Exact details · reasons · revising an assumption
Read with a clear question in mind
Identify what you need: a time, a place, a reason, an instruction, or the writer’s main view. Look for that information, but read enough around it to catch a negative, an exception, or a later change.
A familiar keyword is not proof. Opening and closing times can both appear beside the same shop name. The correct answer depends on the verb in the question, not simply on finding a time in the passage.
Check the scope of the answer
For a reason question, distinguish the writer’s goal from a detail used to explain it. For instructions, separate what must happen now from what can happen later. Notes about exceptions often change an otherwise plausible answer.
Try a short English paraphrase, then compare it with the Japanese. If your answer introduces “all,” “never,” or “only,” verify that strength. The game has untimed written practice; it does not provide a timed exam or listening section.
Worked examples
Read each question, choose an answer, and open the explanation to follow the reasoning. These examples come from the game’s original beta question set.
Opening time, not closing time · estimated N5
さくらパン屋：午前九時から午後六時まで。月曜日は休みです。この店は何時に開きますか。
- 六時
- 九時
- 八時
- 十時
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 九時
The opening time is 九時. 六時 is the closing time.
開きます asks when the shop opens. 午前九時から gives the start of the opening interval, while 午後六時まで gives its end. Monday’s closure is additional information rather than the time requested.
Question n5-reading-002 · Original beta practice
Identify the goal behind a change · estimated N3
以前は日記を一ページずつ書いていたが、忙しい日は書けず、やめてしまった。今は三行だけと決めている。短くても、その日の自分を残せる。長さより、続けることが大切だと思う。筆者はなぜ日記を短くしましたか。
- 書く出来事がなくなったから
- 毎日続けることを優先したから
- 長い文章が書けなくなったから
- 先生に禁止されたから
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 毎日続けることを優先したから
The writer shortened entries to make the habit sustainable, even on busy days, rather than abandoning it.
The writer previously stopped writing on busy days. The final line values continuing over length. Shortening the diary supports a sustainable daily habit; it does not mean there is nothing left to write about.
Question n3-reading-002 · Original beta practice
Check why a plan changed · estimated N2
新しい注文画面に多くの選択肢を加える予定だった。しかし利用者の操作を観察すると、選択肢の不足より入力にかかる時間が問題だと分かった。担当者は機能を増やす案を取り下げ、よく使う内容を再利用できる仕組みに変更した。担当者が提案を修正した理由は何ですか。
- 機能を増やすことだけが目的だったから
- 利用者の行動を調べると想定が違っていたから
- 予算が無制限に増えたから
- 競合が同じ機能を作ったから
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 利用者の行動を調べると想定が違っていたから
Observation showed users needed shorter input, not more options, so the initial assumption was revised.
The original proposal added options. Observing users showed that input time was the problem, so the revised proposal reuses common entries instead. The reason is the mismatch between the initial assumption and observed behavior.
Question n2-reading-002 · Original beta practice
Put this into practice
- Select Reading in the Archive and name the kind of information the question requests.
- Find the evidence sentence and explain how it answers the question.
- For a wrong answer, identify whether you missed a detail, a contrast, an exception, or the overall point.
All five tiers are available in the Archive. Your character’s RPG level is separate from your selected Japanese practice level.