N2 Vocabulary · Test 9

「当てて（あてて）」means to make something hit or strike something else. In this sentence, the child hit the car with a ball and got scolded. Option 1「ぶつけて（ぶつけて）」also means to crash/bump/hit something against something, so it is the closest in meaning.

• 2「隠して（かくして）」means 'to hide/conceal.' Hiding a ball in a car has nothing to do with hitting the car.
• 3「落として（おとして）」means 'to drop.' Dropping a ball is different from hitting the car with it.
• 4「詰めて（つめて）」means 'to stuff/pack/cram.' It does not fit the context of a ball and a car.

• 当あてる — to hit/strike (something against something); to make contact
• ぶつける — to crash/bump/hit (one thing into another)
• 隠かくす — to hide, to conceal
• 落おとす — to drop, to let fall
• 詰つめる — to stuff, to pack, to cram

「あわれな（哀れな）」means pitiful, miserable, pathetic — describing something that evokes sympathy or sorrow. Option 3「かわいそうな」means 'pitiful, poor, unfortunate,' which is the closest paraphrase. The sentence means 'That writer led a pitiful/miserable life.'

• 1「退屈な（たいくつな）」means 'boring, dull.' A miserable life is not necessarily a boring one.
• 2「おかしな」means 'strange, funny, odd.' This does not match the sorrowful nuance of あわれな.
• 4「不安な（ふあんな）」means 'anxious, uneasy.' This describes a feeling of worry, not a pitiful state of life.

• 哀あわれな — pitiful, miserable, pathetic
• かわいそうな — pitiful, poor, unfortunate
• 退屈たいくつな — boring, dull
• 不安ふあんな — anxious, uneasy

「当分（とうぶん）」means 'for the time being, for a while' — referring to an indefinite but not permanent period starting from now. Option 4「しばらく」also means 'for a while, for the time being,' making it the closest paraphrase. The sentence means 'I plan not to use it for a while.'

• 1「これから」means 'from now on,' which implies a forward-looking direction rather than a duration. 当分 refers to a span of time, not a starting point.
• 2「全部（ぜんぶ）」means 'all, entirely.' It is unrelated to a time expression.
• 3「今回（こんかい）」means 'this time.' 当分 refers to a period going forward, not a single occasion.

• 当分とうぶん — for the time being, for a while
• しばらく — for a while, for the time being
• これから — from now on, henceforth
• 今回こんかい — this time

「一転した（いってんした）」comes from 一転する, meaning 'to make a complete turn, to change completely.' Option 2「すっかり変わった」means 'changed completely,' which is the best paraphrase. The sentence means 'The talk of studying abroad completely changed.'

• 1「急に止まった（きゅうに とまった）」means 'suddenly stopped.' 一転する is about a change of direction, not stopping.
• 3「少し進んだ（すこし すすんだ）」means 'progressed a little.' This is the opposite of a complete change.
• 4「とうとう許された（とうとう ゆるされた）」means 'was finally permitted.' This is a specific outcome, not the general meaning of a complete change.

• 一転いってんする — to make a complete turn, to change completely
• すっかり — completely, entirely
• 急きゅうに — suddenly
• とうとう — finally, at last

「じたばたする」means to struggle helplessly, to flail about, to panic and fuss without a clear plan. Option 1「慌てる（あわてる）」means 'to panic, to be flustered, to rush about in confusion,' which is the closest paraphrase. The sentence means 'There's no point panicking the day before the test.'

• 2「心配する（しんぱいする）」means 'to worry.' Worrying is an internal mental state, whereas じたばたする implies visible, restless, futile action.
• 3「緊張する（きんちょうする）」means 'to be nervous/tense.' This is a feeling of tension, not the restless flailing implied by じたばた.
• 4「悩む（なやむ）」means 'to worry, to agonize over something.' Like 心配, this is more about internal deliberation than physical restlessness.

• じたばたする — to struggle helplessly, to flail about, to fuss/panic
• 慌あわてる — to panic, to be flustered, to rush about in confusion
• 心配しんぱいする — to worry
• 緊張きんちょうする — to be nervous, to be tense
• 悩なやむ — to worry, to agonize over

役目（やくめ） means a duty, responsibility, or role one is assigned (especially in a job or organization). Option 4 says 'Teaching subordinates their work is one of the section chief's 役目,' which is a perfect usage: it describes a job responsibility that belongs to a position.

• 1役目を演じる is unnatural. For playing a role in a play/performance, the word is 役（やく）を演じる, not 役目. 役目 refers to a real-world duty/responsibility, not a theatrical role.
• 2毎朝散歩することが役目になっている misuses 役目 as 'habit/routine.' 役目 means a duty or responsibility, not something that has become a habit (which would be 習慣／日課になっている).
• 3池田さんが今日の掃除の役目だ is awkward. 役目 denotes the duty/task itself, not the person assigned to it. A natural phrasing would be 掃除の係（かかり）だ or 掃除の当番（とうばん）だ.

• 役目やくめ — duty, responsibility, role (in a job/organization)

最寄り（もより） means 'nearest' or 'closest' and is used specifically for physical locations/places (e.g., 最寄りの駅, 最寄りの店). Option 1, 'It's a 30-minute walk to the 最寄り store,' is the correct usage.

• 2彼女は私の最寄りの友達だ misuses 最寄り for a person. 最寄り applies to places/locations, not to relationships like 'closest friend' (which would be 親しい or 一番近い).
• 3最寄りの試験は来月にある is nonsensical. 試験 is an event, not a physical location, so 最寄り cannot modify it.
• 4電車の中で最寄りの人に踏まれた is wrong. 最寄り describes the nearest place, not 'the person next to me' (which would be 隣の人 or 近くの人).

• 最寄もより — nearest, closest (used for physical locations/facilities)

解約（かいやく） means to cancel a contract or agreement (e.g., a bank account, insurance, subscription, lease). Option 2, 'I finished my one-year study abroad and am returning home, so I 解約 my bank account,' is the correct usage: closing/canceling a bank account contract.

• 1発言を解約した is wrong. You cannot 解約 a statement; the correct verb would be 取り消す（とりけす）or 撤回する（てっかいする）to retract/withdraw a remark.
• 3面会を解約した is wrong. A meeting/appointment is canceled with キャンセルする or 取り消す, not 解約する. 解約 specifically involves canceling a contractual agreement.
• 4赤字を解約する is nonsensical. 赤字（あかじ, deficit/loss）is not a contract; you would say 赤字を解消（かいしょう）する to eliminate a deficit.

• 解約かいやく — canceling a contract (bank account, insurance, subscription, lease, etc.)

演説（えんぜつ） means a formal public speech, especially a political or official address delivered to an audience (e.g., in parliament, at a rally). Option 2, 'The Prime Minister expressed his determination to prioritize economic measures in yesterday's 演説 in the Diet,' is the ideal usage: a political speech in a formal governmental setting.

• 1卒業式での演説 is not the most natural usage. A graduation speech by a student representative is typically called 答辞（とうじ）or スピーチ, not 演説. 演説 carries a political/public-address nuance.
• 3試合後の演説 by an athlete is wrong. Post-game remarks by athletes are インタビュー or コメント, not 演説. 演説 implies a prepared formal address to an audience, not a sports interview.
• 4記者会見の演説 is unnatural. At a press conference (記者会見), a company president gives a 説明（せつめい）or 発表（はっぴょう）, not an 演説. 演説 is a speech delivered to an audience, not a Q&A-style press event.

• 演説えんぜつ — formal public speech, especially political or official address

きっぱり means 'clearly, firmly, decisively' and is used with verbs expressing refusal, denial, or rejection (e.g., きっぱり断る, きっぱり否定する). Option 3, 'Suzuki-san きっぱり refused the date invitation from Ishikawa-san,' is the correct usage: a firm, unambiguous refusal.

• 1きっぱり見える is wrong. For seeing things clearly (visually), the correct word is はっきり. きっぱり describes the manner of an action like refusing, not visual clarity.
• 2きっぱり飽きてしまった is wrong. For being completely tired of/bored with something, the appropriate word is すっかり or すっかり飽きた. きっぱり does not mean 'completely' in the sense of degree.
• 4きっぱり思い出せない is wrong. For being unable to remember clearly, the correct word is はっきり思い出せない. きっぱり is about decisive action (refusing/denying), not clarity of memory.

• きっぱり — clearly, firmly, decisively (used with verbs of refusal/denial/rejection)