ふだん [ ][ ][ * ][ ]に あります。

Which word fits in the 3rd brackets?
ふだん [ ][ ][ * ][ ]に あります。
a. あそこ b. おさら c. つかわない d. は

The intended meaning is “the plates we don’t usually use are over there” and that would be ふだん[つかわない][おさら][は][あそこ]に あります。So the answer is d. は.

ふだん つかわない is a contact (relative) clause which is modifying the noun おさら, plates. In Japanese,any modifying clause is placed in front of the noun it is modifying.

This question was taken from EasyJapaneseE’s basic contact clause module. If you are sitting for the JLPT N5/N4 exam in a few weeks and found this question tricky, I recommend you practise on more questions in the module. Click on the link below to check the details of the module.