N4 Vocabulary · Test 28

とうとう (とうとう) means 'finally, at last, eventually' — it expresses that something has finally happened after a long wait, process, or series of events. Option 3, 「とうとうしけんの日が来ました」('Finally the exam day came'), uses it correctly: after waiting and preparing, the exam day has at last arrived. This is the classic usage of とうとう.

• 1This sentence is ungrammatical and nonsensical: 'とうとうをちゃ' does not parse. Even ignoring the garbled text, とうとう cannot be inserted before お茶をお願いします in this way — it is not a word that modifies a request like this. (There is also a transcription defect: をちゃ should likely be おちゃ.)
• 2とうとう does not mean 'very' or 'extremely.' The intended word here would be とても (とても) — 'newspaper print is very fine/small.' とうとう cannot describe degree.
• 4とうとう does not mean 'by all means' or 'as a last resort.' If you don't understand and should check a dictionary, you would say どうしてもわからなかったら or simply わからなかったらじしょを見てください. とうとう implies something finally happened, not a recommended action.

• とうとう — finally, at last, eventually (after a long process/wait)
• しけん — exam, examination
• とても — very, extremely (the word option 2 intended)
• こまかい（こまかい（細かい）） — fine, detailed, small

プレゼント means 'present/gift.' It can be used as a noun or as a suru-verb (プレゼントする = to give a gift). Option 2, 「おっとのたんじょうびにとけいをプレゼントした」('I gave a watch as a present for my husband's birthday'), is the correct usage: a concrete physical object (とけい = watch) is given as a gift on a celebratory occasion.

• 1しんせつ (親切, kindness) is an abstract quality, not a tangible object you can wrap and give as a プレゼント. You might do a kind deed, but you cannot 'プレゼント kindness.' The sentence is semantically wrong.
• 3あいさつ (挨拶, greeting) is an action/verbal expression, not a physical gift. You give あいさつ to a teacher, but you do not 'プレゼント a greeting.' The verb does not collocate with this object.
• 4あんぜん (安全, safety) is an abstract state, not something that can be given as a present. You might wish someone safety (あんぜんをいのる), but you cannot 'プレゼント safety.'

• プレゼント — present, gift (also プレゼントする = to give a gift)
• とけい — clock, watch
• しんせつ — kindness, kindness
• あいさつ — greeting
• あんぜん — safety, security

おどろく (驚く) means 'to be surprised, to be astonished.' It describes a person's emotional reaction to something unexpected. Option 1, 「うけつけに大きな[い]ぬがいたので、おどろいてしまいました」('There was a big dog at the reception desk, so I ended up being surprised/startled'), uses it correctly: the speaker was surprised by an unexpected sight. The てしまう form (おどろいてしまいました) conveys that the surprise happened involuntarily, which is natural. (Note: the option text has a transcription defect — 'ぬ' should be 'いぬ' or '犬'.)

• 2けいざい (経済, economy) cannot 'be surprised' — おどろく describes a sentient being's emotional reaction, not an economic state. The sentence is nonsensical: 'Japan's economy was surprised and prices went up.'
• 3空 (そら, sky) cannot 'be surprised.' This sentence says 'The sky was surprised and it rained,' which makes no sense. The intended word might have been くもって (曇って, 'got cloudy') or はれて (晴れて, 'cleared up').
• 4おどろく is a verb meaning 'to be surprised,' not an adjective meaning 'surprising' or 'unusual.' To say 'I have a surprising hobby,' you would use めずらしい (珍しい, unusual) or おどろくべき (驚くべき, surprising). 'おどろいているしゅみ' ('a hobby that is being surprised') is grammatically and semantically wrong.

• おどろく（おどろく（驚く）） — to be surprised, to be astonished
• うけつけ — reception desk
• けいざい — economy
• しゅみ — hobby
• めずらしい（めずらしい（珍しい）） — rare, unusual (the word option 4 needed)

へんじ (返事) means 'reply, response.' Option 4, 「名前をよびましたがへんじがありませんでした」('I called the name, but there was no reply'), is the correct and natural usage: when you call someone's name and they do not respond, you say there was no へんじ (no reply). This is a very common collocation.

• 1テレビ (TV) does not give a へんじ (reply). You might say テレビのおと (TV's sound) or テレビのこえ (TV's voice/audio) がきこえません ('I can't hear the TV'), but a TV has no 'reply.' The word choice is wrong.
• 2へんじ (a reply) is not something you かりる (borrow) from someone. You might かく (write) a へんじ, かえす (return) a へんじ, or まつ (wait for) a へんじ, but borrowing a reply makes no sense.
• 3While not entirely impossible grammatically, へんじをおこなう (行う, 'to carry out/perform a reply') is unnatural. The standard collocations are へんじをする ('to make a reply') or へんじをかえす ('to return a reply'). おこなう is used for events, ceremonies, or procedures, not for a simple reply. This makes the sentence awkward and wrong as a model usage.

• へんじ — reply, response
• おこなう（おこなう（行う）） — to carry out, to perform, to conduct (events/procedures)
• かえす（かえす（返す）） — to return (a reply: へんじをかえす)
• かりる（かりる（借りる）） — to borrow

Option 2 (せいよう) is the correct reading of 西洋, meaning 'the West / Western.' The sentence means 'I like Western literature.'

• 1せいゆう is not a valid reading for 西洋; it is a distractor that misreads 洋 as ゆう.
• 3とうゆう is not a real word; it mixes the reading of 東 (とう) with a wrong reading of 洋.
• 4とうよう reads 東洋, meaning 'the East / Eastern,' the opposite of what the sentence needs.

• 西洋せいよう — the West; Western

Option 4 (ぶんがく) is the correct reading of 文学, meaning 'literature.' The sentence means 'I like Western literature.'

• 1いがく reads 医学, meaning 'medicine,' a lookalike distractor.
• 2かがく reads 科学 (science) or 化学 (chemistry), not 文学.
• 3おんがく reads 音楽, meaning 'music,' a plausible-sounding distractor.

• 文学ぶんがく — literature

Option 1 (すき) is the correct reading of 好き, meaning 'liked / fond of.' The sentence means 'I like Western literature.'

• 2ずき is an incorrect voicing of the reading; 好き is read すき, not ずき.
• 3つき is wrong; it is a distractor with the wrong initial consonant (and 月 is read つき).
• 4づき is wrong; it is an incorrectly voiced version, not a valid reading of 好き.

• 好すき — liked; fond of (な-adjective)

Option 4 (かいじょう) is the correct reading of 会場, meaning 'venue / meeting place.' The sentence means 'Please gather at the venue by 7 o'clock.'

• 1あいば is not a valid reading for 会場; it misreads both characters.
• 2かいば is not a valid reading for 会場; 飼葉 (かいば) means 'fodder,' an unrelated word.
• 3あいじょう reads 愛情, meaning 'affection/love,' a lookalike distractor.

• 会場かいじょう — venue; meeting place

Option 3 (あつまって) is the correct reading of 集まって (te-form of 集まる), meaning 'to gather.' The sentence means 'Please gather at the venue by 7 o'clock.'

• 1きまって reads 決まって (from 決まる, 'to be decided'), which does not fit the context of gathering.
• 2とまって reads 止まって (from 止まる, 'to stop'), which is wrong here.
• 4はじまって reads 始まって (from 始まる, 'to begin'), which is wrong here.

• 集あつまる — to gather; to assemble