N2 Vocabulary · Test 124

やむをえない (やむを得ない) is the correct spelling and form of the set phrase meaning 'unavoidable; cannot be helped.' The sentence says: 'To accomplish a big task, even if there are conflicts with people, I think it cannot be helped (it is unavoidable).' The correct expression is やむをえない.

• 1うむをえない uses the wrong initial kana. The verb is やむ (止む), not うむ. This is a deliberate distractor testing reading of the kanji 止.
• 2やむをえらない has the wrong ending. The correct form is やむをえない (negative of 得る), not よらない.
• 4うむをえらない has both errors: wrong initial kana (うむ instead of やむ) and wrong ending (えらない instead of えない).

The correct answer is 2. あこがれて (憧れて, 'to admire/long for'). The pattern 〜に憧れている means 'to admire/look up to someone.' The sentence means: 'It seems my younger sister admires the captain of the university soccer club.' The verb 憧れる takes the particle に to mark the object of admiration, and 〜ている (here contracted to 〜ているらしい via 〜ている → 〜ていられる/〜ているらしい) fits the state of ongoing admiration.

• 1あらそって (争って, 'competing/fighting') — 争う means to compete or fight. While 〜に争う is grammatically possible, it doesn't fit the context: the sentence describes the sister's feelings toward the captain, not a competition. The nuance of 'admiring' is what the sentence calls for.
• 3あらわれて (現れて, 'appearing') — 現れる means 'to appear/turn up.' 'Appearing at the captain' makes no sense, and the particle に doesn't combine naturally here.
• 4あわてて (慌てて, 'panicking/in a rush') — 慌てる means 'to panic/hurry.' 'Panicking at the captain' is nonsensical in this context.

• 憧あこがれる — to admire, to yearn for, to long for (takes に)
• 争あらそう — to compete, to fight, to dispute
• 現あらわれる — to appear, to come into view
• 慌あわてる — to panic, to be in a rush
• キャプテン — captain (of a team)

The correct answer is 1. おきのどくに (お気の毒に, 'that's unfortunate / how terrible'). This is a set expression of sympathy used when you hear bad news about someone. The first speaker reports that Yamamoto's child was injured during baseball practice, so the natural response is an expression of sympathy: 'That's too bad.'

• 2おじゃまします (お邪魔します, 'excuse me for interrupting / sorry to bother you') — This is said when entering someone's home or interrupting. It has nothing to do with expressing sympathy for an injury.
• 3おせわになります (お世話になります, 'I am indebted to you / thank you for your help') — This expresses gratitude for ongoing support or care. It is not a response to hearing bad news.
• 4おまちどおさま (お待ち遠さま, 'thank you for waiting') — This is said to someone who has been waiting. It is completely unrelated to the context of an injury.

• お気の毒に（おきのどくに） — that's unfortunate; how terrible (expression of sympathy)
• お邪魔します（おじゃまします） — excuse me for intruding/interrupting
• お世話になります（おせわになります） — I am indebted to you; thank you for your care/support
• お待ち遠さま（おまちどおさま） — thank you for waiting
• けがをなさる — to get injured (honorific form of けがをする)

The correct answer is 3. 様子 (ようす, 'state / condition / how things are'). The phrase 様子を見に行く means 'to go check on how someone/something is doing.' The sentence says: 'The baby is sleeping now, so please go check on them from time to time and adjust their blanket.' 様子 is the natural word for observing the current state/condition of the sleeping baby.

• 1見舞い (みまい, 'visiting a sick/injured person') — 見舞い refers specifically to visiting someone who is ill or injured, or sending get-well gifts. A sleeping baby is not sick or injured, so this word is inappropriate here. Also, 見舞いを見に行く is not a natural collocation.
• 2表面 (ひょうめん, 'surface') — 表面 means the outer surface of something. 'Going to see the surface' makes no sense in the context of checking on a sleeping baby.
• 4見かけ (みかけ, 'appearance / outward look') — 見かけ refers to how someone or something looks from the outside. While it relates to appearance, it doesn't convey the idea of checking on someone's condition/well-being. 様子 is the correct word for monitoring a baby's state.

• 様子ようす — state, condition, how things are; appearance/manner
• 見舞みまい — visiting a sick/injured person; inquiry after someone's welfare
• 表面ひょうめん — surface (of an object)
• 見みかけ — appearance, outward look
• 毛布もうふ — blanket
• なおしてやってください — please fix/adjust it (for them) — なおす (to fix/adjust) + 〜てやる (to do for someone)

The sentence means 'A dog that can understand what people say — what a truly (clever) dog.' かしこい (賢い) means 'clever/smart/intelligent' and naturally describes a dog that can understand human speech.

• 1むずかしい (難しい) means 'difficult.' A dog being 'difficult' does not fit the praising tone of the sentence.
• 2満足な (まんぞくな) means 'satisfactory/adequate.' It is not used to praise an animal's intelligence and sounds unnatural here.
• 3得意な (とくいな) means 'proud of / good at (something).' It describes a person's strong point, not an animal's intelligence.

• かしこい — clever, smart, intelligent (賢い)
• むずかしい — difficult (難しい)
• 満足まんぞくな — satisfactory, adequate (満足な)
• 得意とくいな — proud of, good at (得意な)

おとなしい means 'quiet, mild-mannered, gentle.' おとなしい子供なので、自分の思っていることを言わないことが多い = 'Because the child is quiet, they often don't say what they are thinking.' This fits perfectly.

• 1なつかしい means 'nostalgic, longing for the past.' A child cannot be described as なつかしい in this context.
• 2くわしい means 'detailed, knowledgeable about.' It describes expertise or familiarity with a topic, not a child's personality.
• 4さわがしい means 'noisy, boisterous.' A noisy child would more likely speak up, not stay silent.

• おとなしい — quiet, mild-mannered, gentle
• なつかしい — nostalgic, longing
• くわしい — detailed, knowledgeable about
• さわがしい — noisy, boisterous

かかえて（抱えて）means 'to hold/carry (under one's arm)' and, crucially, 'to be burdened with, to have on one's hands.' 問題をかかえている is a standard expression meaning 'to be saddled/burdened with problems.' This fits the sentence: big cities are burdened with various problems such as transportation, housing, and education.

• 1だいて（抱いて）means 'to embrace, to hug' (a person or thing close to the body). It does not collocate with 問題を in the sense of being burdened.
• 2めぐって（巡って）means 'to go around, to revolve around.' 問題をめぐって would mean 'regarding/around the issue,' but the particle and structure here require ～をかかえている ('burdened with'), not ～をめぐっている.
• 4さわって（触って）means 'to touch.' 問題をさわっている is ungrammatical and meaningless in this context.

• 抱かかえる — to be burdened with, to have (problems, etc.) on one's hands
• 抱だく — to embrace, to hug
• 巡めぐる — to go around, to revolve around
• 触さわる — to touch

中心(ちゅうしん) means 'center, core.' 中心となる is a fixed expression meaning 'to become the central figure / to take the leading role.' 議長が中心となり、会議をすすめた = 'The chairperson took the central role and proceeded with the meeting.'

• 1指導(しどう) means 'guidance, instruction.' 指導となる is not a natural expression; one does 指導する (give guidance) rather than となる.
• 2焦点(しょうてん) means 'focus, focal point.' 焦点となる could mean 'became the focus (of attention),' but it does not describe a person leading a meeting.
• 4注目(ちゅうもく) means 'attention, notice.' 注目となる is not standard; the expression would be 注目を集める ('attract attention'), and it does not mean taking a leadership role.

• 中心ちゅうしん — center, core; central figure
• 指導しどう — guidance, instruction
• 焦点しょうてん — focus, focal point
• 注目ちゅうもく — attention, notice

明らかに(あきらかに) means 'clearly, plainly.' 明らかになった is a fixed expression meaning 'became clear, was revealed, came to light.' 機械のこわれた原因が明らかになった = 'The cause of the machine's breakdown became clear.' Note: 明らかに here functions as part of the set phrase 明らかになる, where 明らか is the adjective stem and に is the particle linking to なった.

• 2ちゃんと means 'properly, correctly, reliably.' ちゃんとなった would mean 'became proper/orderly,' which does not describe a cause being revealed.
• 3しっかりと means 'firmly, securely, reliably.' しっかりとなった is not a natural collocation for a cause becoming known.
• 4正確に(せいかくに) means 'accurately, precisely.' While one could say 原因が正確にわかった ('understood the cause accurately'), 正確になった is not idiomatic Japanese; the standard expression for a cause becoming known is 明らかになった.

• 明あきらか — clear, obvious, evident
• 明あきらかになる — to become clear, to be revealed
• ちゃんと — properly, correctly
• しっかりと — firmly, securely
• 正確せいかくに — accurately, precisely

つい (つい) means 'unintentionally' or 'cannot help but (do something).' The sentence says the book was so funny that even though the person was on a train, they couldn't help laughing. つい笑ってしまった captures this perfectly — the laughter was involuntary despite the setting.

• 1ついでに (ついでに) means 'while you're at it' or 'on the way / incidentally.' It is used when doing something extra alongside a main action, not for involuntary actions.
• 2ざっと (ざっと) means 'roughly' or 'at a glance' (e.g., ざっと読む 'skim through'). It does not fit the context of laughing involuntarily.
• 3すっきり (すっきり) means 'refreshed' or 'neatly cleared up' (e.g., 頭がすっきりした 'my head cleared up'). It is unrelated to laughing.

• つい — unintentionally; cannot help but (do something)
• ついでに — while you're at it; incidentally
• ざっと — roughly; at a glance
• すっきり — refreshed; neatly; cleared up