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Help with long-passage reading question

I don't understand what the hell this paragraph is talking about. I could understand the first three but after that...
Translation:
America Missouri province in the mid 19th century is the stage of ''the adventure of Tom Sawyer''. The mischief youngster Tom and his partner waif Hack. The willful and vulgar days of the youngsters connect with the atmosphere of the province that was the gateway to the west part. It is the hometown of its author Mark Twain.
Force a person smoothly painting the fence as a punishment. Tom mutters: ''Afterall, there is nothing as boring as this world.'' No doubt a cheer to the readers. The interesting autobiography begins and becomes a book.
100 years after death, or in other words until this spring, follow the will not bringing into the world, the publisher deposited 5000 pages of handwriting copies. It is said that because he wrote frankly the insult of friends, politics and religions that he entrusted through the time difference of one century.
There is one more long promise surrounding books. 221 years ago, it is said the law book for rent out has returned at the library of New York. The borrower is the first president George Washington. Understand the unreturned, the management party of the mansion of ex-Washington's residence supplied approximately 1 million yen the same edition of the old book.
The writer and president protected the promise by using substitute as mediator. They seeded a new topic in the 21th century. The changing time makes the truth unravelled but, in contrast, it is the thrilling story that removes the fear towards book and time. I think it is the power of books that cross time and space.
If you follow the spine of book at the library, you will be tied with the amounts of things you don't know and haven't done. The numbers of promise that ain't fulfilled, longed for and dreams of young moment that was hided, seeing the sea of inexperience and unknown. After 20 years, you will be disappointed with things you didn't do than things you did. Twain's words shine and is slightly bitter.

 

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Your translation seems to hit on certain points but miss others.

Leaving aside factual matters (like character names and US geography), here are some misunderstandings that seem to be interfering with your interpretation:

Andromedashun said:
Force a person smoothly painting the fence as a punishment.

まんまと is not modifying the painting of the fence but the verb 押しつける.

Maybe ask yourself these questions:

- Whose "punishment" is it?
- Who is the 人 who ends up painting the fence?

It's perhaps more complicated if you aren't familiar with the story of Tom Sawyer, but you should still be able to figure it out from context.

Think about that and then try to answer questions 50 and 51.

Related to that: if your implied translation of 51 ("Afterall, there is nothing as boring as this world.") were correct, would that be a positive message (エール) to the readers?

Andromedashun said:
Understand the unreturned, the management party of the mansion of ex-Washington's residence supplied approximately 1 million yen the same edition of the old book.

This sentence doesn't make much sense in English, so it's hard to tell if you understand the original JP.

One hint: 調達 doesn't mean "supply".
Another hint: the estate of George Washington had to give back the overdue book to the library. What did they do after that?

Perhaps try giving your answers for all the questions.
That will make it easier for us to tell what you do understand, and help you with what you don't.
 
Actually I did the question before translating this. I got the 53 & 54 wrong while the rest are correct. (2 4 3 2 2)

- Whose "punishment" is it?
- Who is the 人 who ends up painting the fence?
Tom is the person ends up painting the fence?

Related to that: if your implied translation of 51 ("Afterall, there is nothing as boring as this world.") were correct, would that be a positive message (エール) to the readers?
So, it is not positive. (?)
One hint: 調達 doesn't mean "supply".
I don't get what is 未返却がわかり, so I'm not sure but you meant 調達 to raise (money) right?
 
Andromedashun said:
Tom is the person ends up painting the fence?
No, I'm afraid this is incorrect.
Think about it again and try another interpretation.
(edit: if you got #50 correct, who do you think is the subject of the sentence?)

Andromedashun said:
So, it is not positive. (?)
If this is what you think, then your answer was correct, but you misunderstood (and continue to misunderstand) the meaning.

What do you think 「この世は、それほどつまらないものでもない」 means?
To put it simply, is it saying that the world is or is not つまらない?

Andromedashun said:
I don't get what is 未返却がわかり, so I'm not sure but you meant 調達 to raise (money) right?
Would (本が)未返却(だったということ)がわかり make more sense to you?

Also, the object of 調達 is not "money."
(edit: note which nouns are being marked with を and で in this sentence, and it should be clear.)
 
Tom forced other people to paint, and, the world isn't boring.

Would (本が)未返却(だったということ)がわかり make more sense to you?

Also, the object of 調達 is not "money."
The management party raised the same edition at the cost of 1 million yen when they knew Washington won't return the book.
 
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Andromedashun said:
Tom forced other people to paint, and, the world isn't boring.
Yes, you seem to understand it now.
The idea is that Tom thinks the world is an interesting place, because he can trick people into doing the work that he was originally supposed to do as punishment (allowing him to go out and have fun with his friends instead).

The management party raised the same edition at the cost of 1 million yen when they knew Washington won't return the book.
Your English is a bit ambiguous, but I think you generally get it now.

When the people managing his estate realized what had happened (i.e. that Washington had borrowed a book over 200 years ago and never returned it), they acquired a copy of the same edition for the price of roughly 1,000,000 yen to set things right.
 
Actually, just as a follow-up, do you understand why your answers to 53 and 54 were wrong?

Your translations of those segments of the passage are relatively on target, so I'm thinking that you vaguely understand the intended meaning, but are not fully comprehending how the Japanese grammar is functioning.
 
I think it is just grammar-wise.
The 1st one just modifies ''the power of book''. I think I chose the absurd one since it is one noun as a whole. Not sure on the other. It could be causative or dictionary form. Not passive since the verb is intransitive, maybe not causative as well.
 
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I think it is just grammar-wise.
The 1st one just modifies ''the power of book''. I think I chose the absurd one since it is one noun as a whole.
Correct. Only 1 and 4 can modify the noun phrase 「本の力」, and 1 is obviously incorrect meaning-wise.

Not sure on the other. It could be causative or dictionary form. Not passive since the verb is intransitive, maybe not causative as well.
Well, your original answer of 2 was causative and was marked wrong. Do you understand why? (If not, ask yourself the question: "If this were causative, _who_ would be causing _who_ to be disappointed?")

Also note that the passive 失望される is grammatically possible, as in (for example) 「仕事で失敗して、上司に失望された」, though that's obviously not the meaning here.

Your translation "After 20 years, you will be disappointed with things you didn't do than things you did." is the correct interpretation, which should lead you to the (relatively straightforward) answer.
 
パリのカフェに豆粒が転がっているとして、東京からそれにようじを命中させる離れ業だった

I could understand the whole story except this one. What does it mean?
 

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This sentence is using an analogy in order to describe how difficult of a feat it was to have the probe land on the asteroid. The analogy uses places and objects that the reader is familiar with to help make the achievement understandable.
 
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