N3 Grammar · Test 12

The correct answer is 4 (を). The sentence describes people who intend to spend their New Year's holiday overseas: お正月休みを海外で過ごそうという人たち. Here, を marks お正月休み as the direct object of the verb 過ごす (to spend (time)). The whole relative clause お正月休みを海外で過ごそう (let's spend the New Year holiday overseas) modifies 人たち (people).

• 1へ (to/toward) is a directional particle. It would suggest 'toward the New Year holiday overseas,' which makes no sense. The holiday is the thing being spent, not a destination.
• 2が (subject marker) cannot mark the object of 過ごす. It would incorrectly make お正月休み the subject rather than the object of 'spend.'
• 3と (with/and) would mean 'together with the New Year holiday,' which is nonsensical in this context.

• 混雑（こんざつ）する — to be crowded / congested
• 過ごす（すごす）（すごす） — to spend (time)

The correct answer is 2 (必ず). The teacher is giving an instruction: 'If you are going to be late, be sure to contact the school.' 必ず (certainly, without fail) pairs naturally with the command form ～してください, emphasizing that contacting the school is mandatory.

• 1まったく (completely/entirely) is used with negative predicates (e.g., まったく分からない) or to express totality. It does not naturally modify a positive command like 連絡してください.
• 3非常に (very/extremely) is an adverb of degree. You cannot say 非常に連絡してください — it is unnatural to intensify a command this way.
• 4決して (never) is used exclusively with negative predicates (e.g., 決して忘れないでください). It cannot be used with the positive form 連絡してください.

• 必ず（かならず）（かならず） — certainly, without fail
• 決して（けっして）（けっして） — never (used with negative)
• 非常に（ひじょうに）（ひじょうに） — very, extremely

The correct answer is 2 (あの). The speakers both witnessed the manager scolding Hayashi moments ago (さっき林さんが部長に怒られていたよね). あの is the demonstrative used for something in shared memory/experience — something both speaker and listener know about. あの言い方 = 'that way of speaking (that we both witnessed).'

• 1その refers to something just mentioned in the conversation or something in the listener's domain. While not impossible, あの is more natural here because the event was jointly witnessed, not merely mentioned in speech.
• 3そう is not used as a pre-noun modifier in this form. The correct form would be そういう言い方, but そう alone cannot directly modify the noun 言い方.
• 4ああ is an adverb meaning 'in that way.' To modify a noun you would need ああいう言い方. ああ alone cannot precede 言い方 as a noun modifier.

• 言い方（いいかた）（いいかた） — way of saying something, manner of speaking
• あの — that (something in shared knowledge/experience)

The correct answer is 3 (にとって). にとって means 'for (someone)' or 'from the perspective of,' indicating whose viewpoint something is a problem from. 私にとってこれは大きな問題だ = 'For me, who drives every day, this is a big problem.' The speaker is expressing that the gasoline price increase is a big problem from their personal standpoint.

• 1では means 'in' or 'at' (indicating context/situation). 私では would mean 'in the case of me' or 'by me,' which does not convey 'for me, this is a big problem.'
• 2からは means 'from' (source/origin). 私からは would mean 'from me,' which does not fit the meaning of expressing a personal perspective on a problem.
• 4によって means 'by means of' or 'depending on.' 私によって would mean 'by me,' which is grammatically and semantically wrong in this context.

• 〜にとって — for (someone); from the perspective of
• 〜によって — by means of; depending on

The correct answer is 1 (したら). The sentence asks: どんな練習をしたら上手になれるのだろうか = 'What kind of practice should I do to become skilled?' したら is the conditional form of する, meaning 'if I do.' The structure どんなXをしたらYのか expresses 'what X should I do to achieve Y?'

• 2したのに means 'even though I did.' This would imply the speaker already did some practice but didn't improve, which contradicts the question asking what practice to do.
• 3するより means 'rather than doing.' This requires a comparison (するより〜のほうが), and the sentence would be incomplete and nonsensical: 'What kind of practice rather than...'
• 4することは means 'doing (something).' どんな練習をすることは上手になれるのだろうか is grammatically broken — it cannot connect properly to the question meaning.

• 〜たら — if/when (conditional); used to ask 'what should I do to...'
• 上手（じょうず） — skillful, good at

The correct sentence is: 私は、息子が何か言いたそうな顔をしているのを見て、「どうしたの？」と声をかけた。 The order is 2→3→★(1)→4. Option 1「顔を」fits at the ★ position (third slot), completing the phrase「何か言いたそうな顔をしているのを」(looking like she wanted to say something). The pattern is: 何か(something) + 言いたそうな(wanting to say) + 顔を(face) + しているのを(doing).

• 2「何か」must come first, before「言いたそうな」, to form「何か言いたそうな」(wanting to say something). It cannot be in the ★ (third) position.
• 3「言いたそうな」modifies「顔を」, so it must come before it. It cannot be in the third position.
• 4「しているのを」must come last, after「顔を」, to complete the noun clause that「見て」takes as its object. It cannot be in the third position.

• 言いいたそうな — looking like one wants to say something (〜そうな = seeming like)
• 声こえをかける — to call out to someone, to speak to someone

The correct sentence is: この公園は、いろいろな花が咲き始めるこの時期が最も美しいと聞いた。 The order is 4→2→★(1)→3. Option 1「最も」fits at the ★ position (third slot), forming「この時期が最も美しい」(this season is the most beautiful). The structure is: この(this) + 時期が(season) + 最も(most) + 美しい(beautiful).

• 2「時期が」must come before「最も美しい」to form the subject of the clause. It belongs in the second position, not the third.
• 3「美しい」is the final adjective that completes the clause「最も美しいと聞いた」. It must come last, after「最も」.
• 4「この」must come first, directly before「時期が」, to form「この時期が」(this season). It cannot be in the third position.

• 最もっとも — most, the most
• 時期じき — season, time, period
• 咲き始める（さきはじめる） — to begin to bloom

The correct sentence is: 友達が怪我で入院したと聞き、あわてて病院にいってみると、思っていたよりも元気で安心した。 The order is 1→3→★(2)→4. Option 2「思って」fits at the ★ position (third slot), forming「思っていたよりも」(more than I had thought). The structure is: 病院にいって(go to the hospital) + みると(try doing and then) + 思っていたよりも(than I had thought) + 元気で(healthy and).

• 1「病院にいって」must come first, right after「あわてて」, to describe the action of rushing to the hospital. It cannot be in the third position.
• 3「みると」follows「病院にいって」to form「病院にいってみると」(when I went to the hospital and checked). It belongs in the second position.
• 4「いたよりも」is the latter part of「思っていたよりも」and must follow「思って」. It cannot stand alone in the third position.

• 〜てみると — when one tries doing ~ (and sees the result)
• 思おもっていたよりも — more than one had thought/expected
• あわてて — in a panic, hastily

The correct sentence is: 庭に植えたスイカは、これまでなかなかうまく育たなかったが、あきらめないで毎年チャレンジしていたら、ようやく今年になっておいしいのができた。 The order is 3→1→★(4)→2. Option 4「毎年チャレンジしていたら」fits at the ★ position (third slot), forming「あきらめないで毎年チャレンジしていたら」(if you keep challenging yourself every year without giving up). The structure is: うまく育たなかったが(didn't grow well, but) + あきらめないで(without giving up) + 毎年チャレンジしていたら(if I kept trying every year) + ようやく(finally).

• 1「あきらめないで」must come before「毎年チャレンジしていたら」to form「あきらめないで毎年チャレンジしていたら」. It belongs in the second position.
• 2「ようやく」must come last, right before「今年になって」, to express 'finally.' It cannot be in the third position.
• 3「うまく育たなかったが」must come first, right after「なかなか」, to describe the past failure. It belongs in the first position.

• チャレンジしていたら — if one kept trying/challenging (〜ていたら = if one had been doing)
• ようやく — finally, at last
• あきらめないで — without giving up

The correct sentence is: 子供のころに祖母が作ってくれたワンピースを、体が大きくなって着られなくなったが、今でも大切にもっている。 The order is 4→1→★(3)→2. Option 3「今でも」fits at the ★ position (third slot), forming「今でも大切にもっている」(I still keep it carefully). The structure is: 体が大きくなって(having grown bigger) + 着られなくなった(can no longer wear) + 今でも(even now) + 大切にもっている(keeping carefully). Note: the sentence ends with「いる」, which is the tail of「もっている」.

• 1「着られなくなった」must follow「体が大きくなって」to form「体が大きくなって着られなくなった」(grew bigger and can no longer wear it). It belongs in the second position.
• 2「大切にもって」must come last, combining with the sentence-ending「いる」to form「大切にもっている」(keeping carefully). It cannot be in the third position.
• 4「体が大きくなって」must come first, explaining the reason the dress can no longer be worn. It cannot be in the third position.

• 着きられなくなった — became unable to wear (potential negative + なる)
• 大切たいせつにもっている — keeping carefully, treasuring
• 今いまでも — even now, still