In the following passage some of the words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

A young man walks toward me with a stick slung across his back and a (1)______ of sheep at his feet, which carry him down the path (2)_____ a crowd of rowdy children. An older man follows, weatherworn but still (3)____, a rifle over his left shoulder. He clicks his tongue to (4)_____ the flock. Behind him are two women on horses; I guess (5)_____ are his wife and daughter.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 1.

flock

In the sentence - A young man walks toward me with a stick slung across his back and a ______ of sheep at his feet,....

the required word describes a group of sheep.

- Thus, flock, which means a group of sheep is the most appropriate to fill in the blank.

Furthermore,

- army describes a group of something

- shoal means a large number of fish swimming together.

- horde means a small loosely knit social group typically consisting of about five families.

The complete sentence will be - A young man walks toward me with a stick slung across his back and a flock of sheep at his feet,....