This article contains 5 JLPT N2 grammar questions with full explanations. For each question, you will find:
・The reason the correct answer is right
・The reason each wrong answer is wrong
第1問
問題文： いろいろ悩んだ（ ）、結局何も買わずに店を出てしまった。
(After worrying about various things for a long time, I ended up leaving the shop without buying anything.)
1 あげくに
2 ついでに
3 ばかりに
4 とたん
第2問
問題文： 温暖化の影響で気温が上昇する（ ）、北極の氷が溶け、海面が少しずつ上がっている。
(As the temperature rises due to global warming, Arctic ice is melting and sea levels are gradually rising.)
1 につけて
2 に反して
3 にしたがって
4 に向かって
第3問
問題文： 戻れる（ ）学生時代に戻って、もう一度しっかり勉強し直したい。
(If I could go back, I’d like to return to my student days and study hard all over again.)
1 ものなら
2 だけなら
3 わけなら
4 はずなら
第4問
問題文： 今回の入院（ ）、こちらの書類に必要事項を記入して提出してください。
(Upon your hospitalization this time, please fill out the necessary information on these forms and submit them.)
1 のうちに
2 に際して
3 を通じて
4 に応じて
第5問
問題文： 最近は物価が上がる（ ）で、家計をやりくりするのが大変になってきた。
(Recently, with prices continuing to rise, it has become difficult to manage the household budget.)
1 ばかり
2 一方
3 次第
4 あまり
Answers
第1問 correct answers: 1 あげくに
Meaning: Indicates that after a long period of a certain action or mental struggle, a disappointing result or unfavorable state is finally reached.
Reason for Correct Answer: The preceding verb “悩んだ” (worried) describes a long process, and it is followed by the negative outcome “leaving without buying.” The context of “reaching a bad result after a long struggle” matches perfectly.
2. ついでに
- Meaning: Expresses performing a secondary action while taking advantage of the opportunity of the main action.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: It is unnatural to perform a physical action (leaving the shop) as a “side-action” to an internal mental state (worrying). The causal link does not make sense.
3. ばかりに
- Meaning: Points to a specific single cause or mistake that led to an unexpected disadvantage or loss.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: While the grammar connects, “worrying” itself is not a “fatal mistake” that directly causes the loss of leaving the shop, so the meaning does not align.
4. とたん
- Meaning: Describes a chain of events where an unexpected occurrence happens “the very instant” a previous action finishes.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: Using “totan” for a long-term mental process like “worrying” is unnatural because “totan” requires a sudden, momentary trigger.
第2問 correct answers: 3 にしたがって
Meaning: Expresses a “linked change” where one state changes in accordance with the progress of another change.
Reason for Correct Answer: It perfectly matches the context where the “gradual rise in temperature” is accompanied by another parallel change, the “rising sea levels.”
1. につけて
- Meaning: Refers to a “heart’s reaction” where a certain emotion or thought naturally arises every time one sees or hears a specific thing.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: The sentence describes an objective natural phenomenon (temperature rising), not a personal change in the speaker’s emotions, so this expression is unsuitable.
2. に反して
- Meaning: Expresses an “unexpected development” where things proceed in the opposite direction of a prior prediction or expectation.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: “Temperature rising” is not a word representing a prediction or expectation, and the melting ice is a natural consequence, so no “opposite/contrasting” relationship exists.
4. に向かって
- Meaning: Expresses a “directionality” toward a destination or a goal.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: Connecting “ni mukatte” directly to a dictionary form verb (上昇する) is grammatically unnatural in terms of word combination rules.
第3問 correct answers: 1 ものなら
Meaning: A form used to express a strong wish to do something “if it were possible,” assuming a hypothetical situation that is difficult or impossible in reality.
Reason for Correct Answer: Grammatically, it is a set phrase used as “Potential Verb (戻れる) + mono nara + ~たい (wish),” which perfectly fits this context.
2. だけなら
- Meaning: Points to a “limitation” where the scope of an action is kept to the bare minimum and nothing more is done.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: This would mean “If I only just return (and do nothing else),” which contradicts the active purpose of “wanting to study again” that follows.
3. わけなら
- Meaning: A form used to set a condition based on an already known fact or someone’s logic, meaning “If that is the case.”
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: It is unnatural to connect this directly to “戻れる,” and one cannot treat an impossible hypothetical like “returning to the past” as an “already existing fact.”
4. はずなら
- Meaning: A form used to set a condition for a “certain schedule/expectation” based on reliable data or reasons.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: There is no “schedule” or “logical certainty” for returning to the past, so it does not make sense.
第4問 correct answers: 2 際して
Meaning: Expresses performing necessary procedures or actions just before or at the start of a “special occasion” such as an official event, contract, or hospitalization.
Reason for Correct Answer: It fits perfectly with the context of announcing “form submission” as a necessary procedure accompanying the special event of “hospitalization.”
1. のうちに
- Meaning: Refers to a “time limit” to finish a specific action before a certain state changes.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: It cannot be connected directly to the noun “入院” to express a deadline, and the tone is unsuitable for a formal administrative announcement.
3. を通じて
- Meaning: Refers to something happening “all throughout” a certain period from start to finish, or doing something through a medium.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: This would imply you must keep submitting forms continuously for the entire duration of the stay, which is unnatural.
4. に応じて
- Meaning: Refers to an “adjustment” where the content of a response is changed according to the requests or changes in the situation.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: This sentence is a fixed instruction for everyone to submit forms; it does not mean “change the submission method depending on the type or length of illness,” so it is unsuitable.
第5問 correct answers: 2 一方
Meaning: Describes an “objective trend” where a change in a situation does not stop and continues to move in one direction.
Reason for Correct Answer: It fits the context of explaining a social movement like “rising prices” and connects smoothly with the following “de.”
1. ばかり
- Meaning: Indicates that a certain change continues to move in a negative direction, strongly conveying the speaker’s personal dissatisfaction or complaint.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: Although “上がるばかりで” is grammatically valid, “bakari” expresses a highly subjective, emotional complaint. It is incorrect here because it clashes with the objective, analytical tone of the sentence, which describes a macro social trend (“最近は物価が…”).
3. 次第
- Meaning: Used to mean “as soon as ~” or “due to the circumstances of ~.”
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: Connecting this to a dictionary form verb (agaru) results in an incorrect sentence structure and does not make sense.
4. あまり
- Meaning: Refers to the intensity of an emotion or situation exceeding its limit and causing an unusual result.
- Reason for Incorrect Answer: Grammatically, you cannot connect “agaru + amari”; it is an incorrect word combination rule.
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