N4 Grammar · Test 33

ようにになりました (yō ni narimashita) expresses a change of state or ability that has come about over time: 'came to be able to.' The sentence contrasts 'couldn't speak Japanese at all a year ago' with 'can now speak quite well thanks to the teacher.' This change-of-ability pattern requires ようになる.

• 1ことにしました (koto ni shimashita) means 'decided to (do something).' It expresses a personal decision, not a change in ability, so it doesn't fit.
• 2ようにしました (yō ni shimashita) means 'made an effort to / started doing something so that.' It expresses intentional effort, not a natural change of state. The sentence describes a result, not a decision to try.
• 3ことになりました (koto ni narimashita) means 'it was decided that / it came to be arranged that.' This is used for decisions/events (e.g., a transfer, a schedule change), not for a gradual change in ability.

• ようにになる（ようになる） — to come to be able to; to reach the state of (change of state/ability)
• ことにする — to decide to do something
• おかげで — thanks to (positive cause)

どんなに (donna ni) means 'how much' or 'no matter how.' In the pattern どんなに〜しても, it means 'no matter how much (I) do something.' Here, どんなに勉強しても means 'no matter how much I study,' followed by 'I still can't memorize kanji.' This is the standard concessive pattern.

• 1どのくらい (dono kurai) means 'how much/how long' and is used in questions about quantity or duration (e.g., どのくらい勉強しましたか). It cannot be used with 〜しても to mean 'no matter how much.'
• 2どちら (dochira) means 'which (of two)' and is used for choosing between two options. It has no connection to the concessive 〜しても pattern.
• 3どれ (dore) means 'which (of three or more)' and is also a selection question word. It does not work with 〜しても.

• どんなに — no matter how; however much
• なかなか — with difficulty; not easily (used with negative)
• おぼえられない — cannot memorize/remember (potential negative)

The correct answer is 1. ほど. The pattern N1 は N2 ほど～ない means 'N1 is not as ~ as N2.' The sentence means 'My younger sister is not as fast at running as I am.' ほど marks the standard of comparison in a negative comparison.

• 2ほう is used for expressing preference (～のほうがいい) or direction/side, not for negative comparisons.
• 3まで means 'until' or 'as far as,' which does not fit the comparison structure here.
• 4みたい means 'seems like / appears to be' and cannot be used in this comparative pattern.

• ほど — to the extent of; as ~ as (used in negative comparisons)
• 走はしる — to run
• 早はやい — fast; quick

The pattern V-ます形（stem）+ たがる means 'to want to do V' (describing someone else's desire). 住む → 住み (the ます-stem) + たがる = 住みたがる 'wants to live'. The sentence means 'Many students want to live in this apartment.'

• 1住む is the dictionary form. 〜たがる attaches to the ます-stem, not the dictionary form, so 住むたがる is ungrammatical.
• 2住んで is the て-form. ～てたがる is not a valid pattern.
• 4住んだら is the conditional form (～たら). It does not combine with たがる.

• 住すむ — to live, to reside
• ～たがる — to want to (used for someone else's desire); attaches to the V-ます stem

The pattern V-ます形（stem）+ なさい makes a command/instruction ('do V'). For the irregular verb くる, the ます-stem is き, so きなさい = 'come!' The sentence means 'Come here quickly.'

• 1くる is the dictionary form. ～なさい attaches to the ます-stem, not the dictionary form; くるなさい is ungrammatical.
• 3く is not a valid stem for くる in this pattern. (く is the stem used in negative forms like こない, not the ます-stem.)
• 4こ is the imperative/negative stem (used in こい, こない). It is not the ます-stem and cannot precede なさい.

• くる — to come (irregular verb)
• ～なさい — do… (mild command; attaches to V-ます stem)

Option 2 「行くかもしれません」(I might go) is the most typical answer in a 3-kyuu reading passage where visiting an art museum is conditional on another factor (such as weather or time). The use of 〜かもしれません (might) reflects uncertainty that depends on circumstances described in the passage.

• 1「行かないつもりです」(I don't intend to go) uses 〜つもり which expresses a firm intention not to go; this would be too definitive if the passage only says it depends on conditions.
• 3「行きません」(I won't go) is a definitive statement that doesn't match the typical conditional/uncertain tone of these passages.
• 4「行きたくないです」(I don't want to go) expresses personal desire rather than a circumstantial decision, which doesn't fit the typical reading passage pattern.

• びじゅつかん — art museum
• つもり — intention, plan to
• かもしれません — might, perhaps

くれました (kuremashita) is the past polite form of くれる, which is used when someone ELSE gives something TO the speaker (or the speaker's in-group). Here, 木田さん is the subject giving a book to 私 (me), so くれました is correct: 'Kida-san gave me a book.'

• 1あげました (agemashita) is from あげる, used when the speaker gives to someone else, or when a third party gives to another third party. It is NOT used when the receiver is the speaker, so it doesn't fit 'Kida-san gave me.'
• 3もらいました (moraimashita) is from もらう, meaning 'to receive.' With もらう, the receiver (私) should be the subject: 私は木田さんに本をもらいました. Here the subject is 木田さん, so this is wrong.
• 4やりました (yarimashita) is from やる, a casual/lower-register equivalent of あげる. Like あげる, it is used when giving to others, not when receiving. It also carries a condescending nuance toward the receiver.

• くれる — someone gives something to the speaker
• あげる — to give (to someone else)
• もらう — to receive (subject = receiver)
• やる — to give (casual, can be condescending)

どんなに (donna ni) means 'how much' or 'no matter how.' In the pattern どんなに〜しても, it means 'no matter how much (I) do something.' Here, どんなに勉強しても means 'no matter how much I study,' followed by 'I still can't memorize kanji.' This is the standard concessive pattern.

• 1どのくらい (dono kurai) means 'how much/how long' and is used in questions about quantity or duration (e.g., どのくらい勉強しましたか). It cannot be used with 〜しても to mean 'no matter how much.'
• 2どちら (dochira) means 'which (of two)' and is used for choosing between two options. It has no connection to the concessive 〜しても pattern.
• 3どれ (dore) means 'which (of three or more)' and is also a selection question word. It does not work with 〜しても.

• どんなに — no matter how; however much
• なかなか — with difficulty; not easily (used with negative)
• おぼえられない — cannot memorize/remember (potential negative)

The correct answer is 1. ほど. The pattern N1 は N2 ほど～ない means 'N1 is not as ~ as N2.' The sentence means 'My younger sister is not as fast at running as I am.' ほど marks the standard of comparison in a negative comparison.

• 2ほう is used for expressing preference (～のほうがいい) or direction/side, not for negative comparisons.
• 3まで means 'until' or 'as far as,' which does not fit the comparison structure here.
• 4みたい means 'seems like / appears to be' and cannot be used in this comparative pattern.

• ほど — to the extent of; as ~ as (used in negative comparisons)
• 走はしる — to run
• 早はやい — fast; quick

Option 3 「めずらしい花や鳥がいるから」(Because there are rare flowers and birds) is the most natural reason for going out early on a trip to a lake area—wanting to see rare flora and fauna before they are gone or before crowds arrive. This aligns with a typical 3-kyuu reading passage about a nature trip.

• 1「土曜日で、車が多いから」(Because it's Saturday and there are many cars) is plausible but would more likely be a reason to avoid going rather than to go early; it's a distractor.
• 2「うつくしいみずうみがあるから」(Because there is a beautiful lake) describes the destination but doesn't explain why one must leave *early*—the lake is there all day.
• 4「あまり天気がよくないから」(Because the weather isn't very good) would more likely be a reason to delay or cancel, not to go early.

• めずらしい — rare, unusual
• 早はやく — early, quickly
• 出でかけます — to go out, to leave