N4 情報検索: Two Questions on One Notice

N4's information-retrieval block: ~400 characters of practical material (flyers, class schedules, event notices, price lists) with 2 items — typically one condition-match ("which class can a weekend-only person join?") and one detail/procedure check. Scanning beats reading, conditions beat intuition, and the ※ fine print beats everything. This chapter locks in the N4 version of the method plus the notice vocabulary the documents assume.

1. Notice Vocabulary, N4 Tier

TermReadingMeaning
お知らせおしらせnotice, announcement
申し込みもうしこみapplication
参加さんかparticipation（参加費 = fee）
無料／有料むりょう／ゆうりょうfree / paid
大人／子ども／学生おとな／こども／がくせいprice categories
〜以上／〜以下いじょう／いかand over / and under (boundary INCLUDED)
平日／週末／祝日へいじつ／しゅうまつ／しゅくじつweekdays / weekend / holidays
午前／午後ごぜん／ごごa.m. / p.m.
〜曜日・〜時〜分—your N5 time system, now load-bearing
持ち物もちものthings to bring
場所／集合ばしょ／しゅうごうplace / meeting up（集合時間！）
締め切りしめきりdeadline
雨の場合はあめのばあいはin case of rain… (the plan-B clause)
ただし／※—however / note — exception flags

2. The Method (Two-Question Economy)

  1. Q1 (condition match): list the person's constraints as fragments (weekend / under 500円 / with child) → sweep ALL options one constraint at a time → survivors face the ※ notes.
  2. Q2 (procedure/detail): jump to the prose lines — 申し込み方法, 持ち物, ただし-clauses. Verify method (電話で？直接？), deadline (までに), and what's included/excluded.
  3. The two questions share the document — the map you build for Q1 (where days live, where prices live, where the ※ hides) is Q2's shortcut.

3. Worked Example

みどり市　春の料理教室

教室日にち時間参加費
Ａ パン教室4月の毎週水曜日午前10時〜12時500円
Ｂ すし教室4月8日（土）午前10時〜12時1,000円
Ｃ ケーキ教室4月15日（土）午後2時〜4時800円
Ｄ そば教室4月23日（日）午前9時〜11時500円

・申し込みは4月1日までに、市民センターの受付でお願いします。
・エプロンを持ってきてください。
※ 参加費は当日払ってください。
※ Ｂ教室は、18さい以上の方だけです。

Question 1

リンさん（16さい）は、土曜日か日曜日の午前中に行きたいです。リンさんが参加できる教室はどれですか。
①Ａ　②Ｂ　③Ｃ　④Ｄ

Walkthrough: constraints: (a) Sat/Sun, (b) morning, (c) age 16. Sweep by day first: Ａ is Wednesdays ✗. Ｃ is Saturday ✓ but 午後2時〜4時 — afternoon ✗. Ｂ is Saturday morning ✓✓ — now the ※: Ｂ教室は18さい以上だけ, and Lin is 16 ✗. Ｄ: Sunday ✓, 午前9時〜11時 morning ✓, no age note, 500円 ✓. Answer ④Ｄ. The kill order matters: day and time eliminate from the TABLE, but the age condition lived only in the ※ — an option that looks perfect in every column can still die in the fine print. Sweep cells first, then always walk the ※ line for your survivor.

Question 2

教室に参加したい人は、どうしなければなりませんか。
① 4月1日までに電話で申し込む ② 4月1日までに受付で申し込む ③ 当日、教室で申し込む ④ 4月8日までにお金を払う

Walkthrough: the prose line: 申し込みは4月1日までに、受付で → ②. ① wrong method (no 電話), ③ wrong day, ④ confuses the pay-on-the-day ※ with the application deadline. Method + deadline verified character by character.

4. The N4 Trap List

  • 午前 vs 午後 — still the #1 killer; check it FIRST, not last.
  • 以上/以下 boundaries: 18さい以上 includes 18; a 17-year-old fails it.
  • 雨の場合は…: plan-B clauses change place/date conditionally — questions may put the person "on a rainy day."
  • 集合時間 vs 開始時間: meet-up time is often 15-30 min before start — arithmetic hides here.
  • Two-question interference: Q2's answer is NOT in the table — it's in the prose. Don't re-scan cells for procedures.
  • Total elimination = misread. On the real exam exactly one option fits; if none (or two) survive, re-verify your weakest cell.

Summary & Key Takeaways

  • N4 情報検索 = ~400-char flyer/schedule + 2 items: condition-match + procedure check.
  • Constraint sweep, one condition at a time; ※/ただし decides survivors; prose owns procedures.
  • Boundary words (以上/以下/までに), 午前/午後, and plan-B clauses (雨の場合) carry the traps.
  • If everything dies in your sweep, the error is yours — re-verify 午前/午後 and the ※ before guessing.