Grammar and Vocabulary (文法・語彙)
Grammar and Vocabulary (文法・語彙) tests whether you can choose the form that fits a sentence's meaning and register. Hiroshima-style items include particle choice, auxiliary verbs, keigo, transitive/intransitive pairs, and vocabulary in context. Where the paper includes 古文, know 助動詞の接続 and 敬語の種類 as well; the same principle applies: form must match function.
Core rules
- 助詞: 「は」 marks topic or contrast, 「が」 marks subject or new information, 「を」 marks direct object, 「に」 marks destination, time point, or agent in passive.
- 助動詞: check 接続. For example, 「れる・られる」 follows 未然形; 「そうだ」 has different meanings after 連用形 (様態) and 終止形 (伝聞).
- 敬語: 尊敬語 raises the subject, 謙譲語 lowers the speaker's action, 丁寧語 polishes the sentence. Do not use 謙譲語 for another person's action.
- 語彙: choose by collocation and context, not by a single dictionary gloss.
Worked example
Which is correct? A「先生が申された」 B「先生がおっしゃった」
Reasoning: 「申す」 is 謙譲語, used for the speaker's own action toward a superior. Using it for 先生's action wrongly lowers the teacher. 「おっしゃる」 is 尊敬語 for 言う, so B is correct. The same logic rejects 「先生が拝見した」; 拝見する is 謙譲語 for 見る.
Traps that cost marks
- Double keigo such as 「おっしゃられます」; one honorific layer is enough.
- ら抜き言葉 such as 「見れる」 in formal writing.
- Confusing 自動詞 and 他動詞: 「ドアが開く」 versus 「ドアを開ける」.
- Choosing a 同音異義語 that fits the sound but not the collocation.
- Ignoring 古文の敬語 direction: who respects whom changes the translation.