N2 Vocabulary · Test 44

Option 2 is correct. 「とぼしい」(貧しい) means 'poor' or 'lacking/deficient in something necessary'. It is commonly used to describe a lack of abstract or essential things, such as resources, experience, imagination, or vocabulary. 'この国は天然資源にとぼしい' (This country is poor in natural resources) is a perfect, natural usage of the word.

• 1Option 1 is wrong. When talking about the concentration or amount of a flavor (like saltiness), you would use words like 「薄い」(usui - thin/weak) or 「足りない」(tarinai - insufficient). 「とぼしい」 is not used for physical taste.
• 3Option 3 is wrong. When talking about physical volume or sound levels, you use 「小さい」(chiisai - small/low) or 「低い」(hikui - low). 「とぼしい」 cannot be used for physical quantities like volume.
• 4Option 4 is wrong. For demand (需要), you use adjectives like 「低い」(hikui - low) or 「少ない」(sukunai - little/few). 「とぼしい」 is not used to describe market demand.

• とぼしい (貧しい)（とぼしい） — poor, needy, lacking, deficient (used for abstract concepts like resources, ideas, experience, etc.)

Option 1 (ちゅうしょうてき) is correct. 抽象的 means 'abstract.' The reading breaks down as 抽(ちゅう) + 象(しょう) + 的(てき). The sentence means 'Tanaka's talk was abstract and hard to understand.'

• 2Option 2 (ちゅうぞうてき) is wrong. This would correspond to 鋳造的 (ちゅうぞうてき, 'cast/molding'), using 象 read as ぞう instead of しょう — a deliberate misreading of the second kanji.
• 3Option 3 (ゆうしょうてき) is wrong. This misreads 抽 as ゆう instead of ちゅう. There is no common word ゆうしょうてき.
• 4Option 4 (ゆうぞうてき) is wrong. This misreads both kanji: 抽 as ゆう and 象 as ぞう. Note: this option also has a stray 'g' appended (see issues).

• 抽象的ちゅうしょうてき — abstract (not concrete)
• 抽象ちゅうしょう — abstraction

Option 3 (へんきゃく) is correct. 返却 means 'return (of a borrowed item).' The reading is 返(へん) + 却(きゃく). The sentence means 'Please make sure to return that book by tomorrow.'

• 1Option 1 (へんきょく) is wrong. 却 is read きゃく, not きょく. This is a deliberate near-miss using a similar-looking reading pattern.
• 2Option 2 (へんきゃ) is wrong. This drops the final く from きゃく, producing an incomplete/incorrect reading.
• 4Option 4 (へんきょ) is wrong. This misreads 却 as きょ instead of きゃく, a plausible but incorrect on-reading.

• 返却へんきゃく — returning (a borrowed item, e.g. a book to a library)
• 返却へんきゃくする — to return (something borrowed)

Option 2 (はり) is correct. 針 means 'needle' (e.g. a sewing needle). The sentence means 'I couldn't find the needle and was troubled.'

• 1Option 1 (ねじ) is wrong. ねじ means 螺子/捻子 'screw' — a different small metal object, a deliberate distractor.
• 3Option 3 (くぎ) is wrong. くぎ means 釘 'nail' — another small metal object, a plausible distractor.
• 4Option 4 (かぎ) is wrong. かぎ means 鍵 'key' or 鉤 'hook' — yet another small metal item used as a distractor.

• 針はり — needle (sewing), pin
• 釘くぎ — nail
• 螺子ねじ — screw
• 鍵かぎ — key

Option 1 (さつえい) is correct. 撮影 means 'filming / photographing / shooting (video or photos).' The reading is 撮(さつ) + 影(えい). The sentence means 'Yamada always photographs the sunset from here.'

• 2Option 2 (さいけい) is wrong. This misreads 撮 as さい instead of さつ — a deliberate swap of the two kana.
• 3Option 3 (さつけい) is wrong. This misreads 影 as けい instead of えい.
• 4Option 4 (さいえい) is wrong. This misreads 撮 as さい instead of さつ, while keeping 影 as えい.

• 撮影さつえい — filming, photographing, shooting (a photo/video)
• 撮影さつえいする — to film/photograph

Option 4 (はへん) is correct. 破片 means 'fragment / shard / broken piece.' The reading is 破(は) + 片(へん). The sentence means 'There are glass shards on the ground, so please be careful.'

• 1Option 1 (ひがた) is wrong. This misreads both kanji: 破 as ひ and 片 as がた. ひがた is not a valid reading for 破片.
• 2Option 2 (はがた) is wrong. This correctly reads 破 as は but misreads 片 as がた instead of へん.
• 3Option 3 (ひへん) is wrong. This correctly reads 片 as へん but misreads 破 as ひ instead of は.

• 破片はへん — fragment, shard, broken piece
• 破は — break, tear, smash (on-reading ハ)