N4 Grammar · Test 25

The correct answer is 2 (までには). までには means 'by (a certain time)' — indicating that something will happen at or before that time. 11時半までには終わる = 'it will end by 11:30'. This works with 終わる (a momentary/completion verb) because it sets a deadline by which the action will be completed.

• 1までは means 'until' and implies a continuous state up to that point. With 終わる (a completion verb), までは終わる sounds unnatural — it would suggest the meeting continues until 11:30 and then ends, which is not the intended nuance of 'it should be over by 11:30'.
• 3までも is not a standard grammatical pattern in this context. まで + も would mean 'even until', which does not fit the sentence meaning.
• 4までにも is not a valid combination. Adding both に and も to まで is ungrammatical here.

• 会議中かいぎちゅう — in the middle of a meeting
• 終おわる — to end, to finish
• までには — by (a certain time); at or before

どういう modifies the noun 意味(いみ) and means 'what kind of / what.' The phrase どういう意味ですか means 'What does (this word) mean?' which fits the dialogue perfectly: the student asks what a word means, and the teacher replies 'It means やさしい.'

• 1どうやって means 'how / by what method' and is used for asking about processes or means (e.g., どうやって行きますか 'How will you go?'). It cannot directly modify the noun 意味.
• 2どのぐらい means 'how much / how long / to what extent' and is used for quantity or degree (e.g., どのぐらい時間がかかりますか 'How long does it take?'). It does not fit asking about meaning.
• 4どう means 'how' and is used as an adverb (e.g., どうしますか 'What will you do?'). It cannot directly modify the noun 意味 the way どういう can.

• どういう — what kind of; what (modifies a noun)
• 意味いみ — meaning
• 言葉ことば — word; language

やっと means 'finally / at last,' expressing that something took a long time or much effort but was completed. The context says the report took one week, and it was finished last night — so やっと終わりました ('finally finished') fits perfectly.

• 2ずっと means 'continuously / all along / for a long time' (e.g., ずっと待っていました 'I kept waiting'). It does not convey the sense of 'finally completing after difficulty.'
• 3もっと means 'more' and is used for comparisons or increasing degree (e.g., もっと勉強してください 'Please study more'). It does not fit here.
• 4きっと means 'surely / definitely' and expresses strong conjecture (e.g., きっと来るでしょう 'He will surely come'). It does not convey 'finally.'

• やっと — finally; at last (after effort or a long time)
• ずっと — continuously; all along; for a long time
• もっと — more
• きっと — surely; definitely

行きたいけれど means 'I want to go, but…' The けれど (けれども) conjunction expresses a contrast — the speaker wants to go but has a conflicting reason (a part-time job). This naturally leads into the apology ごめんなさい. The full sentence reads: 'I'd like to go, but I'm sorry, I have a part-time job tomorrow.'

• 1行きたいから means 'because I want to go.' The から indicates a reason/cause, which would justify going, not declining. It contradicts the apology that follows.
• 3行きたいし means 'I want to go, and…' The し is used to list multiple reasons (e.g., 行きたいし、時間もある 'I want to go and I have time'). It does not set up the contrast needed before the apology.
• 4行きたくて is the te-form of 行きたい and is used to connect clauses mid-sentence expressing reason or sequential action, but it is grammatically incomplete and unnatural before ごめんなさい in this context.

• 〜けれど — but; however (conjunction expressing contrast)
• 〜から — because; since (gives a reason)
• 〜し — and; besides (lists reasons)
• ドライブ — drive; going for a drive
• アルバイト — part-time job

The pattern Vた + あとで means 'after doing V.' Here, しゅくだいをしたあとで means 'after you finish your homework.' The mother is telling the child they can play games after completing their homework. The past tense した is required before あとで, even though the homework hasn't been done yet — this is a fixed grammatical pattern.

• 1していた is the past progressive ('was doing'). していたあとで is not a standard pattern and would imply 'after having been doing homework,' which is unnatural here.
• 2している is the present progressive ('is doing / am doing'). しているあとで is not grammatically standard for 'after doing.'
• 3する is the dictionary form ('do'). The pattern for 'after doing' requires the た-form (した), not the dictionary form. するあとで is incorrect.

• 〜たあとで — after doing ~ (Vた-form + あとで)
• しゅくだい — homework
• ゲーム — game

いつでも is correct. いつでも means 'anytime' or 'whenever'. The sentence means 'If you use the internet, you can shop anytime, which is convenient.' いつでも買い物ができる = 'can shop at any time.'

• 2いつまで means 'until when'. いつまで買い物ができて would mean 'you can shop until when...?', which is a question word and does not fit a statement about convenience.
• 3どこから means 'from where'. どこから買い物ができて would mean 'you can shop from where...', which is a question phrase and does not complete the sentence naturally.
• 4どこにも means 'everywhere / anywhere' with も, but the natural expression for 'anytime' convenience is いつでも. どこにも買い物ができて is awkward and does not convey the intended meaning of being able to shop at any time.

• いつでも — anytime, whenever
• 買い物（かいもの） — shopping
• 便利べんり — convenient

まだ (mada) means 'yet' and is used with a negative predicate to mean 'not yet.' Here, まだ決まっていない means 'it has not been decided yet,' which fits the context: the speaker has a trip planned but the hotel is not yet booked.

• 1もう (mō) means 'already.' With a negative it would mean 'not anymore' (i.e., it was decided before but is no longer), which does not fit the context of something that was never decided.
• 3そろそろ (sorosoro) means 'soon / it's about time.' It is used when an action is about to happen and does not pair with a negative like 決まっていない.
• 4もうすぐ (mōsugu) means 'very soon.' Like option 3, it describes an imminent action and cannot be used with the negative 決まっていない.

• まだ — yet; still (used with negative for 'not yet')
• もう — already
• そろそろ — soon; it's about time
• もうすぐ — very soon
• 決きまる — to be decided / fixed
• 泊とまる — to stay (at a hotel, etc.)

すっかり (sukkari) means 'completely / entirely.' すっかり元気になりました means 'I have completely recovered / become well,' which is the natural response when someone asks about your condition after an illness.

• 1よく (yoku) means 'often / well.' よく元気になりました is not a natural collocation; you would say よくなられましたか (did you get better?) but not よく元気になりました.
• 2あまり (amari) means 'not very much' and is used with a negative (あまり〜ない). It cannot be used with the affirmative なりました here.
• 4かならず (kanarazu) means 'without fail / necessarily.' かならず元気になりました sounds like 'I necessarily recovered,' which is unnatural in this context.

• すっかり — completely; entirely
• よく — often; well
• あまり — not very (with negative)
• かならず — without fail; necessarily
• 元気げんき — healthy; well; energetic
• 具合ぐあい — condition; state of health

によって (ni yotte) marks the agent in a passive sentence, meaning 'by.' 村の人たちによって続けられている means 'it has been continued by the people of the village,' which correctly identifies who has been carrying on the festival tradition over a long period.

• 1から (kara) generally marks 'from' (origin/source) or 'because.' It is not used to mark the agent of a passive verb in modern Japanese.
• 2より (yori) can mark the agent of a passive verb in classical/literary style, but in modern standard Japanese によって is the correct choice, especially in this type of sentence.
• 4について (ni tsuite) means 'about / regarding.' 村の人たちについて続けられている would mean 'continued about the villagers,' which makes no sense.

• によって — by (marks agent of passive); by means of
• から — from; because
• より — than; from (classical agent marker)
• について — about; regarding
• 続つづけられる — to be continued (passive of 続ける)
• 神社じんじゃ — Shinto shrine
• 祭まつり — festival

熱心に (nesshin ni) is the adverbial form of the na-adjective 熱心 (ねっしん), meaning 'enthusiastically / earnestly.' It modifies the verb 聞いていました, so 熱心に聞いていました means 'they were listening enthusiastically,' which fits the context of children listening to a teacher's speech at an entrance ceremony.

• 1熱心 (nesshin) is the stem/dictionary form of a na-adjective. It cannot directly modify a verb; you need the adverbial form 熱心に.
• 2熱心な (nesshin na) is the pre-noun form used to modify a noun (e.g., 熱心な学生). It cannot modify the verb 聞いていました.
• 3熱心で (nesshin de) is the te-form of the na-adjective, used to link clauses or for reason. It does not function as an adverb modifying 聞いていました.

• 熱心ねっしん — enthusiastic; earnest (na-adjective)
• 熱心ねっしんに — enthusiastically; earnestly (adverbial form)
• 入学式にゅうがくしき — school entrance ceremony
• 間あいだ — during; while