N3 Reading · Test 7

The correct answer is 1, そこで. The preceding sentence says 'I wanted to sing in Japanese that everyone would understand,' and the following sentence says 'I decided to sing a Japanese anime song.' This is a logical consequence — the speaker thought about what to do and then acted on that thought. そこで ('so / therefore / then') connects a situation to the action taken in response, which fits perfectly here.

• 2それでも ('even so / nevertheless') indicates a concession — that the action was taken despite some obstacle. There is no opposing factor here; the decision to sing anime songs was a natural result of wanting everyone to understand, so それでも is inappropriate.
• 3ところで ('by the way') is used to change the topic entirely. Here the topic continues — the speaker is explaining what she decided to sing — so a topic shift is wrong.
• 4ところが ('however / but') introduces an unexpected or contrary result. The decision to sing anime songs is not contrary to the previous thought; it follows from it, so ところが does not fit.

• そこで — so, therefore, then (connects a situation to the action taken in response)
• それでも — even so, nevertheless
• ところで — by the way (used to change the topic)
• ところが — however, but (introduces an unexpected result)

The correct answer is 2, 歌い出したからです. The key is the relationship between sentences. The previous sentence says 'その必要はありませんでした' (there was no need to worry). The blank sentence then explains WHY there was no need to worry: 'わたしが歌い始めたら、みんながいっしょに歌い出したからです' = 'Because when I started singing, everyone started singing along together.' The からです ('it is because...') directly provides the reason for the previous statement. The following sentence ('みんなも自分の国でそのアニメを見ていたそうです') adds further supporting detail.

• 1歌い出したせいです uses せい ('because of' with a negative connotation, blaming a bad outcome). Everyone singing along was a positive thing, not a negative one, so せい is wrong.
• 3歌い出しただけです means 'just/only started singing.' This does not explain why there was no need to worry, and だけ ('only') implies the action was trivial or limited, which doesn't fit the context.
• 4歌い出したことです means 'it is the fact that everyone started singing.' While grammatically possible, ことです simply states a fact without the causal explanation that からです provides. The sentence needs to give a reason, not just state what happened.

• 〜からです — it is because ~ (gives a reason for a preceding statement)
• 〜せいです — it is because of ~ (negative cause, blaming)
• 〜だけです — just / only ~
• 歌い出す（うたいだす） — to start singing (verb stem + 出す = to begin doing something)

The correct answer is 4, 同じアニメ. The context is: at karaoke, when Emily started singing an anime song, everyone joined in because they had all watched that anime in their own countries. The sentence says 'カラオケに行って（　21　）を見ていたとわかってから' = 'after going to karaoke and realizing that they had been watching (21).' Since everyone from different countries knew the same anime song, the realization was that they had all watched the same anime — 同じアニメ ('the same anime'). This also connects to the next sentence: after understanding this shared experience, they started talking about anime together.

• 1自分のアニメ ('my anime') would mean only Emily had watched it, but the point is that everyone knew it, so this contradicts the context.
• 2みんなのアニメ ('everyone's anime') is unnatural — it implies the anime belongs to everyone, rather than expressing that it was the same one they all watched.
• 3違う国のアニメ ('anime from different countries') contradicts the key point: they all watched the same Japanese anime in their respective countries, not different countries' anime.

• 同おなじ — same, identical
• 違ちがう — different
• わかってから — after understanding/realizing ~

The correct answer is 1, 親しくなることができたのです. The sentence reads: '日本のアニメがあったから、わたしはカラオケにいった5人と前よりも親しくなることができたのです' = 'Because Japanese anime existed, I was able to become closer with the five people I went to karaoke with than before.' This matches the passage's earlier statement '友だちになれました' (we were able to become friends), which uses the potential form + た to express an achieved result. ことができたのです ('was able to do') conveys the same meaning: a positive outcome that was achieved thanks to anime.

• 2親しくなってほしいのです ('I want (them) to become close') expresses a desire for someone else to become close. The subject is Emily herself becoming close with the others, and the result has already been achieved, so a desire expression is wrong.
• 3親しくなれそうだったのです ('it seemed like we could become close') expresses past speculation or appearance — that it looked possible but may not have happened. The passage states they actually did become friends, so this uncertainty is inappropriate.
• 4親しくなってみたいのです ('I want to try becoming close') expresses a wish to try something. The friendship has already been achieved, so expressing a desire to try is contextually wrong.

• 親したしい — close, intimate (relationship)
• 〜ことができる — can / be able to do ~
• 〜てほしい — want someone to do ~
• 〜そうだ — looks like / seems like ~ (conjecture based on appearance)

The correct answer is 3, ものだったのだと思っています. The sentence reads: '今は日本のアニメは自分にとって、新しい世界のドアを開いてくれるものだったのだと思っています' = 'Now I think/believe that Japanese anime has been something that opens the door to a new world for me.' The key elements are: (1) もの ('something that...') nominalizes the clause describing anime's role; (2) だったのだ emphasizes the realization — anime has been this kind of thing all along, and she now recognizes it; (3) と思っています expresses the author's ongoing current belief, which is appropriate for an essay reflecting on a personal realization. The contrast with the past ('そのときは...と思っていました' vs '今は...') is central to the passage.

• 1ものなのだと思いますか ends with か, forming a question ('Do you think it is something that...?'). This is an essay stating the author's personal reflection, not asking the reader a question, so this is wrong.
• 2ものだったと思うそうです uses そうだ (hearsay: 'I hear that...'), which would mean the author heard from someone else that she thought this. This is the author's own belief, not something reported from another person, so そうだ is inappropriate.
• 4ものだと思ったかもしれません ('might have thought it was something that...') expresses speculation about a past possibility. The author is stating her current firm belief, not speculating about what she might have thought, so this is wrong.

• 〜ものだ — something that ~ (nominalizer expressing the essential nature of something)
• 〜のだ — it is that ~ (explanatory/emphatic emphasis)
• 〜と思っています（〜とおもっています） — I think / I believe (ongoing current belief)
• 〜そうだ — I hear that ~ / it is said that ~ (hearsay)