N4 Reading · Test 11

The passage states: '私は、①お知らせのお手紙をもらってから、みなさんが来るのを一か月間ずっと楽しみにしていました。' This means that after receiving the notification letter, Akiyama looked forward to the children's visit for one month. The letter therefore informed her that the children of Minami Elementary School would come to visit her house in one month. Option 2 correctly captures this: the children would visit Akiyama's house one month later.

• 1This says the children visited one month ago, but the visit was 'last Friday' (先週の金曜日). The one-month period was the time she waited AFTER receiving the letter and BEFORE the visit, not a past visit.
• 3This reverses the direction — it says people aged 75+ would visit the school. In reality, the children visit the elderly people's homes, not the other way around.
• 4Same reversed direction as option 3, and also incorrectly states that elderly people would visit the school. The activity is children visiting elderly people's homes.

• お知らせ（おしらせ） — notification, notice
• 訪たずねる — to visit
• 楽たのしみにする — to look forward to

The passage says: '用意したお菓子や料理を、みなさんが食べてくれるかどうか、ちょっと心配でした。' Akiyama was worried about whether the children would eat the snacks and dishes she had prepared. Since few young people visit her home, she was unsure if they would enjoy her food. Option 1 correctly states this: whether the elementary school students would be happy with the snacks and dishes she prepared.

• 2This says '若い人たち' (young people) prepared the food, but it was Akiyama herself who prepared it ('用意したお菓子や料理').
• 3This says she was worried about whether she herself could eat the children's favorite food, which reverses the subject. She was worried about the children eating HER food.
• 4This says she was worried about whether she could prepare enough food, but her concern was whether the children would eat what she prepared, not about the quantity she could make.

• 心配しんぱい — worry, concern
• 用意よういする — to prepare
• 喜よろこんで — gladly, with pleasure

The letter describes how the children came, ate her food happily, told fun stories (楽しい話もいろいろ聞けました), and cleaned her high windows (掃除もしてくれました). Akiyama mentions her own grandchildren live abroad and she rarely sees them. When the children left she almost cried, but says '本当にうれしかったのです' — she was truly happy. Option 2 correctly summarizes what made her happy: being able to talk with the children and having them clean for her.

• 1This says she cooked together with the children (料理を作ったり), but the passage only says she prepared food and the children ate it — there is no mention of cooking together.
• 3This says her daughter and two grandsons came to visit, but the passage clearly states they live abroad (外国に住んでいる) and she rarely sees them. The visitors were the elementary school children, not her family.
• 4This says the children were able to say goodbye without crying, but the passage says Akiyama herself was the one who almost cried (泣きそうになってしまってごめんなさいね).

• うれしい — happy, glad
• 掃除そうじ — cleaning
• 泣なきそうになる — to be about to cry

The entire letter is a thank-you note from Akiyama to the children. It opens with gratitude ('来てくれて、ありがとうございました'), describes how much she enjoyed their visit (eating, talking, cleaning), and closes with 'また、いつか遊びに来てください' (please come visit again sometime). The overarching message — the main thing she wants to convey — is heartfelt thanks for their visit. Option 4 captures this overall sentiment best.

• 1This is a specific detail mentioned in the letter (apologizing for almost crying), not the main point of the entire letter.
• 2The letter says '遊びに来てください' (please come visit/play), not '手伝いに来てください' (please come help). While the children did help with cleaning, Akiyama frames it as a visit, not as labor assistance.
• 3This says 'ぜひ一度…来てみてください' (please try visiting once), but the children have already visited. The letter invites them to come again, not for the first time.

• 一番いちばん — most, the best
• 遊びに来る（あそびにくる） — to come to visit/play