N2 Vocabulary · Test 55

「目的（もくてき）」means 'purpose' or 'aim.' The sentence says 'The purpose of his coming to Japan is to collect materials for his research.' The correct reading is もくてき.

• 2「もくでき」is not a valid reading for 目的. It is a distractor that swaps the second kanji's reading.
• 3「もくひょう」is the reading for 目標（もくひょう）, meaning 'goal/target.' It is a near-synonym deliberately placed as a distractor.
• 4「もくびょう」is the reading for 目病（もくびょう）, meaning 'eye disease.' Unrelated but visually similar.

• 目的もくてき — purpose, aim
• 来日らいにち — coming to Japan
• 研究けんきゅう — research
• 資料しりょう — materials, data

「資料（しりょう）」means 'materials' or 'data (for research).' The sentence says '...to collect materials for his research.' The correct reading is しりょう.

• 1「げんりよう」is not a valid word. It resembles 原料（げんりょう）, meaning 'raw materials,' but with an extra okurigana う, making it invalid.
• 2「ざいりょう」is the reading for 材料（ざいりょう）, meaning 'ingredients/materials (physical).' A near-synonym distractor.
• 4「ひりょう」is the reading for 肥料（ひりょう）, meaning 'fertilizer.' Unrelated but visually similar.

• 資料しりょう — materials, data (for research)
• 目的もくてき — purpose, aim
• 集あつめる — to collect

「努力（どりょく）」means 'effort.' The sentence says 'In this town, through residents' efforts, crime and incidents are decreasing.' The correct reading is どりょく.

• 1「きょうりょく」is the reading for 協力（きょうりょく）, meaning 'cooperation.' A plausible distractor since cooperation also fits the context of residents working together.
• 2「きょりょく」is not a valid word. It is a shortened/misread version of 協力.
• 3「どうりょく」is not a valid word. It uses the on'yomi どう for 努, which is incorrect; the correct reading is どりょく.

• 努力どりょく — effort
• 住民じゅうみん — residents
• 犯罪はんざい — crime
• 事件じけん — incident

「犯罪（はんざい）」means 'crime.' The sentence says 'In this town, through residents' efforts, crime and incidents are decreasing.' The correct reading is はんざい.

• 1「はいさい」is not a valid word. It is a distractor with wrong readings for both kanji.
• 2「はいざい」is not a valid word. It resembles 廃材（はいざい）, meaning 'waste/scrap material,' but is not a reading for 犯罪.
• 3「はんさい」is not a valid word. It uses the correct reading for 犯 but the wrong reading for 罪 (さい instead of ざい).

• 犯罪はんざい — crime
• 事件じけん — incident
• 減へる — to decrease

「事件（じけん）」means 'incident' or 'case (an occurrence/event, often involving crime or trouble).' The sentence says 'crime and incidents are decreasing.' The correct reading is じけん.

• 2「じこ」is the reading for 事故（じこ）, meaning 'accident.' A plausible distractor since accidents are also undesirable events that decrease with effort.
• 3「じじょう」is the reading for 事情（じじょう）, meaning 'circumstances/situation.' Not an event but a state of affairs.
• 4「じたい」is the reading for 事態（じたい）, meaning 'situation/state of affairs (often critical).' Not a specific incident.

• 事件じけん — incident, case
• 犯罪はんざい — crime
• 住民じゅうみん — residents

成功 is read せいこう and means 'success' or 'succeed.' The sentence means 'It is hard to say that plan succeeded.' 成功(せいこう) is the standard reading.

• 1じっこう is the reading for 実行 (execution/implementation), a lookalike compound with the same second kanji 功/行 confusion — not the reading of 成功.
• 2じょうこう is not a standard reading of 成功; it resembles words like 上昇(じょうしょう) or 乗降(じょうこう).
• 4せんこう is the reading for 専攻 (major/specialization) or 先行 (preceding), a deliberate near-homophone distractor.

• 成功せいこう — success; to succeed
• 計画けいかく — plan; project
• 言い難い（いいがたい） — hard to say; difficult to assert

言い難い is read いいがたい. The verb 言う(いう) drops the final う and attaches 難い(がたい), producing いいがたい, meaning 'hard to say.' This is a standard V-masu stem + がたい construction.

• 1いいかたい is an incorrect reading; 難い in this compound is read がたい, not かたい.
• 3いいつらい uses 辛い(つらい), which is a different word meaning 'painful/hard to bear.' While semantically close, the kanji here is 難い, read がたい.
• 4いいづらい also uses a form of 辛い(づらい, rendaku of つらい). Again, the kanji is 難い(がたい), so this is the wrong word.

• 言い難い（いいがたい） — hard to say; difficult to state
• 難がたい — hard to do (attached to a verb stem)

代表 is read だいひょう and means 'represent' or 'representative.' The sentence means 'Kabuki is one of the performing arts that represent Japan.' 代(だい) + 表(ひょう) gives だいひょう.

• 1たいしょう is the reading for 対称 (symmetry/symmetric) or 大将 (commander), a plausible distractor with the same kanji 表 read as しょう by mistake.
• 2たいひょう is not a standard word; it mixes the first reading たい (wrong for 代) with ひょう (correct for 表).
• 3だいしょう is the reading for 代償 (compensation/price) or 大小 (large and small), a near-homophone distractor.

• 代表だいひょう — to represent; representative
• 芸能げいのう — performing arts

芸能 is read げいのう and means 'performing arts.' 芸(げい) + 能(のう) gives げいのう. The sentence means 'Kabuki is one of the performing arts representing Japan.'

• 1きのう is the reading for 機能 (function), a lookalike with the same second kanji 能(のう) but a wrong first reading.
• 2ぎのう is the reading for 技能 (technical skill), a very plausible distractor — same second kanji, and 技 can rendaku to ぎ. But the kanji here is 芸, read げい.
• 3けいのう is not a standard word; it uses an incorrect reading けい for 芸.

• 芸能げいのう — performing arts
• 技能ぎのう — technical skill; ability
• 機能きのう — function

空港 is read くうこう and means 'airport.' 空(くう) + 港(こう) gives くうこう. The sentence means 'Recently, security at airports has become strict.'

• 1くうこ is missing the long vowel う; 港 is read こう here, not こ.
• 3こうくう is the reading for 航空 (aviation), a deliberate reversal of the two kanji readings — a classic distractor.
• 4こくう is the reading for 虚空 (empty space/the void), which reverses and changes the readings.

• 空港くうこう — airport
• 航空こうくう — aviation
• 警備けいび — security; guard
• 厳重げんじゅう — strict; rigorous