N2 Reading · Test 18

The sentence pattern is '～ものがある。Xだ。' (There is something... It is X.). This is a common construction where the second sentence identifies what the 'もの' (something) refers to. The passage is about roads, so 道路 (roads) correctly fills the blank: 'There is something everyone relies on... It is roads.' The sentence that follows ('当たり前のように存在し、多くの人に利用されているが...') then describes roads as something that exists naturally and is used by many people.

• 2ある道路 means 'a certain road' / 'some road.' This would imply a specific but unidentified road, but the passage is talking about roads in general as a category, not one particular road.
• 3その道路 means 'that road,' referring back to a previously mentioned specific road. No road has been mentioned yet at this point in the text, so there is nothing for その to point back to.
• 4こんな道路 means 'this kind of road,' which would require a preceding description of what kind of road is meant. Nothing has been described yet, so this cannot refer to anything.

• 道路どうろ — road, street, highway
• お世話になる（おせわになる） — to be indebted to, to rely on (humble/polite expression)
• 当たり前（あたりまえ） — natural, obvious, taken for granted

ご存じだろうか means 'Do you know (it)?' as a rhetorical question posed to the reader. The context is key: the previous sentence says these things are 'あまり知られていない' (not well known). The writer then introduces an example and asks the reader 'Did you know about this?' before explaining the mechanism. This rhetorical-question pattern (～ことはご存じだろうか) is a common expository writing technique in Japanese to engage readers before presenting lesser-known information.

• 1ご存じだ means 'you know (it),' stated as a fact. This contradicts the passage's premise that these things are 'あまり知られていない' (not well known). The writer would not assert the reader knows something that is supposedly unknown.
• 2ご存じのようだ means 'it seems you know (it).' This also contradicts the 'not well known' context and sounds unnatural as an expository device—it would imply the writer is observing the reader's knowledge, which makes no sense in a written text.
• 4ご存じなのだろう means 'you probably know (it).' This suggests the writer assumes the reader likely knows, which again contradicts the idea that this information is not widely known. It also lacks the engaging rhetorical-question feel.

• ご存じ（ごぞんじ） — honorific form of 知っている (to know); used to address the reader respectfully
• だろうか — rhetorical question ending: 'I wonder if...?' / 'Could it be that...?'
• 知しられていない — not known, not well known (passive of 知る)

また means 'also / additionally / furthermore' and is used to introduce a new, parallel example or topic. The previous paragraph discussed rainwater drainage on roads; this paragraph shifts to a different example—snow and ice in cold regions. また correctly signals 'Here is another example' without implying any causal or sequential relationship between the two topics.

• 2すると means 'then / thereupon' and indicates a sequential or consequential relationship—something happens, and then as a result, something else happens. The snow/ice topic is not a consequence of the rainwater drainage discussion, so this does not fit.
• 3こうして means 'thus / in this way' and refers back to a method or process just described. There is no method being referenced here; this is a brand-new example, so こうして is inappropriate.
• 4したがって means 'therefore / consequently' and indicates a logical conclusion. The snow/ice problem in cold regions is not a logical consequence of the rainwater drainage design, so this connector is wrong.

• また — also, additionally, furthermore (used to add a parallel point)
• 多発たはつする — to occur frequently, to happen often (of accidents, etc.)
• スリップ事故（スリップじこ） — skidding accident, slip accident

工夫も見られる means 'an effort/device can also be seen.' The も (also) correctly adds this as another example alongside the previous ones (rainwater drainage, snow-crushing roads). 見られる (can be seen/observed) is the natural passive-potential form for describing an existing feature that can be observed in reality. The sentence becomes: 'An effort to lower road surface temperature can also be seen,' and the following sentences explain how it works.

• 1工夫だと言える means 'it can be said to be an effort/device.' While grammatically possible, と言える is used when making a claim or judgment, which is too assertive for simply introducing an observable feature. The paragraph is describing what exists, not arguing a point.
• 2工夫も考えられる means 'an effort can also be considered/imagined.' 考えられる suggests something hypothetical or conceivable, not something that actually exists. But the passage goes on to describe a real, implemented technology, so this is too speculative.
• 3工夫だと思われる means 'it is thought to be an effort/device.' 思われる suggests uncertainty or hearsay ('it seems / it is thought'), which is odd when the writer is about to describe a concrete, real technology in detail.

• 工夫くふう — device, ingenuity, clever design, effort
• 見みられる — can be seen, can be observed (passive-potential of 見る)
• 太陽光線たいようこうせん — solar rays, sunlight

支えてくれているわけだ means ' (roads) are supporting us — that is what is happening (as we can now understand).' わけだ expresses a logical conclusion or realization based on what has been explained. After the entire passage detailed various road technologies, the concluding sentence wraps up: 'So that people can live more safely and comfortably, (roads) are supporting us right under our feet — that is what is going on (わけだ).' This fits perfectly as a concluding summary that ties everything together.

• 1支えてくれているはずだった means 'should have been supporting us.' はずだった expresses a past expectation that may or may not have been met, often implying it was not fulfilled. This is completely wrong for a concluding statement affirming what roads do for us.
• 3支えてくれているからだった means 'because (roads) were supporting us.' からだった indicates a reason in the past tense, which does not fit the sentence structure '～よう、足元で～' and makes no sense as a conclusion. The sentence needs a predicate that describes the current state, not a past reason.
• 4支えてくれているおかげだ means 'it is thanks to (roads) supporting us.' While おかげだ (thanks to) is semantically plausible, grammatically the sentence '人々がより安全で快適に暮らせるよう、足元で支えてくれているおかげだ' is awkward. The よう clause ('so that people can live...') expects a main verb describing an action/state, but おかげだ is a noun phrase meaning 'thanks/benefit.' The connection does not flow naturally, unlike わけだ which functions as a proper sentence-ending predicate expressing conclusion.

• 支ささえる — to support, to sustain
• ～てくれる — someone does something for the speaker/others (benefactive); here roads support 'us'
• わけだ — 'that is why / that is what it means / no wonder' — expresses a logical conclusion or understanding based on context
• 足元あしもと — at one's feet, underfoot (here referring to roads beneath people's feet)