)
• ～ことから — from the fact that…; because… (gives the origin/reason)
• 呼よばれる — to be called (passive of 呼ぶ)

The correct order is: 最初は 全く興味がなかった(2) 商品なのに(3) ★CMなどで何度か見ている(4) うちに(1) 気になってくる… The full sentence means: 'At first, even for a product you had no interest in at all, is there not a case where, after seeing it several times in commercials and such, you start to become curious about it?' Option 4 (CMなどで何度か見ている) fits at ★, followed by うちに ('while/during'), forming the pattern ～うちに ('while doing X, Y happens').

• 1うちに goes in the fourth blank: 見ているうちに ('while seeing it repeatedly'). This grammar expresses that during the course of an action, a change occurs. It cannot go at ★ because it needs a preceding verb phrase.
• 2全く興味がなかった goes in the first blank: 最初は全く興味がなかった商品なのに ('even though it was a product you had no interest in at first'). At ★ it would break the sentence flow.
• 3商品なのに goes in the second blank: 全く興味がなかった商品なのに ('even though it was a product (you) had no interest in'). At ★ it would not connect with the following うちに.

• ～うちに — while…; during… (expresses a change that happens during an ongoing state/action)
• 気きになってくる — to start becoming curious/interested in
• ザイオンス効果（ザイオンスこうか） — Zajonc effect (mere exposure effect: repeated exposure increases familiarity/preference)