N5 Grammar · Test 32

The correct answer is 4 (は). The sentence 母はせいが高いですが、父はひくいです means 'My mother is tall, but my father is short.' The particle は here is used as a contrastive topic marker (対比の「は」). The first clause establishes 母 as the topic with は, and the second clause contrasts 父 using は as well, highlighting the difference between the two parents.

• 1に is wrong because に marks direction/recipient/location, none of which make sense here. 父にひくいです is ungrammatical.
• 2と is wrong because と means 'and/with' (listing or accompaniment). 父とひくいです would mean something like 'together with my father, (someone) is short,' which does not convey the intended contrast.
• 3も is wrong because も means 'also/too.' If you said 父もひくいです, it would mean 'My father is also short,' implying the mother is also short. But the mother is described as tall (高い), so も contradicts the contrast being made.

• はは — mother
• ちち — father
• せいがたかい — to be tall (lit. stature is high)
• ひくい — low / short (in height)

The correct answer is 3 (か). だれか means 'someone' (an indefinite pronoun). The sentence だれかまどをしめてください means 'Someone, please close the window.' The particle か turns the question word だれ (who) into 'someone,' which is a key 4級 grammar point.

• 1は is the topic marker. だれはまどをしめてください is ungrammatical—you cannot use は after a question word like だれ in this way to mean 'someone.'
• 2が is the subject marker. だれがまどをしめてください would mean 'WHO will close the window?' (asking a question), not 'someone please close it.'
• 4に is the direction/target particle. だれにまどをしめてください would mean 'Please close the window TO someone,' which makes no sense here.

• だれか — someone (indefinite pronoun, formed by だれ + か)
• まど — window
• しめる — to close

The correct answer is 2 (に). 半分にする is a fixed expression meaning 'to divide/cut in half.' The sentence バナナを半分にしていっしょに食べましょう means 'Let's split the banana in half and eat it together.' The particle に indicates the result/state of an action: 'into half.'

• 1が is the subject marker and does not fit here. 半分がして is ungrammatical.
• 3を marks the direct object of an action. 半分をして is ungrammatical—半分 is not an object being acted upon directly in this pattern.
• 4で indicates means/method or location. 半分でして would mean 'doing it by means of half,' which does not convey 'divide into half.'

• 半分はんぶん — half
• 半分はんぶんにする — to divide/cut in half (result-state pattern にする)
• バナナ — banana

The correct answer is 3 (しか). しか〜ない/ありません is a 4級 grammar pattern meaning 'only' (with a negative verb). The intended sentence is お皿は10枚しかありません = 'There are only 10 plates.' Note: しか always requires a negative predicate, so the stem likely should read ありません rather than あります (see issues).

• 1ふらい is not a valid particle or word in this context. It appears to be a distractor with no grammatical function here.
• 2が is the subject marker. 10まいがあります is grammatically possible but very unnatural—quantities are normally stated without a particle (10枚あります). This is not the intended pattern.
• 4ごろ means 'around/approximately' and is used with time (e.g., 10じごろ). 10まいごろあります is ungrammatical—ごろ cannot be used with quantities of objects.

• しか〜ない — only (must be used with a negative predicate; しか + ありません = 'there are only')
• おさら — plate/dish (お皿)
• まい — counter for thin, flat objects (枚)

The correct answer is 3 (で). じぶんで means 'by oneself / on one's own.' The sentence りょうりはじぶんでつくりますか means 'Do you make the cooking yourself?' The particle で here indicates the agent/means by which an action is performed: 'by yourself.'

• 1へ indicates direction toward a place. じぶんへつくりますか is ungrammatical—じぶん is not a destination.
• 2か is a question marker or indefinite pronoun suffix. じぶんかつくりますか would mean 'Do you OR someone else make it?' which is not the intended meaning.
• 4を marks a direct object. じぶんをつくりますか would mean 'Do you make yourself?' which is nonsensical here.

• じぶんで — by oneself, on one's own (自分で)
• りょうり — cooking, dish (料理)
• つくる — to make, to cook (作る)

The correct answer is 4 (から). The particle から indicates the source or agent from which something is received. With the verb もらう (to receive), から marks who gave the item: かぞくからてがみをもらいました means 'I received a letter from my family.'

• 1を marks the direct object of an action. It cannot mark the source/giver with もらう; the object (てがみ) is already marked by を.
• 2が marks the subject. かぞくが would make 'family' the subject, but with もらう the receiver (わたし) is the subject, not the giver.
• 3や means 'and' (non-exhaustive list). かぞくやてがみをもらいました would mean 'I received a letter and my family (among other things)', which is nonsensical.

• かぞく — family
• てがみ — letter (mail)
• もらう — to receive

も means 'also/too'. The sentence says 'I played tennis. Then, I also played ping-pong.' Since the speaker did ping-pong in addition to tennis, も is the correct particle: ピンポンもしました。

• 1は is the topic marker ('as for'). It would sound like 'As for ping-pong, (I) played,' which doesn't convey 'also' and doesn't fit the それから ('then') continuation implying an additional activity.
• 2が is the subject marker. ピンポンがしました is ungrammatical here; you would need ピンポンをしました, and が doesn't convey 'also.'
• 4と means 'and/with'. ピンポンとしました is ungrammatical; と links nouns, not a noun and a verb in this way.

• それから — then; after that; and also
• ピンポン — ping-pong (table tennis)
• も — also; too

が marks the subject of the intransitive verb とまる (to stop). The sentence means 'Due to a strong wind, the train stopped.' 電車がとまりました is the correct structure: 電車 is the thing that stopped, so it takes が.

• 2と means 'and/with' and cannot mark the subject of とまる.
• 3を marks the direct object of a transitive verb. とまる is intransitive, so を is ungrammatical: you cannot 'stop the train' with とまる; you would need the transitive とめる.
• 4へ indicates direction of movement. The train is not moving toward something; it is the thing that stopped, so へ is wrong.

• つよい — strong
• かぜ — wind (風)
• 電車でんしゃ — train
• とまる — to stop (intransitive; 止まる)
• 〜で — due to; because of (indicates cause)

は is used here as a contrastive particle. The sentence means 'I called my father. But I didn't call my friend.' 友だちにはしませんでした uses は to contrast 'friend' with 'father' — the でも ('but') signals this contrast. The に marks the recipient of the phone call, and は overlays it to say 'as for calling a friend, I didn't.'

• 2も means 'also/too'. 友だちにもしませんでした would mean 'I didn't call a friend either,' implying the speaker didn't call anyone. But でも ('but') sets up a contrast (called father vs. didn't call friend), not an addition.
• 3へ indicates direction. 友だちにへしませんでした is ungrammatical — you cannot stack に and へ like this, and へ doesn't fit the contrastive context.
• 4で indicates means/location. 友だちにでしませんでした is ungrammatical and meaningless here.

• 父ちち — (my) father
• 電話でんわをかける — to make a phone call (here 電話をしました)
• でも — but; however
• 友ともだち — friend
• は (contrastive) — topic/contrast marker; 'as for'

など means 'etc.' / 'things like.' The sentence means 'In the bag, there are things like a wallet, keys, and so on.' The や already gives a non-exhaustive list (wallet, keys, ...), and など at the end reinforces 'and so on / etc.': さいふやかぎなどがあります。

• 1や means 'and' (non-exhaustive). It is already used once (さいふやかぎ). Using や again after かぎ (さいふやかぎやがあります) is ungrammatical — や connects nouns, and you can't place it right before が.
• 2も means 'also/too'. さいふやかぎもがあります is ungrammatical — you cannot have both も and が marking the same noun phrase like this. も would replace が (かぎもあります), but that changes the meaning to 'there is also a key,' not 'things like wallet and keys.'
• 4から means 'from'. さいふやかぎからがあります is ungrammatical and nonsensical here — the items are not coming 'from' somewhere.

• かばん — bag
• 中なか — inside
• さいふ — wallet (財布)
• かぎ — key (鍵)
• や — and (non-exhaustive list)
• など — etc.; and so on