N3 Grammar · Test 10

The correct answer is 2 (を). The pattern 「色（いろ）をしている」is a fixed expression meaning 'to have a certain color/appearance.' The sentence means: 'The fish that Mori-san keeps has a very beautiful color.' Here, きれいな色をしている describes the fish's appearance.

• 1が is wrong. While「〜がする」is used for sensory perceptions like 匂いがする (smell) or 音がする (sound), it is not used with 色 (color). Color is described with をしている, not がする.
• 3も is wrong. 色もしている would mean 'also has a color,' which is grammatically unnatural and does not fit the context of simply describing the fish's beautiful color.
• 4より is wrong. 色よりしている is grammatically meaningless. より is a comparative particle ('than'), but する does not combine with より in this way.

• 色いろをしている — to have a certain color/appearance (fixed expression)
• 飼かう — to keep/raise (a pet)

The correct answer is 3 (にくらべて). 「にくらべて」means 'compared to.' The sentence means: 'Compared to ramen and spaghetti, soba has lower calories.' The comparison structure XにくらべてY is perfect here because the sentence is making a calorie comparison between foods.

• 1について means 'about/regarding.' ラーメンやスパゲティについてカロリーが低い would mean 'regarding ramen and spaghetti, calories are low,' which is grammatically awkward and does not express a comparison.
• 2において means 'in/at (a place or situation).' It is used for locations or contexts (e.g., 会議において), not for comparisons between foods.
• 4にしたがって means 'as/along with' (indicating proportional change, e.g., 年を取るにしたがって). It does not express a comparison.

• にくらべて — compared to (Nにくらべて)
• カロリー — calories
• 低ひくい — low

The correct answer is 2 (ばかり). 「〜たばかり」means 'just did ~' (an action completed recently). 買ったばかりなのに means 'even though he just bought (a new guitar).' The なのに at the end expresses the speaker's surprise or mild criticism that he already wants another one despite having just bought one.

• 1あいだ means 'while/during.' 買ったあいだ is unnatural here; あいだ typically follows ongoing states (e.g., 買っているあいだ), and it does not convey the sense of 'just recently.'
• 3たび（に）means 'every time ~ happens' and normally follows the dictionary form (買うたびに). 買ったたび is grammatically incorrect and does not fit the meaning of 'just bought.'
• 4ころ means 'around the time of ~.' 買ったころ could mean 'around the time he bought it,' but with なのに it sounds less natural than ばかり, which specifically conveys the recency that makes the younger brother's desire surprising.

• 〜たばかり — just did ~ (recently completed action)
• 別べつの — another/different

The correct answer is 1 (ああ). 「ああ」is the adverbial form of the こそあど word あれ/あの, meaning 'like that / in that way.' ああなりたい means 'I want to become like that,' referring to the cool senior (先輩) the speaker saw. The sentence means: 'When I joined the company, I saw a senior working coolly and thought I want to quickly become like that too.'

• 2あんな is the pre-noun form (あんな + noun). ああなりたい requires the adverbial ああ before なる. あんななりたい is grammatically incorrect; it would need to be あんなふうになりたい or ああなりたい.
• 3そういう means 'that kind of.' そういうなりたい is grammatically incorrect; そういう modifies nouns (そういう人), not the verb なる directly in this pattern.
• 4そこも means 'there too' and is completely unrelated to the context of wanting to become like someone.

• ああ — like that / in that way (adverbial form of あれ)
• 先輩せんぱい — senior (older/more experienced colleague)

The correct answer is 1 (次第に). 「次第に」means 'gradually / little by little.' The sentence describes a gradual weather change: 'It was cloudy in the morning, but gradually it started clearing up, and by afternoon it was perfectly clear.' 次第に pairs naturally with 〜てきて (a change that progresses over time).

• 2今にも means 'at any moment / about to (happen).' It is used for something on the verge of happening (e.g., 今にも降りそう), which contradicts 晴れてきて (already starting to clear up).
• 3まだ means 'still.' まだ晴れてきて makes no sense in context — the sentence describes a transition from cloudy to sunny, not something still in its initial state.
• 4いつでも means 'anytime / whenever.' It does not describe a gradual change and is semantically incompatible with 晴れてきて、快晴になった.

• 次第しだいに — gradually / little by little
• 曇くもる — to become cloudy
• 快晴かいせい — clear sky / perfect weather

The full sentence is: 僕の家族は、両親と弟三人の六人家族です。家族で女は母だけです。The context tells us the family consists of parents (father + mother) and three brothers plus the speaker (僕) — six people, all male except the mother. So the only woman in the family is the mother. The correct order is: 家族4.で[2.女][1.は][3.母]だけです。★ falls in the third slot, which is は (option 1). The structure 〜で〜は〜だけです means 'among ~, the only ~ is ~.'

• 2女 belongs in the second slot as the subject noun: 女は ('as for women...'). Placing it at ★ (third slot) would break the word order.
• 3母 belongs in the fourth slot, right before だけです: 母だけです ('only mother'). It cannot go in the third slot.
• 4で belongs in the first slot right after 家族: 家族で ('among the family / in the family'). It is a particle indicating the group/scope, not the third slot.

• 家族かぞく — family
• 両親りょうしん — parents
• 弟おとうと — younger brother
• 女おんな — woman, female
• 〜で〜は〜だけです — among ~, the only ~ is ~ (structure)

The full sentence is: 必ず今日中に作らなくてはいけない会議の資料のことをすっかり忘れていた。The correct order is: 必ず[3.今日中に][4.作らなくてはいけない][2.会議の資料の][1.ことを]すっかり忘れていた。★ falls in the third slot, which is 会議の資料の (option 2). The structure is: 今日中に作らなくてはいけない modifies 会議の資料, then のことを忘れていた means 'forgot about (the matter of) the meeting materials I had to make by today.'

• 1ことを belongs in the fourth slot, right before すっかり忘れていた. The pattern 〜ことを忘れていた ('forgot that/forgot about ~') requires を to mark the forgotten thing.
• 3今日中に belongs in the first slot right after 必ず: 必ず今日中に ('by today for sure'). It sets the deadline for making the materials.
• 4作らなくてはいけない belongs in the second slot, modifying the meeting materials: 今日中に作らなくてはいけない会議の資料 ('meeting materials that must be made by today').

• 必かならず — without fail, surely
• 今日中きょうじゅうに — by the end of today
• 会議の資料（かいぎのしりょう） — meeting materials/documents
• 作つくらなくてはいけない — must make/prepare
• すっかり忘れていた（すっかりわすれていた） — had completely forgotten
• 〜のこと — the matter/thing of ~ (nominalizer)

The full sentence is: 調べた結果を説明するとき、表やグラフを示しながら説明するとわかりやすくなります。The correct order is: [3.表やグラフを][2.示しながら][4.説明すると][1.わかりやすく]なります。★ falls in the third slot, which is 説明すると (option 4). The structure is: 表やグラフを示しながら説明すると ('if you explain while showing charts and graphs') → わかりやすくなります ('it becomes easy to understand'). The 〜と conditional connects the action to its result.

• 1わかりやすく belongs in the fourth slot, directly before なります: わかりやすくなります ('becomes easy to understand'). It is the result clause, not the condition.
• 2示しながら belongs in the second slot: 表やグラフを示しながら ('while showing charts and graphs'). The ながら ('while doing') attaches to the verb 示す.
• 3表やグラフを belongs in the first slot: 表やグラフを示しながら ('while showing charts and graphs'). It is the object of 示す, so it must come right before the verb.

• 調べた結果（しらべたけっか） — results of research/investigation
• 説明せつめいする — to explain
• 表やグラフ（ひょうやグラフ） — charts and graphs
• 示しめす — to show, indicate, display
• 〜ながら — while doing ~
• わかりやすくなる — to become easy to understand
• 〜と — if/when ~ (conditional)

The full sentence is: 昨日の夜、高校時代に、ずっと同じクラスだった友人と電話で話していたらいつのまにか 3 時間もたっていて、驚いた。The correct order is: [4.ずっと同じ][2.クラスだった][3.友人と電話で話していたら][1.いつのまにか 3 時間も]たっていて、驚いた。★ falls in the third slot, which is 友人と電話で話していたら (option 3). The structure: ずっと同じクラスだった modifies 友人 ('a friend who was in the same class all through high school'), then 〜たら ('when I was talking...') triggers the realization that 3 hours had passed.

• 1いつのまにか 3 時間も belongs in the fourth slot, right before たっていて: いつのまにか 3 時間もたっていて ('before I knew it, 3 hours had already passed'). It is the main event that surprised the speaker.
• 2クラスだった belongs in the second slot: ずっと同じクラスだった友人 ('a friend who was in the same class the whole time'). It forms a relative clause modifying 友人.
• 4ずっと同じ belongs in the first slot: ずっと同じクラスだった ('was in the same class the whole time'). ずっと ('all along/throughout') modifies 同じ.

• 高校時代こうこうじだい — high school days
• ずっと同じ（ずっとおなじ） — the same all along / throughout
• クラス — class
• 友人ゆうじん — friend (formal)
• 電話で話す（でんわではなす） — to talk on the phone
• 〜たら — when ~ happened / if ~ (conditional)
• いつのまにか — before one knows it, unnoticed
• 驚おどろく — to be surprised

The full sentence is: 住み始めたころは、電車の通る音がしてうるさいと思うこともあったが、すぐ気にならなくなった。The correct order is: [3.音がして][1.うるさいと][4.思う][2.こともあった]が、すぐ気にならなくなった。★ falls in the third slot, which is 思う (option 4). The structure: 電車の通る音がして ('the sound of passing trains would come') → うるさいと思う ('think it's noisy') → こともあった ('there were times when') → が、すぐ気にならなくなった ('but soon I stopped minding it'). The quoted thought うるさいと is followed by 思う, then こともあった.

• 1うるさいと belongs in the second slot: うるさいと思う ('think it's noisy'). The と here is a quotation marker for the content of 思う, so it must come right before 思う.
• 2こともあった belongs in the fourth slot, right before が: 〜と思うこともあったが ('there were times when I thought ~, but'). The pattern 〜こともある means 'there are times when ~.'
• 3音がして belongs in the first slot: 電車の通る音がして ('the sound of trains passing would occur'). して connects to the next clause describing the speaker's reaction.

• 線路せんろ — railway tracks
• 住み始める（すみはじめる） — to start living/residing
• 電車の通る（でんしゃのとおる） — of passing trains (relative clause modifying 音)
• 音おとがする — a sound is heard / occurs
• うるさい — noisy, annoying
• 〜と思う（〜とおもう） — to think that ~ (と quotation)
• 〜こともある — there are times when ~
• 気きになる — to bother one's mind, to be concerned about