N3 Grammar · Test 2

The correct answer is 2 (ほど). The pattern 「AほどBない」means 'not as B as A.' Here, 去年ほど暑くない means 'not as hot as last year.' This is a standard N3 comparison pattern.

• 1から means 'from/since' and does not create a comparison. 今年の夏は去年から暑くない is ungrammatical and meaningless.
• 3まで means 'until/to' and does not fit here. 去年まで暑くない would mean 'not hot until last year,' which makes no sense.
• 4しか means 'only' and must pair with a negative verb, but it expresses limitation ('only'), not comparison. 去年しか暑くない would mean 'it was only hot last year,' which doesn't fit the sentence.

• ほど — to the extent of; as much as (used in AほどBない: not as B as A)
• 暑あつい — hot

The correct answer is 1 (か/か). The pattern 「～か～か（分からない）」means 'don't know whether it's X or Y.' シャンプーか何か分からない means 'I don't know whether it was shampoo or something.' The sentence says: 'I don't know if it was shampoo or what, but anyway a nice scent came from the person sitting next to me.'

• 2は/は does not work with 分からない in this uncertainty pattern. は is a topic marker and cannot express the 'whether A or B' meaning needed here.
• 3が/が does not create the 'whether X or Y' pattern. While が can mark the subject of 分からない, doubling it here (シャンプーが何が分からない) is ungrammatical.
• 4で/で means 'by means of/at' and does not express uncertainty. シャンプーで何で分からない is not a valid construction.

• ～か～か — whether X or Y (used with verbs like 分かる/知る to express uncertainty)
• 隣となり — next to; beside
• 香かおり — scent; fragrance

The correct answer is 4 (だけなら). だけなら means 'if it's only~.' The context: the boss asks if both the report and the meeting materials can be done by noon. Hayashi says doing both is difficult, then adds 会議の資料だけならできると思います = 'If it's just the meeting materials, I think I can do it.' The conditional なら fits the 'if it's limited to just that' nuance perfectly.

• 1とても means 'very' and does not fit grammatically. 会議の資料とてもできると思います is ungrammatical — とても cannot connect a noun phrase to a verb this way.
• 2となら means 'if it becomes/if it's (the case of)~' and is grammatically possible, but it lacks the crucial 'only/just' nuance. The context requires expressing that doing just one of the two tasks is feasible, which だけなら captures but となら does not.
• 3だけでも means 'at least~' / 'even just~.' 会議の資料だけでもできると思います = 'I think I can do even just the meeting materials.' While close, this phrasing emphasizes a minimum expectation rather than a conditional contrast with 'both.' The trailing と思いますが… (leaving the thought incomplete) signals a conditional response, making だけなら the better fit.

• だけなら — if it's only~; if it's just~
• 資料しりょう — materials; documents
• 出張しゅっちょう — business trip

The correct answer is 3 (ちっとも). ちっとも is an adverb that must be used with a negative verb and means 'not at all; not in the least.' ちっとも私の言うことを聞かない = 'doesn't listen to what I say at all.' This fits the sentence: 'My son doesn't listen to me at all lately, so I'm troubled.'

• 1やっと means 'finally; at last' and is used with affirmative verbs to express something achieved after difficulty. It does not pair with a negative verb (聞かない).
• 2きっと means 'surely; definitely' and is used for predictions or certainty, typically with affirmative expressions. It does not pair with negative verbs in this way.
• 4せっかく means 'with effort; going to the trouble of' and expresses appreciation or regret about an effort. It does not fit with 聞かないので困っている (doesn't listen, so I'm troubled).

• ちっとも — not at all; not in the least (always used with a negative verb)
• 聞きく — to listen; to obey
• 困こまる — to be troubled; to be in a difficult situation

The correct answer is 1 (おかげで). おかげで means 'thanks to~; because of (a positive cause).' 技術の進歩のおかげでとても便利になった = 'Thanks to technological progress, our lives have become very convenient.' This pattern is used when expressing gratitude or positive results from a cause.

• 2はうで is not a valid Japanese word or grammar pattern. This appears to be a transcription error (see issues).
• 3ことで means 'by means of~; by doing~' and is grammatically possible, but it describes method/means rather than a cause-and-effect relationship of benefit. おかげで is the natural choice for 'thanks to X, something good happened.'
• 4ほかで means 'besides; other than' and does not fit the sentence. 技術の進歩のほかで would mean 'besides technological progress,' which changes the meaning entirely.

• おかげで — thanks to~; because of (used for positive results)
• 技術ぎじゅつ — technology
• 進歩しんぽ — progress; advancement
• 便利べんり — convenient

The correct order is: この喫茶店はコーヒー【4. だけでなく】【2. スパゲティ】【★1. などの】【3. 料理も】おいしい。The full sentence means 'At this coffee shop, not only the coffee but also dishes like spaghetti are delicious.' The structure is Nだけでなく～も ('not only N but also…'), and スパゲティなどの料理 ('dishes such as spaghetti') fits perfectly between だけでなく and 料理も. The ★ position is the third slot, which is などの.

• 2スパゲティ must come before などの to form スパゲティなどの料理 ('dishes such as spaghetti'). Placing it in the ★ slot would break this noun phrase.
• 3料理も must come right before おいしい, as the subject of the adjective. It cannot go in the ★ slot.
• 4だけでなく must immediately follow コーヒー to form コーヒーだけでなく ('not only coffee'). It cannot go in the ★ slot.

• だけでなく — not only… (used with も to mean 'not only A but also B')
• など — such as, things like
• 料理りょうり — cooking, dish(es)

The correct order is: 映画が【2. はじまる】【4. まで】【★3. あと3分】【1. しかない】よ。The full sentence means 'There are only 3 minutes left until the movie starts. Hurry up.' The structure is はじまるまであと3分しかない ('only 3 minutes left until it starts'), where まで ('until') connects はじまる to the time expression, and しかない ('only/nothing but') follows the quantity. The ★ position is the third slot, which is あと3分.

• 1しかない must come at the end of the clause, right before よ, to express 'only 3 minutes left.' It cannot go in the ★ slot.
• 2はじまる must come right after 映画が to form 映画がはじまる ('the movie starts'). It cannot go in the ★ slot.
• 4まで must follow はじまる to form はじまるまで ('until (the movie) starts'). It cannot go in the ★ slot.

• はじまる — to begin, to start
• まで — until
• あと — remaining, left (with time expressions)
• 〜しかない — there is nothing but…, only

The correct order is: 【3. 晴れる】【4. と】【★2. いい】【1. の】だが。The full sentence means 'I have a friend's wedding this Sunday. I hope it will be sunny, though.' The pattern is V辞書形 + といい ('it would be good if…'), expressing a wish/hope. 晴れるといい ('it would be nice if it's sunny') is followed by のだが, which adds a trailing nuance. The ★ position is the third slot, which is いい.

• 1の must come after いい to form いいのだが, a trailing sentence-ending pattern. It cannot go in the ★ slot.
• 3晴れる must come first, as the verb in the conditional wish pattern 晴れるといい. It cannot go in the ★ slot.
• 4と must come between 晴れる and いい to form the pattern V + といい ('it would be good if…'). It cannot go in the ★ slot.

• 晴はれる — to be sunny, to clear up
• 〜といい — it would be good if… (expressing a wish/hope)
• 〜のだが — …, though (trailing sentence ending, leaving something unsaid)

The correct order is: 息子は、サッカークラブの練習がきついと【1. よく言っているが】【4. それでもやめずに】【★3. 続けているのは】【2. やっぱりサッカーが】好きだからだと思う。The full sentence means 'My son often says soccer practice is tough, but I think the reason he keeps at it without quitting is that he really likes soccer.' The structure is: きついとよく言っているが ('often says it's tough, but') → それでもやめずに続けている ('still continues without quitting') → 続けているのは～だからだと思う ('I think the reason he continues is…'). The ★ position is the third slot, which is 続けているのは.

• 1よく言っているが must come right after きついと to form きついとよく言っているが ('often says it's tough, but'). It cannot go in the ★ slot.
• 2やっぱりサッカーが must come right before 好き to form やっぱりサッカーが好き ('really likes soccer'). It cannot go in the ★ slot.
• 4それでもやめずに must come before 続けているのは to form それでもやめずに続けている ('continues without quitting, even so'). It cannot go in the ★ slot.

• きつい — tough, hard, demanding
• それでも — even so, nevertheless
• やめずに — without quitting
• 続つづける — to continue
• やっぱり — as expected, after all, really

The correct order is: 浅野【1. こんでいる電車は】【3. 嫌いだし】【★4. 自転車で行けば】【2. よい運転になるから】自転車で通っている。The full sentence means 'It takes 40 minutes by bike from home to school. By train it's 20 minutes, but Asano hates crowded trains, and riding a bike is good exercise, so he commutes by bicycle.' 浅野 is a person's name. The structure is: こんでいる電車は嫌いだし ('hates crowded trains, and') → 自転車で行けばよい運転になるから ('because riding a bike is good exercise') → 自転車で通っている ('commutes by bike'). The ★ position is the third slot, which is 自転車で行けば.

• 1こんでいる電車は must come right after 浅野 to form the topic こんでいる電車は ('crowded trains'). It cannot go in the ★ slot.
• 2よい運転になるから must come after 自転車で行けば to form 自転車で行けばよい運転になるから ('because riding a bike is good exercise'). It cannot go in the ★ slot.
• 3嫌いだし must follow こんでいる電車は to form こんでいる電車は嫌いだし ('hates crowded trains, and…'). It cannot go in the ★ slot.

• 浅野あさの — Asano (a person's name)
• 混こむ — to be crowded
• 嫌きらい — dislike, hate
• 運転うんてん — driving/riding (here: physical exercise from riding a bike)
• 通かよう — to commute