Maharashtra HSC Japanese (MSBSHSE) common mistakes
Maharashtra HSC Japanese (MSBSHSE) · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
When a prose passage contains a line of dialogue inside quotation marks (「…」), the candidate reads the quoted sentence as the narrator's own statement and answers the main-idea question from it, ignoring who is speaking.
Maharashtra HSC prose passages often embed short conversational lines inside narrative text, and candidates who have drilled isolated sentence translation treat every sentence as equally authoritative. They do not track the speaker across the paragraph, so a character's opinion is mistaken for the author's claim.
What to do instead
Before answering, annotate each quoted line with the speaker's name in the margin and mark whether it is dialogue, inner thought, or narration. Then check the question stem: if it asks about the writer's view (筆者の考え), only unquoted narrative sentences count. Practise by taking one past-style passage and drawing a speaker map before looking at any question.
The candidate answers a detail question using a word that appears in the passage but in a different clause, without checking that the surrounding particles (は vs が, に vs で) attach it to the entity the question asks about.
Under time pressure, candidates keyword-match: they see the noun from the question in the text and pick the option containing it. Japanese marks grammatical role with particles rather than word order, so the same noun can be subject in one clause and location in another, and keyword matching silently swaps roles.
What to do instead
Circle the particle attached to the key noun in both the passage and each option. Eliminate any option where the particle changes the role. Train with paired sentences that differ only in particle (先生が学生に教える / 先生に学生が教える) until the role shift is automatic.
The candidate writes a composition in plain form throughout (だ／する／行った) when the task specifies です・ます体, or mixes the two styles within one paragraph.
Textbook example sentences and dictionary entries are usually in plain form, and candidates internalise plain form as the 'default' Japanese. The HSC guided-writing task usually models polite style, but candidates do not consciously decide the register before starting and drift back to plain form mid-sentence.
What to do instead
Write the register decision as the first line of the rough plan (e.g. 「です・ます体」) and underline every sentence-ending verb in the draft to check it. Do five-minute drills converting a plain-form paragraph to polite form and back, focusing on だ→です, する→します, い-adjective + です, and ない→ません.
On the listening section the candidate writes the answer while the audio is still playing, then misses the correction or negation that comes at the end of the utterance.
School practice often rewards fast note-taking, so candidates transcribe the first number, time, or place they hear. Japanese listening items frequently state a plan and then revise it (「…と思いましたが、やはり…」), so the first-mentioned item is a distractor by design.
What to do instead
Adopt a two-pass rule: during the first play write only keywords and arrows, not answers; decide after the final particle of the utterance. Specifically train the revision markers が、けど、でも、やっぱり、ちょっと… and treat anything after them as the real answer.
The candidate reads a kanji compound correctly in isolation but chooses the wrong reading in context because two readings are both plausible (e.g. 一日 as いちにち vs ついたち, 上手 as じょうず vs かみて).
Vocabulary lists are memorised as kanji-to-one-reading pairs, without the collocations that select the reading. HSC vocabulary questions embed compounds in sentences precisely to test contextual reading selection, and candidates apply the first memorised reading.
What to do instead
Learn compounds inside a short phrase rather than as single words, and record the disambiguating context (日付の「ついたち」, 音楽の「じょうず」). Build a personal list of dual-reading compounds (一日, 上手, 大丈夫, 人気, 空く) with one example sentence each, and review by covering the reading column.
In the dialogue-completion or response-selection items, the candidate picks the grammatically correct option without checking whether it fits the social relationship (senpai/kouhai, teacher/student, shop staff/customer).
Grammar drills reward correctness, so candidates treat keigo and casual forms as interchangeable variants of the same meaning. HSC dialogue items often include a correct-but-socially-wrong distractor, and candidates have not been taught to screen for register first.
What to do instead
For every dialogue item, first identify the two speakers and their relative status, then eliminate options whose register mismatches before evaluating grammar. Memorise the three keigo verbs as a set (いらっしゃる／伺う／申し上げる) with the direction of respect, and practise labelling who is above whom in ten short dialogues.
The candidate answers a 'what does the writer mean by X' question by paraphrasing the literal words of the sentence rather than stating the implied point, producing an answer that is true but too shallow.
Literal translation is the skill most practised in class, and inference is rarely modelled explicitly. When the passage uses metaphor or indirect phrasing (「…のようなものだ」), candidates stop at the surface image and never ask what it stands for.
What to do instead
Use a fixed two-column routine: left column = what the sentence literally says, right column = what the writer wants the reader to conclude. Answer only from the right column for 筆者の考え items. Practise on five short passages, writing the right-column sentence in one clause before checking options.
The candidate omits or misplaces particles in free composition, particularly dropping を or が, or writing に where で is required for location of an action.
In speech, particles are often reduced or swallowed, and candidates write what they hear. Composition is marked on written accuracy, so spoken-form omissions become errors. Location に vs で is also confused because both translate to 'in/at' in English.
What to do instead
After drafting, do a particle-only pass: read each sentence and circle every particle, asking 'action location = で, existence location = に'. Keep a one-page contrast sheet (学校で勉強する / 学校にいる) and rewrite three of your own sentences each day using both patterns.
The candidate gives a one-word or one-clause answer in the oral/speaking component when the prompt invites explanation, and then stops, leaving the examiner to prompt again.
Written exams train short, safe answers, and candidates fear grammatical mistakes in extended speech. They also prepare content but not length, so they have nothing planned beyond the first clause.
What to do instead
Prepare a reusable three-part frame (statement → reason with から／ので → short closing or example) and rehearse it aloud on ten familiar topics (school, family, hobby, future plan). Time yourself to 20–30 seconds per answer so the length becomes habitual rather than improvised.
The candidate translates a culturally loaded phrase word-for-word and misreads the intended meaning, e.g. treating お疲れさま as a literal comment on fatigue, or いただきます as a religious statement, rather than as a situational greeting.
These expressions are taught as vocabulary items with an English gloss, not as actions tied to a situation. Without the situational trigger, candidates cannot tell when the phrase is expected or what it accomplishes, and reading-comprehension items built on them become guesswork.
What to do instead
Learn each set phrase attached to its trigger situation and the response it expects (いただきます → before eating; お疲れさま → to a colleague after work; お世話になりました → closing thanks). Make a two-column card set with 'situation → phrase → expected reply' and test yourself by situation only, not by English meaning.