上司に「ご苦労様」は失礼？ 江戸時代は目上にも使った言葉。マナー本の“失礼”説は1970年代から

Q1. What is the passage mainly about?

1. AHow to write a business email
2. BA Japanese phrase that people now avoid saying to a boss
3. CWhy people in the Edo period worked hard
4. DThe best time to leave the office

上司に使うべきでないと言われる「ご苦労さま」の昔と今の話なので B。

Q2. When does the rule against saying "gokurosama" to a boss appear in manners books?

1. AIn the Edo period
2. BIn the 1920s
3. CFrom the 1970s
4. DAfter 2010

The rule against saying it to a boss appears in manners books from the 1970s. とあるので C。

Q3. In the passage, what does "respected" mean?

1. AThought highly of
2. BWas afraid of
3. CWorked with every day
4. DDid not know

respect は「敬う、尊敬する」。someone they respected は「敬う相手」なので A。

Q1. What percent of people chose "gokurosama" for a superior in the 2006 survey?

1. A69.2 percent
2. B23 percent
3. C20 percent
4. D15.1 percent

only 15.1 percent chose "gokurosama" とあるので D。69.2％は「お疲れさま」。

Q2. What did Kuramochi find in Edo-period books?

1. AThe phrase was never used.
2. BMost examples were said to people who deserved respect.
3. CThe phrase was only used by soldiers.
4. DPeople said it only to children.

Most of the examples she found were said to someone who deserved respect. とあるので B。

Q3. What does the phrase "history tells a different story" suggest?

1. AThe modern rule may not have existed in the past.
2. BThe survey numbers were wrong.
3. CPeople in the Edo period did not work.
4. DDictionaries were not written before 1988.

そのあとに江戸時代は目上に使っていたことや、決まりが1970年代以降に現れたことが続くので、今の決まりは昔はなかったかもしれない、という意味。A。

Q1. What surprise did the age breakdown of the 2006 survey show?

1. APeople in their 30s used "gokurosama" the most.
2. BNobody under 20 used "gokurosama."
3. CTeenagers and people over 60 were most likely to say "gokurosama" to a boss.
4. DOlder people never used "otsukaresama."

Teenagers and people over 60 were the most likely to say "gokurosama" to a boss とあるので C。

Q2. How does Kuramochi treat the idea that the army spread the habit?

1. AAs a proven fact
2. BAs a possible cause that needs more evidence
3. CAs a mistake made by dictionaries
4. DAs the main finding of the 2006 survey

she suggests the army may have helped ... a point she says still needs more evidence とあるので B。

Q3. Why does the writer mention an apprentice and a retiring star at the end?

1. ATo show that people still sometimes use the phrase toward those above them
2. BTo explain how manners books were written
3. CTo prove that the Daijisen dictionary is wrong
4. DTo describe life in the Edo period

弟子から師匠へ、若い選手から引退するスターへという「目上」への最近の使用例なので A。