JLPT Reading: Inferring Author's Intent 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A JLPT reading passage ends with: 'Technology has given us speed, but perhaps we have forgotten the value of stillness.' What is the author most likely trying to convey?
- Technology should be banned from daily life.
- Modern progress comes at the cost of losing something important. (Correct answer)
- Stillness is scientifically proven to improve productivity.
- Speed is unnecessary in the modern world.
Correct answer: Modern progress comes at the cost of losing something important.
The contrast between 'speed' and 'stillness' signals the author's concern that progress sacrifices something valuable, a classic JLPT inferential pattern.
Question 2: An author describes a character who always arrives early but is described as 'never truly present.' What is the author implying?
- The character has poor time management skills.
- Physical presence does not equal emotional or mental engagement. (Correct answer)
- Being early is considered impolite in Japanese culture.
- The character suffers from a medical condition.
Correct answer: Physical presence does not equal emotional or mental engagement.
The irony of arriving early but being 'never truly present' is the author's device to distinguish physical attendance from genuine engagement.
Question 3: A passage about urban parks states: 'Children no longer run freely here; instead, they sit watching screens, even outdoors.' What sentiment is the author most likely expressing?
- Parks should install more Wi-Fi hotspots.
- Children prefer indoor activities to outdoor ones.
- Technology is encroaching on spaces meant for physical play. (Correct answer)
- Urban planning has improved children's safety.
Correct answer: Technology is encroaching on spaces meant for physical play.
The juxtaposition of 'freely' with 'screens' and 'even outdoors' signals the author's lament about technology displacing active outdoor play.
Question 4: In a JLPT passage, an author writes about a village that resisted modernization and notes that 'its streets are quieter now, but so are its young people—gone to the cities.' What does the author imply?
- Modernization always improves a community's quality of life.
- Preserving tradition has an unintended cost of youth emigration. (Correct answer)
- City life is objectively better than rural life.
- The village made the wrong decision by resisting change.
Correct answer: Preserving tradition has an unintended cost of youth emigration.
The parallel structure of 'quieter streets' and 'quieter young people' implies that tradition preservation led to youth departure—an unintended consequence.
Question 5: An author concludes an essay on language learning with: 'One who speaks only one language sees through one window.' What is the primary intent?
- Multilingual people are better architects.
- Learning multiple languages broadens one's perspective and worldview. (Correct answer)
- Japanese is the most complex language to learn.
- Windows are a metaphor for academic achievement.
Correct answer: Learning multiple languages broadens one's perspective and worldview.
The metaphor of a 'window' representing perspective signals the author's intent to advocate for multilingualism as a means of expanding worldview.
Question 6: A JLPT passage describes a scientist who published unpopular findings and 'waited decades for the world to catch up.' What does the author imply about the scientist?
- The scientist was arrogant and refused to update their theories.
- Groundbreaking truths may be rejected before eventually being accepted. (Correct answer)
- Scientific consensus is always correct.
- The scientist lacked proper research methodology.
Correct answer: Groundbreaking truths may be rejected before eventually being accepted.
The phrase 'waited for the world to catch up' frames the scientist as ahead of their time, implying that original ideas often face delayed acceptance.
Question 7: An author writes: 'The student memorized every rule but could not hold a single conversation.' In a language-learning context, what is the author's likely message?
- Grammar rules are unimportant for language learning.
- Rote memorization alone is insufficient for practical language use. (Correct answer)
- Conversation practice should replace grammar study entirely.
- The student was not intelligent enough to learn languages.
Correct answer: Rote memorization alone is insufficient for practical language use.
The contrast between mastering rules and failing at conversation signals the author's view that functional communication requires more than memorized knowledge.
JLPT Reading: Inferring Author's Intent 2
A JLPT reading passage ends with: 'Technology has given us speed, but perhaps we have forgotten the value of stillness.' What is the author most likely trying to convey?