Dialogue Completion and Situational Response (対話完成・場面応答)
What this domain tests
These items give a short dialogue with one missing line, or a single utterance followed by three or four responses. The test checks whether you can follow the function of the exchange: request, permission, invitation, apology, suggestion, refusal, or thanks. The Japanese terms are 対話完成 and 場面応答.
Core rules and concepts
- Identify the function of the first line before reading the choices.
- Learn fixed adjacency pairs: 'Would you mind...?' is answered with 'Not at all' for permission, or 'I'm sorry, but...' for refusal.
- Match politeness and register. A teacher's request is not answered with 'Yeah, sure, whatever.'
- Follow the logic of the second line. If B says 'I'd love to, but I have a test,' the invitation is refused with a reason.
- Watch pronouns and time: 'this afternoon' cannot be answered with 'Yesterday was fine.'
Worked example
A: 'Would you mind if I opened the window?' B: ( ) Choices: Yes, please. / Not at all. / No, I opened it. / That's too bad.
Reasoning: 'Would you mind...?' asks about objection. 'Not at all' means 'I do not mind,' so it grants permission. 'Yes, please' treats the question as an offer, which it is not. 'No, I opened it' misreads the tense, and 'That's too bad' shows sympathy, not permission. The answer is 'Not at all.'
Traps that cost marks
- Answering 'Would you mind...?' with 'Yes' to mean 'Yes, you may.'
- Choosing a response that repeats a word from the prompt but has the wrong function.
- Missing a refusal hidden in a polite acceptance: 'I wish I could, but...'
- Ignoring the setting (classroom, shop, station) and using the wrong register.
Exam habit
Label the first line in Japanese or English: 依頼, 許可, 誘い, 謝罪. Then choose the response that performs the matching function.