N3 Reading · Test 75

The mother was stopped at a red light and became absorbed in the nostalgic song playing on the radio, nearly crying. She was so distracted that she didn't notice the traffic light had changed to green. Her daughter said 「お母さん、青。」(Mom, it's green.) to alert her. Option 4, 「信号が変わったことに『私』が気づいていなかったから」(because 'I' hadn't noticed the signal had changed), is the correct reason.

• 1The mother did not stop at a green light. She stopped at a red light (「赤信号で止まっている」), and then the light changed to green while she was distracted by the song. This option reverses the situation.
• 2The mother pressed the accelerator (アクセルを踏んだ) AFTER the daughter alerted her, as a result of the daughter's words. This was a consequence, not the reason the daughter spoke.
• 3The passage does not suggest the daughter was trying to prevent the mother from knowing she was about to cry. The daughter simply noticed the light had changed and alerted her mother. There is no evidence the daughter was concerned about hiding the tears.

• 信号しんごう — traffic light/signal
• アクセルを踏む（あくせるをふむ） — to step on the accelerator
• 懐なつかしい — nostalgic

The passage describes: In her early twenties, the author was struggling at work, crying daily from failures and relationship troubles. During those hard times, she always listened to this song. The words 「負けないで。君は一人じゃない。」(Don't give up. You're not alone.) comforted her (慰められ), and hearing the song made her feel motivated to try hard. Option 1, 「苦しい時に自分を慰めてくれた思い出の曲」(a memorable song that comforted her during painful times), captures this perfectly.

• 2The passage does not describe the song as something she dislikes (嫌いな曲). On the contrary, she calls it her 「応援歌」(cheering song) and it gave her comfort and motivation. There is no negative association with the song itself.
• 3The passage does not say she listens to the song when she wants to recall her youth. She listened to it during hard times for comfort, not for nostalgia about being young. She hadn't even heard it for a long time (「ずっと聞いていなかった曲」).
• 4The passage does not say she wants to play the song for her younger, troubled self. She listened to it herself during those times and was comforted by it. This option misrepresents the relationship between the author and the song.

• 慰なぐさめられる — to be comforted/consoled
• 応援歌おうえんか — cheering song, song of encouragement
• 頑張がんばる — to do one's best, to try hard

The passage says: 「あれからもう20年です。泣きたくなるような苦しいことも、いつのまにかなくなりました。今はきっと幸せなのだと思います。今日、本当に久しぶりにこの曲を聞いたのですから。」(It's been 20 years since then. The painful things that made me want to cry have disappeared before I knew it. I think I must be happy now. After all, I heard this song today for the first time in a really long time.) The logic is: she hasn't needed to listen to this 'cheering song' for a long time because she no longer has painful experiences — which means she is happy now. Option 2, 「今は『応援歌』を聞く必要のない毎日が過ごせているから」(because she can now live each day without needing to listen to the 'cheering song'), matches this reasoning.

• 1The passage does not mention the author now supporting/cheering on her family. The word 応援歌 refers to the song, not to the author cheering for family members. This is unsupported by the text.
• 3The passage explicitly states that painful things have disappeared (「泣きたくなるような苦しいことも、いつのまにかなくなりました」), contradicting the claim that she still has painful experiences. Also, the point is that she no longer needs the song, not that she still uses it to motivate herself.
• 4Again, the passage says painful things have disappeared (「なくなりました」), so the claim that she still has times when she wants to cry contradicts the text. The presence of a supportive family is also not mentioned as the reason for her happiness.

• 久ひさしぶり — for the first time in a long time
• いつのまにか — before one knows it, unnoticed
• 幸しあわせ — happiness, happy