N2 Grammar · Test 9

によって means 'by means of / through.' The sentence says: 'By means of investigating Antarctic ice, one can apparently learn about the Earth's climate hundreds of thousands of years ago.' The method/means relationship fits perfectly: 調べることによって = 'by investigating.'

• 2にとって means 'for (someone/something)' and marks a perspective or standpoint (e.g., 私にとって 'for me'). It cannot express means/method, so it doesn't fit here.
• 3に関して means 'regarding / concerning' a topic. While you could say 南極の氷に関して 'regarding Antarctic ice,' it doesn't connect to 'can learn the climate' as a means-result relationship.
• 4に対して means 'towards / against' a target. It expresses opposition or direction (e.g., 質問に対して 'in response to the question'), not means.

• によって — by means of, through (method/means)
• にとって — for (someone's perspective/standpoint)
• に関して（にかんして） — regarding, concerning
• に対して（にたいして） — towards, against, in response to

とても〜ない is a fixed pattern meaning 'cannot possibly / no way to.' The sentence: 'This piece is so difficult for me that I couldn't possibly play it.' とても弾けそうにない = 'there's no way I could play it.' The そうにない after 弾け already suggests negative prospect, and とても strengthens it to 'absolutely not.'

• 1だんだん means 'gradually' and describes a progressive change over time. It doesn't pair with 〜そうにない in this context.
• 2今にも means 'about to / on the verge of (doing something)' and is used with 〜しそうだ (imminent action). It doesn't fit a negative-potential sentence about inability.
• 3必ず means 'definitely / without fail.' Saying 必ず弾けそうにない is contradictory and unnatural — you wouldn't say 'I definitely can't play it' with そうにない.

• とても — (with negative) cannot possibly, no way
• だんだん — gradually, little by little
• 今いまにも — about to, on the verge of
• 必かならず — definitely, without fail
• 弾ひく — to play (a stringed instrument / piano)

あまり means 'due to extreme / because of excessive...' and follows a noun + の. 緊張のあまり = 'due to excessive nervousness.' The sentence: 'At the job interview, my voice trembled because I was so nervous.' The pattern Nのあまり expresses a result caused by an extreme emotional or physical state.

• 1わけで means 'because / for that reason' and explains a logical reason. While it could loosely explain why the voice trembled, 緊張のわけで is not a natural fixed expression and doesn't convey the 'extreme degree' nuance the sentence needs.
• 3ことに means 'to my (surprise/relief/etc.)' and attaches to adjectives/verbs (驚いたことに, 嬉しいことに), not to a noun like 緊張. 緊張のことに is ungrammatical.
• 4中を means 'while in / through (a space or process).' 緊張の中を is not a standard collocation and doesn't express cause-and-effect from an extreme state.

• あまり — due to extreme..., because of excessive... (Nのあまり)
• わけで — because, for that reason
• ことに — to one's (surprise/relief), (adj/V) ことに
• 緊張きんちょう — nervousness, tension
• 震ふるえる — to tremble, to shake

ほど here means 'about / approximately' and softens a quantity. 30分ほど行ったところ = 'a place about 30 minutes away by bus.' ほど after a quantity/duration expresses an approximate amount, similar to くらい/ぐらい.

• 1など means 'etc. / things like' and lists examples. 30分など行ったところ is ungrammatical — you can't attach など directly to a duration like this to mean 'about.'
• 2などに means 'at places like / to places like.' 30分などに is grammatically broken and meaningless in this context.
• 4ほどに is not a standard expression meaning 'about.' While ほど can mean 'approximately,' adding に makes it ungrammatical here.

• ほど — about, approximately (after quantity/duration)
• など — etc., things like
• 〜ところ — a place (where something is located)

決まり次第 means 'as soon as it is decided.' 次第 after a V-ます stem means 'as soon as... / immediately upon...'. The email says: 'We will hold a welcome party on April 20, so please join us. The location will be announced as soon as it is decided.' This is the natural business-email phrasing for a pending decision.

• 1決まったおかげで means 'thanks to it being decided.' This implies the place is already decided and thanks to that fact something happened — it doesn't fit 'we'll notify you once it's decided.'
• 3決まって以来 means 'since it was decided.' This implies the decision already happened in the past, which contradicts the future notification 'お知らせします.'
• 4決まる一方で means 'on one hand it is being decided / while it keeps getting decided.' 一方で contrasts two simultaneous trends and makes no sense with a single pending decision.

• 〜次第（〜しだい） — as soon as..., immediately upon... (V-ます stem + 次第)
• おかげで — thanks to... (positive cause)
• 〜以来（〜いらい） — since... (a past event)
• 一方いっぽうで — on one hand..., while on the other...
• なお — furthermore, additionally (used to add info in letters/emails)

The correct order is 3 → 1 → 4 → 2, making the sentence: 優しい子になってほしい。娘の「名前を」「優子」に「したのは」「そういった願いを」込めたからだ。 (I want her to become a kind child. I named my daughter Yuko because I put such a wish into it.) The grammar pattern tested here is 「～のは～からだ」 (The reason why ~ is ~). The phrase before 「のは」 must be a complete action, which is 「娘の名前を「優子」にする」 (to name my daughter Yuko). Therefore, 「したのは」 fits perfectly in the ★ position to connect the action to the reason that follows.

• 1「優子」に cannot go in the ★ position because it must directly follow 「名前を」 to form the phrase 「名前を「優子」にする」 (to name her Yuko). Placing it at ★ would break this necessary connection.
• 2「そういった願いを」 cannot go in the ★ position because it is the object of the verb 「込めた」 at the end of the sentence (「そういった願いを込めた」 - put such a wish into it). It must come right before 「込めたからだ」.
• 3「名前を」 cannot go in the ★ position because it is the object of the verb 「する」 (to name). It must come right before 「「優子」に」 to form the phrase 「名前を「優子」にする」.

• 優やさしい — kind, gentle
• 娘むすめ — daughter
• 名前なまえ — name
• 願ねがい — wish, desire
• 込こめる — to put into, to include (a feeling or thought)
• ～のは～からだ — The reason why ~ is ~

The correct order is: いまや携帯電話は [4.生活] [1.に欠かせない] [★2.道具] [3.として] 定着したといえるのではないか。 The full sentence: 「いまや携帯電話は生活に欠かせない道具として定着したといえるのではないか。」(Can't we say that mobile phones have now become established as an indispensable tool for daily life?) The phrase builds as: 生活に欠かせない道具として (as an indispensable tool for life). The ★ is in the third position = 道具 (option 2).

• 1に欠かせない belongs in the second blank, modifying 道具: 生活に欠かせない道具 (a tool indispensable to life).
• 3として belongs in the fourth (last) blank, after 道具: 道具として (as a tool).
• 4生活 belongs in the first blank, right after いまや携帯電話は: 生活に欠かせない (indispensable to life).

• 定着ていちゃくする — to become established, to take root
• 欠かかせない — indispensable, essential

The correct order is: スケジュール [2.どおりに] [4.仕事を進める] [★3.には] [1.どうすればいいか] 常に考えながら作業をしている。 The full sentence: 「私は、スケジュールどおりに仕事を進めるにはどうすればいいか常に考えながら作業をしている。」(I always work while thinking about how I can proceed with my work according to the schedule.) The structure is: [スケジュールどおりに仕事を進める] + には (in order to) + [どうすればいいか] (how to do it). The ★ is in the third position = には (option 3).

• 1どうすればいいか belongs in the fourth (last) blank, completing the embedded question: にはどうすればいいか (how to do it in order to...).
• 2どおりに belongs in the first blank, right after スケジュール: スケジュールどおりに (according to the schedule).
• 4仕事を進める belongs in the second blank: どおりに仕事を進めるには (in order to proceed with work according to...).

• どおりに — according to, exactly as
• 〜には — in order to (expresses purpose)

The correct order is: 筋肉トレーニングを [2.しているとき] [1.今自分がどこを鍛えているのか] [★4.意識するのと] [3.しないのでは] 効果は全く違います。 The full sentence: 「筋肉トレーニングをしているとき今自分がどこを鍛えているのか意識するのとしないのでは効果は全く違います。」(When doing muscle training, the effect is completely different between being conscious of which part you are currently training and not being conscious of it.) The structure is: [意識するのと] [しないのでは] — 'between doing X and not doing X' (contrast of two alternatives). The ★ is in the third position = 意識するのと (option 4).

• 1今自分がどこを鍛えているのか belongs in the second blank, forming the content of 意識する: 今自分がどこを鍛えているのか意識する (be conscious of which part you are currently training).
• 2しているとき belongs in the first blank, right after 筋肉トレーニングを: 筋肉トレーニングをしているとき (when doing muscle training).
• 3しないのでは belongs in the fourth (last) blank, paired with 意識するのと: 意識するのとしないのでは (between being conscious and not being conscious).

• 意識いしきする — to be conscious of, to be aware of
• 鍛きたえる — to train, to strengthen
• 〜のと〜のでは — between doing X and doing Y (comparing two cases)

The correct order is: 「みるく屋」は、A市に [2.住んでいる人なら] [3.知らない人はいないくらい] [★1.有名な] [4.お菓子屋さん] です。 The full sentence: 「『みるく屋』は、A市に住んでいる人なら知らない人はいないくらい有名なお菓子屋さんです。」('Mirukuya' is a famous sweets shop so well-known that there is no one living in A City who doesn't know it.) The structure is: (A市に住んでいる人なら知らない人はいないくらい) modifies 有名な, which modifies お菓子屋さん. The ★ is in the third position = 有名な (option 1).

• 2住んでいる人なら belongs in the first blank, right after A市に: A市に住んでいる人なら (if you're someone living in A City).
• 3知らない人はいないくらい belongs in the second blank: 住んでいる人なら知らない人はいないくらい (so famous that no one living there doesn't know it).
• 4お菓子屋さん belongs in the fourth (last) blank, as the head noun: 有名なお菓子屋さんです (is a famous sweets shop).

• 〜くらい — to the extent that, so much that
• 定着ていちゃく — establishment, taking root (not tested here but appears in Q46)