N2 Vocabulary · Test 15

過剰（かじょう）means 'excessive, too much, more than necessary.' The sentence says that recently overproduction is a problem, so the closest paraphrase is 多すぎる（おおすぎる）'too much/too many.'

• 1早すぎる（はやすぎる）means 'too early,' which relates to timing, not quantity.
• 2少なすぎる（すくなすぎる）means 'too few/too little,' the opposite of 過剰.
• 3遅すぎる（おそすぎる）means 'too late,' again about timing, not quantity.

• 過剰かじょう — excessive, surplus, more than necessary

あやまり（誤り）means 'mistake, error.' The sentence asks to be notified if there are any mistakes in the materials, so 間違っているところ（まちがっているところ）'a place that is wrong' is the closest meaning.

• 1読みにくいところ（よみにくいところ）means 'a part that is hard to read,' which is about legibility, not correctness.
• 2汚れているところ（よごれているところ）means 'a part that is dirty,' unrelated to errors.
• 3わかりにくいところ means 'a part that is hard to understand,' about clarity, not factual mistakes.

• あやまり（誤り）（あやまり） — mistake, error

臆病（おくびょう）means 'timid, cowardly, easily frightened.' The sentence says 'My child is timid,' so 何でも怖がる（なんでもこわがる）'is afraid of everything' is the best paraphrase.

• 1よく病気をする（よくびょうきをする）means 'gets sick often,' which describes being sickly, not timid.
• 3何でも忘れる（なんでもわすれる）means 'forgets everything,' about poor memory, unrelated.
• 4よく泣く（よくなく）means 'cries often,' which could be a trait of a timid child but is not the meaning of 臆病 itself.

• 臆病おくびょう — timid, cowardly, easily frightened

ゆずりました（譲りました）here means 'handed over, gave (something to someone).' The sentence says 'I gave that bicycle to my younger brother,' so あげました（あげました）'gave (to someone)' is the closest paraphrase.

• 1貸しました（かしました）means 'lent,' implying it will be returned, unlike 譲る which transfers ownership.
• 2もらいました means 'received,' the opposite direction.
• 4借りました（かりました）means 'borrowed,' also the opposite direction and temporary.

• ゆずる（譲る）（ゆずる） — to hand over, yield, transfer (to someone); to give up

頂上 (ちょうじょう) means the summit or peak of a mountain. Option 2 correctly uses it: after climbing for about five hours, they finally reached the summit of the mountain. This is the most natural and standard usage.

• 1空の頂上 is unnatural. For the sky, words like 真上 (まうえ, directly above) or 中心 (ちゅうしん, center) would be appropriate. 頂上 is not used for the sky.
• 3For the top/ceiling of a room or roof of a house, 天井 (てんじょう, ceiling) or 屋根 (やね, roof) should be used, not 頂上.
• 4For the top of a bookshelf, 上 (うえ) or 天辺 (てっぺん) is appropriate. 頂上 is specifically for mountain peaks, not furniture.

• 頂上ちょうじょう — summit, peak (of a mountain)

節約 (せつやく) means to save or economize on resources, money, time, etc. Option 4 correctly uses it: the company saves paper and postage costs by sending materials via email. This is a textbook example of 節約.

• 1Reducing traffic congestion is 渋滞を解消する or 緩和する, not 節約する. 節約 is not used for eliminating congestion.
• 2Controlling temperature and humidity to prevent mold is 温度や湿度を調節する or 管理する. 節約 implies reducing usage/amount, not regulating conditions.
• 3Reducing the amount of part-time work should be expressed with 減らす (へらす) or 控える (ひかえる). 節約 is not used for cutting back on work hours.

• 節約せつやく — to save, economize, conserve (money, resources, time, etc.)

分解 (ぶんかい) means to disassemble or take apart (a machine, device, etc.) into its components. Option 1 correctly uses it: the machine was not working well, so it was disassembled to inspect the parts. This is the standard usage of 分解.

• 2Cutting a watermelon into pieces is 切る (きる) or 割る (わる). 分解 is not used for cutting food into smaller pieces.
• 3Breaking a 1000-yen bill into smaller change is 両替 (りょうがえ) or 崩す (くずす). 分解 is not used for exchanging money.
• 4Dividing work among three people is 分担 (ぶんたん)する. 分解 means taking something apart, not splitting a task among people.

• 分解ぶんかい — to disassemble, take apart (a machine or device into its components)

略す (りゃくす) means to omit or abbreviate something (e.g., explanations, procedures, formalities). Option 1 correctly uses it: since there is no time, the detailed explanation is omitted and only the main points are discussed. This is the core meaning of 略す.

• 2Waiving or making shipping fees free should be expressed with 無料にする (むりょうにする) or 免除する (めんじょする). 略す means to omit/skip, not to waive a fee.
• 3Sugar-free jam would use 砂糖抜き (さとうぬき) or 砂糖なし. 略す is not used for removing an ingredient from a product.
• 4Removing walls for an open design should be expressed with 取り払う (とりはらう) or なくす. 略す means to omit/skip content, not to physically remove structures.

• 略りゃくす — to omit, abbreviate, skip (explanations, procedures, etc.)

覆う (おおう) means to cover something entirely, typically a surface being covered by something that spreads over it. Option 3 correctly uses it: the tree-lined path was completely covered with fallen leaves. Fallen leaves spreading over and covering a surface is a perfect example of 覆う.

• 1Being surrounded by tall apartment buildings should use 囲まれる (かこまれる). 覆う implies a surface being covered, not being enclosed/surrounded by structures.
• 2Being surrounded by a crowd of reporters should use 囲まれる (かこまれる). 覆う is not used for people surrounding someone.
• 4A face covered in sweat is unnatural with 覆う. For sweat, びっしょり濡れる (ぬれる) or 汗だく (あせだく) is appropriate. 覆う implies a layer covering a surface, not liquid on skin.

• 覆おおう — to cover (a surface entirely), as with leaves, snow, clouds, etc.