Option 4 is correct. The underlined phrase 「面白いのは」(what is interesting is) is immediately followed by: 「夏と冬ではよく売れるアイスの種類が違うことです」(the types of ice cream that sell well differ between summer and winter). The question asks where the author thinks the CAUSE of this interesting phenomenon lies. The passage then explains: in summer, lemon-flavored sherbet sells well, while in winter, rich flavors like chocolate sell well. Option 4 states that the types of ice cream that sell well differ depending on the season, which is exactly what the author finds interesting and is describing as the phenomenon itself. The question is essentially asking what the author finds interesting, and the answer is the seasonal difference in popular ice cream types.
1This is mentioned earlier in the passage as a general fact (eating cold things in summer cools you down), but it is not what the author finds 「面白い」(interesting). The interesting point is specifically about the difference in selling types between seasons.
2This is also mentioned as a general observation (eating ice cream in a warm room in winter is delicious), but it is not what the author identifies as interesting. The interesting phenomenon is the seasonal difference in which types sell best.
3This is stated as background context (「今では一年中いつでも食べられますが」), but it is not what the author finds interesting. In fact, it is contrasted with the interesting finding using が (but).
面白い — interesting, amusing
種類 — type, kind
売れる — to sell well
2.②氷はとても大事なものでしたとあるが、それはどうしてか。
1冬に特別な部屋で作った氷だったし、とけないように運ぶのも大変だったから。
2冬に作った氷は特別な味がしたし、時間がたつととけてなくなってしまうから。
3夏に作った氷はとてもめずらしかったし、暑さですぐとけてしまうものだったから。
4夏の氷はめずらしかったし、町まで運ぶ途中でとけて小さくなってしまうから。
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Answer: 1. 冬に特別な部屋で作った氷だったし、とけないように運ぶのも大変だったから。
Option 1 is correct. The passage explains that ice was made in winter and stored in a special room called 氷室 (himuro) to keep it from melting: 「冬に作った氷を、『氷室』と呼ばれる特別な部屋に運んで、とけないようにしておきました」. Then in summer, the ice was transported to town, but since the distance was far, it gradually melted and became smaller: 「町までは遠く、運ぶ間に少しずつとけて小さくなりますから、氷はとても大事なものでした」. Option 1 captures both key points: the ice was made/stored in a special room in winter, and transporting it without melting was difficult (大変). These factors made ice precious.
2The passage does not say the ice had a special taste. It says sugar water (さとう水) was poured over shaved ice, but the preciousness came from the difficulty of making and transporting it, not from a special taste. Also, while ice does melt over time, the passage emphasizes the transportation difficulty, not just natural melting.
3The ice was NOT made in summer — it was made in winter and stored until summer. This option incorrectly states the ice was made in summer, which contradicts the passage. The preciousness came from the winter production and careful storage, not from summer production.
4While it is true that ice was rare and melted during transport, this option says 「夏の氷はめずらしかった」(summer ice was rare) and 「町まで運ぶ途中でとけて小さくなってしまう」which partially matches. However, it omits the crucial detail about the special room (氷室) where ice was stored from winter, which is a key reason for its preciousness. Option 1 more accurately captures both the special storage and the transportation difficulty mentioned in the passage.
氷室 — ice house, ice room (a special room for storing ice)
大事 — precious, important
とける — to melt
3.③夏の氷は特別なごちそうだったのでしょうとあるが、ここで言いたいことはどのようなことか。
1氷は昔は冬の食べ物だったので、夏に食べることはとてもめずらしいことだった。
2まだアイスクリームを買うことは難しかったので、みんな氷でがまんしていた。
3暑い夏に氷を食べて涼しさを感じることは、日常的にできることではなかった。
4涼しくなるように氷を食べることは、そのころ人々がよくやっていたことだった。
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Answer: 3. 暑い夏に氷を食べて涼しさを感じることは、日常的にできることではなかった。
Option 3 is correct. The phrase 「夏の氷は特別なごちそうだったのでしょう」(summer ice was probably a special treat) follows the explanation of how difficult it was to obtain ice in summer — it had to be made in winter, stored carefully in a 氷室, and transported far while melting along the way. The phrase 今とは違い (unlike today) contrasts with the modern ease of getting ice cream year-round. A 「ごちそう」(treat/luxury food) is something special, not everyday. Option 3 says: feeling cool by eating ice in hot summer was not something that could be done on a daily basis (日常的にできることではなかった), which perfectly captures the meaning of ice being a special treat rather than an everyday thing.
1This option says ice was originally a winter food and eating it in summer was rare. While ice was indeed made in winter, the passage does not frame it as a 'winter food' — it was made in winter specifically to be enjoyed in summer. The point is not that eating ice in summer was unusual because ice belongs to winter, but rather that obtaining ice in summer was extremely difficult, making it a luxury.
2The passage does not mention that people couldn't buy ice cream or that they 'made do' with ice. The passage is about a time (10th century) before ice cream existed in Japan. The comparison is between the past difficulty of obtaining ice and the modern availability of ice cream, not about people settling for ice instead of ice cream.
4This says eating ice to cool down was something people commonly did at that time, which is the opposite of what the passage conveys. The phrase 特別なごちそう (special treat) implies it was NOT an everyday or common occurrence. If it were commonly done, it would not be a special treat.
ごちそう — special treat, feast, luxury food
日常的 — everyday, routine
今とは違い（いまとはちがい） — unlike today, different from now
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