In N3/N2 Reading, Looking Only at the Immediate Previous Part Can Still Make You Miss 「指示語」(demonstrative/reference expressions). A Fast 3-Step Method

In N3/N2 Reading, Looking Only at the Immediate Previous Part Can Still Make You Miss 「指示語」(demonstrative/reference expressions). A Fast 3-Step Method

Many learners think that questions about 「指示語」(demonstrative/reference expressions) can be solved by mechanically picking the noun that appears immediately before them.

But learners who rely on that method are often the very ones who fall for the more sophisticated traps found in N2 and above.

That is because 「指示語」(demonstrative/reference expressions) often point not to a single 「単語」(word), but to the 「内容そのもの」(the content itself).

To remove hesitation and reach the correct answer by the shortest route, you need a clear procedure.

A Fast 3-Step Method for Solving 「指示語」(demonstrative/reference expressions)

1. Identify the nature of the target 「ターゲットの性質」(nature of the target)

Ask yourself what the 「指示語」(demonstrative/reference expression) is pointing to.

Is it referring to a concrete 「モノ（名詞）」(thing / noun)?

Or is it referring to an 「事柄や状況（内容全体）」(event, situation, or the content as a whole) mentioned just before it?

This is the first distinction you should make.

2. Narrow down the candidates from the previous two sentences 「直前2文から候補を絞り出す」(narrow down candidates from the previous two sentences)

The clue is not always limited to the sentence immediately before.

Expand your view to the previous two sentences and extract the most likely candidates from there.

3. Check it against the paragraph’s 「主題文」(topic sentence)

This is the most important step.

If you are unsure, go back to the first sentence of the paragraph, the 「主題文」(topic sentence).

Then check whether the content you chose as the referent of the 「指示語」(demonstrative/reference expression) is consistent with the main point the writer wants to make in that paragraph.

The trap of 「単語一致」(word matching)

Be especially suspicious of answer choices that contain the same word as the passage.

Even when the same word appears, the range of what it refers to may be too broad, or on the contrary, too narrow.

The key is not to focus on the sound or surface repetition of the word itself, but on the 「範囲」(scope/range) of meaning it actually points to.

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