N3 Grammar · Test 14

The correct answer is 4 (に). The fixed grammar pattern を中心に（をちゅうしんに） means 'centered on ~' or 'with ~ at the center.' The sentence means: 'This research is being conducted with Professor Kitagawa of University A at the center.' The particle に completes the pattern N を中心に.

• 1か does not form a correct pattern with を中心. There is no grammar pattern を中心か.
• 2で is a plausible-looking particle (meaning 'by means of' or 'at'), but を中心で is not a valid fixed expression. The correct pattern requires に.
• 3は is a topic particle, but を中心は is not a valid grammar pattern. The pattern must be を中心に.

• 中心ちゅうしん — center, core
• を中心に（をちゅうしんに） — centered on ~, with ~ at the center
• 行おこなわれる — to be conducted, to be carried out (passive of 行う)

The correct answer is 4 (たしかに). たしかに（確かに） means 'certainly, surely' and modifies the na-adjective 短気だ. The sentence means: 'That person is certainly short-tempered. However, he is not a bad person.' The contrast between 'certainly short-tempered' and 'but not a bad person' creates a natural, coherent statement.

• 1いまにも means 'at any moment, about to' and is used with expressions like 〜しそうだ (about to do something). It cannot modify a na-adjective like 短気だ.
• 2少しも means 'not at all' and requires a negative predicate (少しも〜ない). Since 短気だ is affirmative, 少しも is grammatically incompatible here.
• 3すぐに means 'immediately, quickly' and describes how an action is performed. It does not naturally modify a na-adjective describing a personality trait. すぐに短気だ is grammatically unnatural.

• たしかに — certainly, surely
• 短気たんき — short-tempered, impatient (na-adjective)
• 少すこしも — not at all (used with negative)
• いまにも — at any moment, about to (used with 〜しそうだ)

The correct answer is 1 (寝ている). The brother explains that their father worked late yesterday, so he is probably still sleeping now. まだ ('still') pairs with 〜ている (ongoing state/resultant state) to describe a current ongoing condition: まだ寝ているよ ('he is probably still sleeping'). The sentence-ending よ also indicates a present-tense statement about the current situation.

• 2寝ていた is past progressive ('was sleeping'). The question asks where the father is now, and まだ ('still') requires a present-tense ongoing state, not a past one.
• 3寝ない is negative non-past ('will not sleep / does not sleep'). With まだ, this would mean 'probably still won't sleep,' which makes no sense given the context that he worked late and is presumably sleeping now.
• 4寝なかった is past negative ('did not sleep'). This contradicts the context entirely — the father worked late, so he likely IS sleeping, and the question is about his current whereabouts.

• 寝ねている — is sleeping (ongoing state)
• まだ — still
• 多分たぶん — probably, perhaps

The correct answer is 2 (いいのか). The pattern is どうしたらいいのか分からない, meaning 'I don't know what I should do.' Here, どうしたらいいのか is an embedded question (indirect question) functioning as the object of 分からない. The particle か marks the embedded question ('what should I do?'), and the whole clause becomes 'I don't know what to do.' This is a very common N3 grammar pattern.

• 1いいと would require a quoting particle と followed by a verb like 思う ('I think it's good'), but with 分からない, the embedded question form 〜か is needed, not 〜と. どうしたらいいと分からない is ungrammatical.
• 3よくて is the て-form of よい (いい). A て-form cannot be directly followed by 分からない in this construction. The sentence would be grammatically broken.
• 4よくても means 'even if it is good,' using 〜ても (concessive). This does not fit the sentence structure at all — 'I don't know even if it's good' makes no sense.

• どうしたらいいのか — what should I do (embedded question form)
• 仲直なかなおり — reconciliation, making up
• 謝あやまる — to apologize
• 許ゆるす — to forgive, to permit

The correct answer is 2 (してほしい). 〜てほしい expresses the speaker's desire for someone else to do something: 'I want (someone) to do ~.' The sentence means: 'Today is my grandfather's 80th birthday. I want my beloved grandfather to stay healthy and live long forever.' The speaker wants the grandfather to 長生きする (live a long life), so 長生きしてほしい ('I want him to live long') is correct.

• 1したがる means 'to want to do' and is used to describe a THIRD PERSON's own desire (not the speaker's desire for someone else). Here, the speaker wants the grandfather to live long, so したがる is inappropriate — it would mean the grandfather wants to live long, which is not what the sentence expresses.
• 3していたい means 'I want to continue doing (something myself).' This would mean the speaker wants to live long themselves, not that they want the grandfather to live long. The subject is wrong.
• 4したがっている means '(someone) is wanting to do (something)' — the ongoing state of a third person's desire. Like option 1, this describes the grandfather's own desire, not the speaker's desire for the grandfather.

• 〜てほしい — I want (someone) to do ~ (expresses speaker's desire for another's action)
• 長生ながいき — long life, living a long time
• したがる — to want to do (used for third-person desire)
• 仲直なかなおり — reconciliation

The full sentence is: 「あしたは朝から忙しくなりそうですし今日中にやってしまいましょう。」(Since it seems it will get busy from tomorrow morning, let's finish it within today.) The order is 1→3→★2→4. Option 2 (今日中に) fills the ★ position, connecting そうですし (since it seems) with やってしまいましょう (let's finish doing it).

• 1忙しくなり comes first, attaching to あしたは朝から to form 'from tomorrow morning it will get busy.' It must precede そうですし.
• 3そうですし follows 忙しくなり to form 忙しくなりそうですし (it seems it'll get busy, so...). It comes before the ★ slot.
• 4やってしまいましょう is the final verb phrase, completing the sentence after 今日中に. It comes after the ★ slot.

• 忙いそがしくなる — to become busy
• 〜そうですし — it seems... and also (giving a reason)
• 今日中きょうじゅうに — within today
• やってしまう — to finish doing completely

The full sentence is: 「仕事から帰って、娘に笑顔で『おかえり。』と言われると、こんなかわいい娘がいる私は本当に幸せだといつも思う。」(When I come home from work and am greeted with a smile by my daughter saying 'Welcome home,' I always think that I, who have such a cute daughter, am truly happy.) The order is 2→4→★3→1. Option 3 (娘がいる) fills the ★ position, modifying 私は本当に to form 娘がいる私は本当に幸せだ (I who have a daughter am truly happy).

• 1私は本当に comes last, completing 幸せだといつも思う as 私は本当に幸せだ. It follows the ★ slot.
• 2「おかえり。」と言われると comes first after 娘に笑顔で, establishing the condition 'when greeted with welcome home.'
• 4こんなかわいい precedes 娘がいる, forming こんなかわいい娘がいる (having such a cute daughter). It comes before the ★ slot.

• 〜と言われる（〜といわれる） — to be told (passive of 言う)
• 幸しあわせ — happiness, happy

The full sentence is: 「川名寺は桜がきれいなことで有名ですが、桜だけでなく秋の景色もすばらしいです。」(Kawadera is famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms, but not only the cherry blossoms—the autumn scenery is also wonderful.) The order is 4→2→★3→1. Option 3 (有名ですが) fills the ★ position, completing きれいなことで有名ですが (famous for being beautiful, but...) and connecting to the second clause 桜だけでなく.

• 1桜だけでなく comes after the ★ slot, beginning the second clause: 'not only cherry blossoms.'
• 2ことで follows きれいな to form きれいなことで (for the reason of being beautiful). It precedes the ★ slot.
• 4きれいな comes first after 桜が, describing the cherry blossoms as beautiful. It starts the sequence.

• 有名ゆうめい — famous
• 〜だけでなく — not only... (but also)
• 景色けしき — scenery, view

The full sentence is: 「何もしないでいるより、チャレンジして失敗するほうがいい。」(Rather than doing nothing, it's better to challenge yourself and fail.) The order is 3→4→★1→2. Option 1 (チャレンジして) fills the ★ position, connecting いるより (rather than) with 失敗するほうがいい (it's better to fail), forming チャレンジして失敗するほうがいい (it's better to challenge and fail).

• 2失敗する comes last, completing 失敗するほうがいい (it's better to fail). It follows the ★ slot.
• 3しないで comes first after 何も, forming 何もしないで (without doing anything). It precedes the ★ slot.
• 4いるより follows しないで to form しないでいるより (rather than doing nothing). It precedes the ★ slot.

• 何も〜ない（なにも〜ない） — nothing at all
• 〜するほうがいい — it's better to do...
• チャレンジする — to challenge (oneself)
• 失敗しっぱいする — to fail, to make a mistake

The full sentence is: 「その割引券一枚で三人まで二割引になるんだ。」(With one discount ticket, up to three people get 20% off.) The order is 2→1→★4→3. Option 4 (まで) fills the ★ position, forming 三人まで (up to three people), which connects to 二割引になるんだ (becomes 20% off).

• 1三人 comes before the ★ slot, following 割引券一枚で. It needs まで after it to mean 'up to three people.'
• 2割引券一枚で comes first after その, establishing 'with one discount ticket.' It starts the sequence.
• 3二割引 comes last, completing 二割引になるんだ (it becomes 20% off). It follows the ★ slot.

• 割引券わりびきけん — discount ticket/coupon
• 〜まで — up to (indicating an upper limit)
• 二割引にわりびき — 20% off (two-tenths discount)