N2 Grammar · Test 51

「～しかない」means 'have no choice but to ~'. The context says the son wants to attend A University, but his current academic ability makes it impossible, so the parent has no choice but to have him take a different university's exam. Option 1 '受験させるしかない' (have no choice but to make him take the exam) fits perfectly, reinforced by the following sentence '本人の希望とは違ってもしかたがないことだ' (it can't be helped even if it differs from his wish).

• 2「受験させないだろう」(probably won't make him take the exam) contradicts the context—the parent needs to act, not abstain.
• 3「受験させるべきではない」(should not make him take the exam) contradicts the context, which implies the parent must take action despite the son's wishes.
• 4「受験させるわけにはいけない」(must not make him take the exam) also contradicts the context, which calls for action, not prohibition.

• ～しかない — have no choice but to ~ (expresses inevitability)
• 無理むり — impossible; unreasonable

「～くせに」means 'despite ~ / even though ~' and carries a tone of criticism or complaint. The sentence expresses frustration: 'That person, despite having been in Japan for 3 whole years, can't even greet in Japanese. I'm completely dumbfounded.' The critical tone of「くせに」matches the speaker's annoyance expressed by「まったくあきれちゃうよ」.

• 2「ものだから」means 'because ~', giving a reason/excuse. This would imply the 3 years in Japan caused the inability to greet, which is illogical.
• 3「だけあって」means 'as one would expect from ~ / justifying ~', carrying a positive nuance. Being unable to greet after 3 years is not something to be proud of, so this doesn't fit.
• 4「～のをきっかけに」means 'taking ~ as an opportunity/trigger', which doesn't fit the contrastive relationship between living in Japan for 3 years and not being able to greet.

• ～くせに — despite ~ / even though ~ (with critical/complaining tone)
• あきれる — to be dumbfounded / to be appalled

「～だらけ」means 'covered all over with ~ / full of ~' and is used when something undesirable or excessive covers a surface. The sentence describes how postcards were put up on the wall and eventually multiplied to an enormous number, so that 'every wall became covered with postcards.' 「絵葉書だらけになっている」perfectly captures this state of being completely covered.

• 1「ぬきに」means 'without ~ / excluding ~', which doesn't fit the context of walls being covered.
• 2「なんかに」is a dismissive expression meaning 'things like ~', which doesn't connect grammatically or semantically with「なってしまった」to describe the wall's state.
• 4「のままに」means 'as it is / leaving as is', which doesn't convey the idea of being covered or filled with postcards.

• ～だらけ — covered all over with ~ / full of ~ (often negative connotation, used for things covering a surface)
• 壁という壁（かべというかべ） — every single wall (emphatic expression meaning 'every wall without exception')

The correct answer is 2 (ねた). The pattern 「～たところ」means 'just finished doing ~' or 'has just done ~,' describing an action that was completed very recently. The sentence means: 'Shh, be quiet. The baby just finally fell asleep a little while ago.' The key clues are 少し前に (a little while ago) and やっと (finally), both indicating a recently completed action. The た form (ねた) + ところ is the correct grammar for 'just did.'

• 1「ねて」is the te-form of ねる. 「ねてところ」is grammatically incorrect—the ところ pattern requires either the た form (just did) or dictionary form (about to do), not the te-form.
• 3「ねているところ」would mean 'is (in the middle of) sleeping,' describing an ongoing state. While the baby is indeed sleeping now, the sentence specifically says 少し前に (a little while ago) and やっと (finally), indicating the focus is on the moment of falling asleep, not the ongoing state. The たところ pattern is required here.
• 4「ねるところ」uses the dictionary form + ところ, which means 'about to do ~' or 'on the verge of doing ~.' This contradicts the context—the baby has already fallen asleep, not is about to fall asleep.

• やっと — finally; at last; barely
• ～たところ — just finished doing ~; has just done ~
• 少し前（すこしまえ） — a little while ago