N2 Vocabulary · Test 61

達した (たっした) is the past tense of 達する 'to reach (a level, number, or degree).' マイナス20度に達した means 'reached minus 20 degrees.' This is the standard collocation for temperatures or figures reaching a certain value.

• 1減った (へった) means 'decreased, went down.' You could say 気温が減った is unnatural; 気温が下がった is used for temperature dropping. Also, 〜に減った requires a comparison baseline, not a target degree.
• 3通じた (つうじた) means 'connected, communicated, was understood.' マイナス20度に通じた makes no sense.
• 4沈んだ (しずんだ) means 'sank, submerged.' While 寒さが沈む could be poetic, マイナス20度に沈んだ is not a standard expression for temperature reaching a level.

• 達たっする — to reach (a level, amount, degree)
• 最低気温さいていきおん — minimum temperature, lowest temperature
• 減へる — to decrease, diminish
• 通つうじる — to connect, communicate, be understood
• 沈しずむ — to sink, submerge, set (sun)

着々と（ちゃくちゃくと）means 'steadily, step by step, without interruption.' The phrase 準備が着々と進んでいる is a common collocation meaning 'preparations are proceeding steadily,' which fits the context of getting ready for next month's wedding.

• 2慎重に（しんちょうに）means 'carefully, cautiously.' While you can be careful in preparations, 慎重に進む implies slow, cautious progress to avoid mistakes, which does not match the positive, steady-progress nuance the sentence conveys.
• 3いちいち means 'one by one' or 'every single thing,' often with a nuance of nitpicking or doing/mentioning things one at a time. It does not collocate naturally with 準備が進む.
• 4ぐんぐん means 'rapidly, vigorously,' used for things growing or advancing with momentum (e.g., 成績がぐんぐん上がる). It suggests fast, forceful progress rather than the steady, orderly progress implied by 準備が進む in this context.

• 着々ちゃくちゃくと — steadily, step by step
• 慎重しんちょうに — carefully, cautiously
• いちいち — one by one; every single thing
• ぐんぐん — rapidly, vigorously

地元 (じもと) means 'one's hometown, local area.' The sentence means 'After I graduate from university, I want to return to my hometown and find a job near my parents' house.' 地元に戻る is the natural expression for going back to one's home region.

• 2根元 (ねもと) means 'the root/base (of a plant or object).' It is a physical term and cannot refer to one's hometown.
• 3土台 (どだい) means 'foundation, base (of a building or abstract structure).' It does not mean one's home region.
• 4立場 (たちば) means 'position, standpoint, situation.' It is unrelated to returning to a place.

• 地元じもと — hometown, local area, one's home region
• 根元ねもと — root, base (of a plant or object)
• 土台どだい — foundation, base (of a structure)
• 立場たちば — position, standpoint, situation

敏感（びんかん） means 'sensitive' and is used to describe someone who reacts sharply or notices slight changes in a stimulus. The phrase 味に敏感で means 'sensitive to taste,' which fits the context: Nakano can tell the difference just from a slight change in seasoning.

• 1急激（きゅうげき） means 'sudden, drastic, sharp' and describes rapid change or increase, e.g., 急激な増加. It cannot describe a person's sensitivity to taste.
• 2機敏（きびん） means 'agile, nimble, quick' and describes physical movements or reactions, e.g., 機敏な動き. It is not used with 味に.
• 3過激（かげき） means 'extreme, radical, excessive' and describes ideas, actions, or speech that go too far, e.g., 過激な意見. It does not fit 'sensitive to taste.'

• 敏感びんかん — sensitive (to stimuli such as taste, smell, cold, etc.)
• 急激きゅうげき — sudden, drastic, sharp (change/increase)
• 機敏きびん — agile, nimble, quick (movement/reaction)
• 過激かげき — extreme, radical, excessive
• 調味料ちょうみりょう — seasoning, flavoring