N5 Grammar · Test 3

The correct answer is 3 (の). The pattern is「漢字のべんきょうをします」(kanji no benkyō o shimasu), meaning 'I study kanji.' Here, の links the noun 漢字 (kanji) to the noun べんきょう (study), forming the compound noun phrase 漢字のべんきょう (kanji study). This noun phrase then becomes the object of をします.

• 1に (ni) would imply direction or purpose, but 漢字にべんきょうをします is not grammatical in this context. You cannot attach に directly between two nouns like this.
• 2と (to) means 'and,' so 漢字とべんきょうをします would mean 'I do kanji and studying,' treating 漢字 and べんきょう as two separate things rather than one combined activity.
• 4が (ga) marks the subject, so 漢字がべんきょうをします would mean 'Kanji studies (something),' making 漢字 the doer of the action — nonsensical here.

• 漢字かんじ — kanji, Chinese characters
• べんきょう — study, studying

The correct answer is 2 (は). The sentence is「あした、テストはありません」(ashita, tesuto wa arimasen), meaning 'There is no test tomorrow.' Here, は marks テスト (test) as the topic, and ありません is the negative form of あります (to exist, for inanimate objects). This is the standard pattern for stating that something does not exist / will not happen.

• 1を (o) marks the direct object of a transitive verb, but ありません is an intransitive verb (existence). テストをありません is ungrammatical.
• 3へ (e) indicates direction of movement, which makes no sense with ありません (existence). テストへありません is ungrammatical.
• 4に (ni) indicates location or time, so テストにありません could mean 'it is not at/in the test,' which is a completely different and nonsensical meaning.

• テスト — test, exam
• ありません — there is not (negative of あります, used for inanimate objects)

The correct answer is 4 (など). The sentence is「みかんや りんごなどの くだものが 好きです」(mikan ya ringo nado no kudamono ga suki desu), meaning 'I like fruits such as mandarins and apples.' The pattern や〜など (ya...nado) is used to give non-exhaustive examples: や connects representative items, and など means 'such as / etc.' Together they convey 'things like mandarins and apples.'

• 1も (mo) means 'also/too,' and みかんやりんごもの is ungrammatical — も cannot follow や in this way to form an example list.
• 2と (to) means 'and' (exhaustive list). みかんやりんごとのくだもの would be redundant (both や and と) and grammatically incorrect.
• 3か (ka) is a question marker or 'or,' and みかんやりんごかのくだもの is ungrammatical and nonsensical in this context.

• みかん — mandarin orange
• りんご — apple
• くだもの — fruit
• や — and (non-exhaustive list particle)
• など — such as, etc., things like

The correct answer is 2 (が). The sentence is「山口さんの 家は にわが 広いです」(Yamaguchi-san no ie wa niwa ga hiroi desu), meaning 'Yamaguchi's house has a spacious garden.' This uses the pattern 「Aは Bが (adjective)」, where は marks the larger topic (the house) and が marks the specific subject being described (the garden). 広い (hiroi, wide/spacious) is an い-adjective that describes にわ (garden).

• 1の (no) would connect two nouns, but 広い is an adjective, not a noun. にわの広いです is ungrammatical.
• 3を (o) marks the direct object of a transitive verb, but 広い is an adjective, not a transitive verb. にわを広いです is ungrammatical.
• 4や (ya) means 'and' (non-exhaustive), so にわや広いです would mean 'the garden and (it) is wide,' which is nonsensical.

• にわ — garden, yard
• 広ひろい — wide, spacious, broad

The correct answer is 3 (と). The sentence is「コーヒーと こうちゃと どちらが 好きですか」(kōhī to kōcha to dochira ga suki desu ka), meaning 'Which do you like better, coffee or black tea?' The pattern for choosing between two items is「Aと Bと どちらが〜ですか」(Between A and B, which is...?). The second と is required before どちら to complete the comparison structure.

• 1へ (e) indicates direction, so コーヒーとこうちゃへどちらが好きですか is ungrammatical and nonsensical.
• 2も (mo) means 'also/too,' so コーヒーとこうちゃもどちらが好きですか would imply 'coffee and also black tea, which...' — grammatically broken and changes the meaning.
• 4が (ga) marks the subject, so コーヒーとこうちゃがどちらが好きですか creates a double が construction that is ungrammatical and confusing.

• コーヒー — coffee
• こうちゃ — black tea
• どちら — which (of two)

The correct sentence is: こうえんには鳥がたくさんいます。('There are many birds in the park.') The full order is: こうえん [2.に] [3.は] [1.鳥] [4.が] たくさん います。The ★ is in the third position, so the answer is 1 (鳥). The structure is こうえんには (topic/location) + 鳥が (subject) + たくさんいます (exist in large numbers).

• 2に must come right after こうえん to mark the location ('in the park'), so it goes in the first blank, not the third.
• 3は follows に in the pattern には (emphasizing 'in the park'), so it goes in the second blank, not the third.
• 4が marks the subject 鳥 and must come immediately after it, so it goes in the fourth blank, not the third.

• 公園こうえん — park
• 鳥とり — bird(s)
• たくさん — many, a lot

The correct sentence is: きょねんのたんじょうびに兄にもらったぼうしを毎日かぶっています。('I wear the hat I received from my older brother on my birthday last year every day.') The full order is: きょねんの [4.たんじょうびに] [1.兄に] [3.もらった] [2.ぼうしを] 毎日 かぶって います。The ★ is in the third position, so the answer is 3 (もらった). The relative clause きょねんのたんじょうびに兄にもらった modifies ぼうしを.

• 1兄に ('from my brother') comes before the verb もらった, so it goes in the second blank, not the third.
• 2ぼうしを is the direct object of かぶって, so it must come right before 毎日かぶっています, in the fourth blank.
• 4たんじょうびに ('on (my) birthday') starts the modifying clause after きょねんの, so it goes in the first blank.

• 去年きょねん — last year
• 誕生日たんじょうび — birthday
• 兄あに — older brother
• 帽子ぼうし — hat
• 被かぶる — to wear (on the head)
• もらう — to receive

The correct sentence is: スパゲティがゆうめいな銀行の近くのレストランでばんごはんを食べました。('I ate dinner at a restaurant near the bank that is famous for spaghetti.') The full order is: スパゲティが [1.ゆうめいな] [3.銀行の] [2.近くの] [4.レストランで] ばんごはんを 食べました。The ★ is in the third position, so the answer is 2 (近くの). The phrase スパゲティがゆうめいな ('famous for spaghetti') modifies レストラン, and 銀行の近くの ('near the bank') also modifies レストラン, together forming: 'a restaurant near the bank famous for spaghetti.'

• 1ゆうめいな comes right after スパゲティが to form the modifying phrase スパゲティがゆうめいな ('famous for spaghetti'), so it goes in the first blank.
• 3銀行の comes before 近くの to form 銀行の近くの ('near the bank'), so it goes in the second blank.
• 4レストランで marks the location of eating and comes right before ばんごはんを食べました, so it goes in the fourth blank.

• 有名ゆうめい — famous
• 銀行ぎんこう — bank
• 近ちかく — near, nearby
• レストラン — restaurant
• 晩ばんごはん — dinner

The correct sentence is: もっと小さくて明るい色のはありませんか。('Do you have one in a smaller and brighter color?') The full order is: もっと [3.小さくて] [4.明るい] [2.色が] [1.のは] ありませんか。The ★ is in the third position, so the answer is 4 (明るい). The adjectives 小さくて and 明るい are connected with て-form to jointly modify 色 ('color'), and のは refers back to 'one (a bag).')

• 1のは nominalizes the whole description and comes right before ありませんか, so it goes in the fourth blank.
• 2色が ('color') comes after the modifying adjectives to form 明るい色 ('bright color'), so it goes in the third blank... wait, actually 色が goes in the third position before のは. Let me re-check: もっと [3.小さくて] [4.明るい] [2.色が] [1.のは] ありませんか。色が goes in the third blank, not the ★ position (which is also third). Actually the ★ is the third blank. So 色が is NOT the answer because it goes in the third blank but... no. Let me recount. The blanks are: もっと _____ _____ ★ _____ ありませんか。That's four blanks with ★ in the third. The order is [3.小さくて][4.明るい][2.色が][1.のは]. So blank1=小さくて, blank2=明るい, blank3(★)=色が... but the official answer is 4(明るい). Let me re-examine. If answer is 4(明るい), then ★=明るい, meaning: もっと [3.小さくて] [2.色が] [4.明るい] [1.のは] → もっと小さくて色が明るいのはありませんか。'Don't you have one that is smaller and has a brighter color?' This also works! 色が明るい ('the color is bright') is a relative clause modifying の. So: もっと小さくて色が明るいのは = 'one that is smaller and whose color is bright.'
• 3小さくて comes right after もっと to describe the first desired quality ('smaller'), so it goes in the first blank.

• 小ちいさい — small
• 明あかるい — bright, light (color)
• 色いろ — color

The correct sentence is: いつもは一つ100円のりんごが三つで200円でした。('Normally, apples that are 100 yen each were 200 yen for three.') The full order is: いつもは 一つ [1.100円の] [3.りんごが] [4.三つで] [2.200円] でした。The ★ is in the third position, so the answer is 4 (三つで). 一つ100円の modifies りんごが ('apples that are 100 yen each'), and 三つで200円 ('200 yen for three') describes the price. Today they were cheap, implying they were less than the usual 200 yen for three.

• 1100円の comes right after 一つ to form 一つ100円の ('100 yen each'), modifying りんご, so it goes in the first blank.
• 2200円 is the price that comes right before でした, so it goes in the fourth blank.
• 3りんごが is the subject that comes after the modifier 一つ100円の, so it goes in the second blank.

• 安やすい — cheap
• 三みっつ — three (items)
• 〜で — for (price for a quantity)