EJU flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

EJU Japanese total score

The Japanese as a Foreign Language section is scored out of 400 points: reading 120, listening 120, and writing 50, with listening-comprehension and reading-comprehension each worth 120.

記述 (kijutsu) writing task

A 30-minute writing section worth 50 points where candidates write 400–500 characters on one of two prompts, arguing a position with reasons and examples in a consistent です・ます style.

Reading section time allocation

The 40-minute reading section typically contains four passages: short, medium, long, and integrated. A common allocation is 5, 10, 15, and 10 minutes respectively.

は vs が

は marks the topic and often contrasts or introduces known information; が marks the grammatical subject and often introduces new information or answers a question about who or what did something.

てある vs ている

てある describes a resultant state created intentionally by someone (窓が開けてある), while ている describes an ongoing action or a natural state (窓が開いている).

そうだ: hearsay vs appearance

Plain form + そうだ expresses hearsay (news, rumor); stem + そうだ expresses appearance or likelihood based on observation (おいしそう, 降りそう).

Listening decision markers

Words such as やっぱり, じゃあ, それなら, and というわけで often signal a final decision that overrides earlier options in EJU listening questions.

Integrated reading passage

A passage combining multiple texts or a text with a chart; questions ask candidates to compare claims, identify agreement or disagreement, and select the option supported by all sources.

EJU Science section structure

80 minutes, 100 points; candidates choose two of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, each with about 20 multiple-choice questions including calculations.

Projectile motion equations

Horizontal velocity is constant; vertical acceleration is g ≈ 9.8 m/s². Position: x = v₀ₓt, y = v₀ᵧt − ½gt². Time of flight depends only on vertical motion.

Conservation of momentum

In a closed system with no external net force, total momentum p = Σmv is conserved before and after collisions, whether elastic or inelastic.

Mole conversion formulas

n = m/M (mass over molar mass) = N/N_A (particles over Avogadro's number) = V/22.4 L at STP for gases. Molarity M = moles of solute per liter of solution.

Limiting reagent rule

Calculate moles of each reactant divided by its stoichiometric coefficient; the smallest ratio identifies the limiting reagent, which determines the maximum product yield.

pH definition

pH = −log₁₀[H⁺], where [H⁺] is hydrogen ion concentration in mol/L. pH below 7 is acidic, 7 is neutral, and above 7 is basic at 25 °C.

Oxidation number rules

Oxygen is usually −2 (except in peroxides, −1); hydrogen is +1 (except in metal hydrides, −1); free elements are 0; the sum equals the ion charge.

Mitosis vs meiosis

Mitosis produces two genetically identical diploid cells; meiosis produces four haploid gametes with crossing over in prophase I and two divisions, creating genetic variation.

Photosynthesis light and dark reactions

Light reactions occur in thylakoid membranes, producing ATP and NADPH; the Calvin cycle occurs in the stroma, fixing CO₂ into glucose using ATP and NADPH.

Cellular respiration stages

Glycolysis in cytoplasm, Krebs cycle in mitochondrial matrix, and electron transport chain on inner membrane; the last stage produces most ATP via oxidative phosphorylation.

EJU Japan and the World format

80 minutes, 100 points, about 40 multiple-choice questions covering politics, economics, history, geography, and contemporary society; no essay section.

Article 9 of the Constitution

The 1947 Japanese Constitution renounces war and the threat or use of force, and states that land, sea, and air forces will never be maintained; interpreted to allow self-defense forces.

San Francisco Peace Treaty

Signed in 1951 and effective 1952, it ended the Allied occupation and restored Japanese sovereignty; Japan later joined the United Nations in 1956.

Plaza Accord 1985

An agreement among major economies to depreciate the US dollar against the yen, which contributed to Japan's bubble economy and later its collapse in the early 1990s.

Japanese Diet structure

The bicameral legislature consists of the House of Representatives (480 members) and the House of Councillors (242 members); the Prime Minister is chosen by the Diet.

Bretton Woods institutions

The IMF and World Bank were established in 1944 to promote monetary stability and reconstruction; GATT (1947) became the WTO in 1995.

Meiji Restoration 1868

A political revolution that ended the Tokugawa shogunate and restored imperial rule, leading to rapid modernization, industrialization, and the 1889 Meiji Constitution.

Japan's aging population

Over 29% of Japan's population is aged 65 or older, one of the highest rates globally, driving policy debates on pensions, healthcare, and regional revitalization.

EJU Mathematics courses

Course 1 covers basic topics (quadratics, trigonometry, counting, probability); Course 2 adds exponential/logarithmic functions, calculus, vectors, sequences, and complex numbers; each is 80 minutes and 100 points.

Quadratic discriminant

For ax² + bx + c = 0, D = b² − 4ac. If D > 0 there are two distinct real roots; D = 0 one repeated real root; D < 0 no real roots.

Law of cosines

In any triangle, a² = b² + c² − 2bc cos A, where A is the angle opposite side a; used to find a side or angle when three sides or two sides and the included angle are known.

Derivative and integral rules

d/dx xⁿ = nxⁿ⁻¹; ∫xⁿ dx = xⁿ⁺¹/(n+1) + C for n ≠ −1. The derivative gives slope; the definite integral gives signed area under a curve.

Geometric sequence sum

For a geometric sequence with first term a₁ and common ratio r ≠ 1, the sum of the first n terms is Sₙ = a₁(1 − rⁿ)/(1 − r); if r = 1, Sₙ = n a₁.

Vector dot product

a·b = |a||b|cosθ, where θ is the angle between vectors. Vectors are perpendicular when a·b = 0 and parallel when a = kb for some scalar k.