Saitama Public High School Entrance Examination - English cheat sheet
Saitama Public High School Entrance Examination - English · Keep the key ideas within reach.
Listening Comprehension
Questions in Japanese ask 何 (what), どこ (where), いつ (when), だれ (who), なぜ (why), どのように (how); match the answer type to the question word before choosing.
Numbers, times, and prices are often corrected mid-dialogue: the first number spoken is frequently replaced by 〜ではなく or 〜じゃなくて; the final number is the answer.
Dates use 月 (month) + 日 (day); listen for 〜日 (day) versus 〜月 (month) confusion, e.g. 四月四日 vs 四月八日.
Direction items: まっすぐ (straight), 右/左 (right/left), 二つ目 (second), 角を曲がる (turn at the corner); the answer is the final destination, not the first instruction.
Action-order items use 〜てから (after doing), 〜前に (before), まず (first), それから (then), 最後に (finally); sequence words determine the correct picture.
Reason questions need 〜から / 〜ので / 〜ため; a stated feeling (〜たい, 〜つもり) is not a reason unless followed by one of these.
When two speakers disagree, the answer usually follows the second speaker's statement or the one marked with でも / いや / じゃあ.
Listen for 〜ませんでした / 〜ない (negative) and 〜ませんか / 〜ましょう (invitation vs. decision); a negative reply changes the correct option.
Reading Comprehension (short passages and dialogues)
Short-dialogue items test the function of a line: greeting, request, apology, offer, refusal; identify the function from the ending (〜てください request, 〜ませんか invitation, 〜ましょう offer).
Pronouns これ/それ/あれ and この/その/あの point to the nearest preceding noun phrase; あれ usually refers to something not near either speaker.
Time-order questions in short passages: locate 〜たとき (when), 〜たあとで (after), 〜るまえに (before) and order events accordingly.
True/false options that add words not in the passage (絶対, いつも, 全部) are usually false; check for limiting words like たいてい, 少し, ときどき.
Dialogue responses: a question ending in か expects an answer, not a repeat; a statement followed by そうですか shows acknowledgement, not agreement.
Emotion words (うれしい, 残念, こわい, びっくり) signal the speaker's attitude; questions asking どう思いましたか need the emotion word, not the fact.
Subject tracking: Japanese often omits the subject; the last explicit person or the verb's honorific form (〜てくれた / 〜てもらった) identifies who acted.
Cause-effect markers だから / それで / そのため introduce the result; なぜなら / 〜から introduce the cause.
Reading Comprehension (long passages and information retrieval)
Long-passage main-idea questions: the answer is usually restated in the first or last paragraph; a correct option paraphrases, it does not copy a single sentence.
Information-retrieval items require cross-checking two conditions (e.g., date AND price, time AND place); an option satisfying only one condition is wrong.
Tables and notices: read column headers and units first (円, 分, 時, 名); a number without its unit is not an answer.
Conditional markers 〜なら / 〜たら / 〜場合は set exceptions; the correct answer must satisfy every stated condition, including ただし (however) notes.
Chronology questions: build a timeline from 〜前に, 〜たあと, 〜てから, 〜ながら; ながら means two actions at the same time.
Author's-claim questions: 〜べきだ (should), 〜のではないか (isn't it that), 大切だ (important) mark opinion; facts without these markers are not the claim.
Percentage and comparison data: 最も多い (most), 一番少ない (least), 〜より多い (more than); check whether the question asks for the largest or smallest.
Answer options with extreme wording (必ず, 決して, すべて) usually contradict passages that use hedged wording (たいてい, 多くの, 場合によって).
Grammar and Vocabulary in Context (sentence and dialogue completion)
Te-form of い-adjectives: 高い→高くて; いい→よくて; な-adjectives and nouns use で (静かで, 学生で).
Plain past: 五段 verbs shift to 〜た (書く→書いた, 飲む→飲んだ); 一段 verbs drop る and add た (見る→見た); する→した, 来る→来た.
Conditionals: 〜たら (if/when, any result), 〜ば (conditional, general), 〜なら (given that), 〜と (natural consequence, cannot be followed by request/volition).
Giving/receiving: あげる (I give), もらう (I receive), くれる (someone gives to me); the subject and direction of benefit decide the verb.
Particles: に marks time points, destinations, and indirect objects; で marks location of action, means, and cause; を marks direct objects and paths (公園を歩く).
〜ている = ongoing action or resulting state; 〜てある = state resulting from someone's intentional action (窓が開けてある).
Counters: 〜人 (people), 〜冊 (books), 〜枚 (flat things), 〜台 (machines), 〜本 (long thin things), 〜匹 (small animals); the noun determines the counter.
Comparatives: AはBより〜 (A is more ~ than B); Aほど〜ない (not as ~ as A); 一番〜 (the most).
Conversation and Situational Expression (appropriate response selection)
Apology すみません vs. thanks ありがとう: すみません is used for trouble caused; ありがとう for benefit received; どういたしまして replies only to thanks.
Offers: 〜ましょうか / 〜ませんか accept with お願いします / はい、ぜひ; decline softly with すみません、ちょっと…, never a bare いいえ.
Requests: 〜てください / 〜てもらえませんか; the appropriate reply is はい、いいですよ or かしこまりました in service settings.
Permission: 〜てもいいですか asks; 〜てはいけません forbids; 〜なくてもいいです means no need, not prohibition.
Telephone: もしもし (hello), 〜ですが (this is ~), 少々お待ちください (please wait), また電話します (I'll call again).
Shop/restaurant: いらっしゃいませ (welcome), 〜はいかがですか (would you like), お会計 (the bill), 〜をお願いします (ordering).
Directions and transport: 乗り換え (transfer), 〜番線 (platform number), 〜に行くには (to get to ~); the reply names the line and the stop.
Invitation acceptance must match the tense: 誘う (invite) → 受け入れる (accept) with いいですね / 行きましょう; a refusal must include a reason (〜ので).
Writing: Conditioned English Composition
Conditioned composition fixes three things: word count (e.g., 25–35 words), required content points, and register; every required point must appear explicitly.
A safe structure: topic sentence (opinion) + reason with because/for example + closing sentence; three sentences cover most 25–35 word tasks.
Word count rules: contractions count as one word; numbers written as digits count as one word; articles and prepositions count separately.
When a condition says 〜に触れて (mention ~), name it directly (e.g., the word 'club' or 'summer'); an implied mention does not satisfy the condition.
Use because / so / but / also to link ideas; graders reward coherence markers over long complicated sentences.
Avoid Japanese word order transfer: place the verb after the object and the time expression early (Last Sunday, I played tennis with my sister.).
Spelling and tense consistency are scored: keep one tense per composition unless the prompt requires a change (e.g., past event + present opinion).
If the prompt gives a question, answer it in the first sentence, then support; leaving the answer to the end risks running out of words.
Writing: Situational/Functional English (messages, notes, short responses)
E-mail/note format: greeting (Hi Mike, / Dear Ms. Tanaka,), body, closing (See you, / Best regards,), and signature; omitting greeting or signature loses format points.
A reply must answer every question in the original message; unanswered questions are the most common point loss.
Invitation replies state accept/decline first (Sure, I'd love to. / Sorry, I can't.), then a reason and an alternative if declining.
Notes left for family/teachers use short imperative or present forms: Please call me. / I'll be home at six. / Don't forget your key.
Subject lines are short noun phrases: 'About Saturday's Practice', 'Re: School Trip'; they are not full sentences.
Politeness shift: to a teacher use Could you ~? / I would like to ~; to a friend use Can you ~? / I want to ~.
When asking for information, use one clear question per sentence and include the reason (I need to know ... because ...).
Sign-off phrases: See you then. (meeting), Take care. (friend), Best regards, (formal), Thank you for your help. (after a request).