N2 Grammar · Test 42

「について」means 'about/regarding' a topic. 「この問題について」= 'about this problem.' The sentence means: 'Regarding this problem, please think about it more carefully together.' 「について」is the standard particle pattern for indicating the topic of consideration/discussion.

• 1「して」alone is not a complete grammatical expression meaning 'about.' It would need to be part of a longer construction (e.g., について) and cannot stand alone here.
• 2「したがって」means 'in accordance with / following.' 「この問題にしたがって」would mean 'following this problem,' which makes no sense in context.
• 3「にとって」means 'from the perspective of / for (someone).' It is used with a person or entity (e.g., 私にとって 'for me'), not with a problem as the topic of discussion.

• について — about, regarding (a topic)
• にとって — for (someone), from the perspective of
• したがって — in accordance with, following

The pattern V-ば V-るほど means 'the more... the more...' 「考えれば考えるほど」= 'the more I think about it, the more...' The sentence means: 'The more I think about it, the more I sometimes can't figure out a solution.' This is a classic proportional-correlation grammar pattern.

• 1「より」is used for comparison ('than'), not for the 'the more...the more...' pattern. 「考えるより」would mean 'rather than thinking,' which doesn't fit the sentence structure.
• 3「かぎり」means 'as long as / to the extent that.' 「考えるかぎり」= 'as long as I think,' which doesn't express the proportional relationship needed here.
• 4「ことに」means 'especially / particularly' or is used in patterns like V-ることに(は) for emphasis. It does not express the 'the more...the more...' correlation.

• 〜ば〜ほど — the more... the more... (proportional correlation)
• かぎり — as long as, to the extent that

「にしたがって」means 'as... (something changes/progresses), along with...' 「国の経済が発展するにしたがって」= 'as the country's economy develops.' The sentence means: 'As the country's economy develops, people's lives have also improved.' This pattern expresses a change that occurs in parallel with another change.

• 1「にとって」means 'for (someone's perspective).' 「発展するにとって」is grammatically incorrect — にとって requires a person/entity, not an action.
• 2「に対して」means 'towards / in contrast to.' It expresses opposition or contrast, not a parallel progressive change.
• 3「に関して」means 'regarding / concerning.' It introduces a topic but does not express the 'as X happens, Y also happens' relationship.

• にしたがって — as..., along with... (change following another change)
• に対して（にたいして） — towards, in contrast to
• に関して（にかんして） — regarding, concerning

「べきだ」expresses a moral obligation or recommendation: 'should.' 「若者は老人に席をゆずるべきだ」= 'Young people should give up their seats to elderly people.' This fits perfectly as a statement about what is proper behavior on public transportation.

• 1「きり」means 'only / just' and is used to express a limit (e.g., 〜たきり 'did something and that was it'). 「ゆずるきりだ」is grammatically unnatural and doesn't express obligation.
• 2「ため(だ)」means 'for the purpose of / because of.' While 「ゆずるためだ」could mean 'it is for the purpose of yielding,' the sentence is expressing a moral should, not a purpose.
• 3「まい」is a negative volitional/negative inference meaning '(I) will not' or 'probably will not.' 「ゆずるまいだ」would mean '(they) probably won't yield,' which contradicts the intended meaning.

• べきだ — should (moral obligation or recommendation)
• きり — only, just (expressing a limit)
• まい — will not, probably not (negative volitional)

「静かにしろ」is the imperative (command) form of 「静かにする」(to make quiet / to be quiet). 静か is a na-adjective, and 静か + に + する = 'to make (things) quiet.' The imperative しろ means 'do it!' The full quote 「うるさい。静かにしろ。」= 'You're noisy. Be quiet!'

• 1「静か」alone is a na-adjective stem. It cannot directly connect to 「しろ」without the particle に. 「静かしろ」is grammatically incorrect.
• 2「静かだ」is the plain form of the na-adjective. 「静かだしろ」is grammatically nonsensical — you cannot attach しろ to だ.
• 3「静かな」is the pre-noun form of the na-adjective. 「静かなしろ」is grammatically incorrect — な connects to nouns, not to the imperative verb しろ.

• 静しずかにする — to make quiet, to be quiet
• しろ — do it! (imperative/command form of する)

The pattern V(volitional) + としたが means 'tried to do V, but...'. 乗ろう（のろう）is the volitional form of 乗る（のる）, so 乗ろうとしたが means 'I tried to get on the train, but...'. The second clause こんでいて乗れなかった ('it was crowded and I couldn't get on') confirms the attempt-and-failure structure.

• 1乗る is the dictionary form. 乗る + としたが is ungrammatical; the pattern requires the volitional form.
• 2乗って is the te-form. 乗って + としたが does not form a valid grammar pattern.
• 3乗らない is the negative form. 乗らないとしたが would mean 'tried not to get on,' which contradicts the context of wanting to board but being unable to.

• 乗のろう — volitional form of 乗る (のる): 'let's ride / get on'
• 〜としたが — tried to do ~, but... (volitional + とする past + が)
• 込こむ — to be crowded (こんでいて = te-form of こむ, 'being crowded')

からすると is a fixed pattern meaning 'judging from ~.' 話し方からすると means 'judging from the way he talks,' which fits perfectly: 'Judging from the way he talks, he doesn't seem to be from Tokyo.'

• 1いると does not form a valid pattern with から. からいると is ungrammatical.
• 3あると: からあると is not a standard expression for 'judging from.'
• 4くると: からくると is ungrammatical and meaningless in this context.

• 〜からすると — judging from ~; based on ~
• 話し方（はなしかた） — way of speaking; manner of speech

The pattern Adjective(た) + ことに expresses an emotional reaction: 'to one's (emotion), ~.' 困ったことに means 'to my distress / annoyingly.' The sentence reads: 'Annoyingly, I just couldn't remember the other person's name no matter what.'

• 1わけか means 'is it the case that... / the reason being...?' and does not fit the 'to one's emotion' pattern.
• 2ように would mean 'so that ~ / as if ~,' which doesn't convey the emotional framing needed here.
• 4とおりで means 'just as ~ / according to ~,' which doesn't express the speaker's emotional reaction.

• 困こまったことに — to one's distress; annoyingly; troublingly
• 思い出す（おもいだす） — to recall; to remember (思い出せなかった = couldn't remember)

〜のことだから is a pattern meaning 'knowing/since it's ~ (who has such a characteristic).' 時間に正確な彼女のことだから means 'knowing her—she's always punctual—she'll be here soon.' The speaker uses her known trait to predict her behavior.

• 2だとしても means 'even if it were ~,' which would express a hypothetical, not a confident prediction based on her character.
• 3だったり means 'being ~ or...' and is used for listing alternatives, not for reasoning.
• 4なのに means 'even though ~,' which would express surprise or contradiction, opposite of the confident prediction here.

• 〜のことだから — knowing ~ (and their nature), ...; since it's ~
• 時間に正確（じかんにせいかく） — punctual; precise about time

さえ + 〜ば/〜なければ means 'as long as ~ (doesn't happen), ...' / 'if only ~.' 名前さえ出なければ means 'as long as the name doesn't even appear, there won't be a problem.' さえ emphasizes the minimal condition.

• 1ほど means 'to the extent of ~' and doesn't fit the conditional structure 〜ば/〜なければ.
• 2こそ means 'precisely / exactly ~' and is used for emphasis, not for setting a minimal condition with 〜なければ.
• 3かぎり means 'as long as ~' but is used with affirmative conditions (〜かぎり = 'as long as ~'), not with 〜なければ in this way.

• 〜さえ〜ば/〜さえ〜ない — as long as ~; if only ~ (minimal condition)
• 出でる — to appear; to be published (出なければ = if it doesn't appear)