Identify the option closest in meaning to the underlined word:-

The situation in the city became tense as fighting continued sporadically for two months.

occasionally

The correct answer is Option (4) → occasionally

• Sporadically means occasionally or irregularly; happening at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated.

• Occasionally means at infrequent or irregular intervals; now and then.

These two words share the core meaning of lacking regularity or consistency.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect: 

• Frequently: Happening often. (Opposite of sporadically.)

• Continuously: Happening without interruption. (Opposite of sporadically.)

• Unpredictably: The fighting may be unpredictable, but the word sporadically primarily describes the infrequency of the fighting, not the lack of foreknowledge.