Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word. He watched…

The correct answer is Option (3) → swing

Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, there appears to be a discrepancy in the key: the correct answer should be Option (2) → wind, as explained below.

To meander is to follow a slow, winding, twisting course, as a river does when it curves this way and that across flat land. The sentence describes the river turning slowly on its way to the sea.
Example: The stream meanders through the village before joining the river.

Option 1: revel — Incorrect. To revel is to enjoy something greatly or to celebrate noisily. It has nothing to do with a course or direction.
Example: The team revelled in their victory.

Option 2: wind — Should be Correct. (Incorrect as per NTA) To wind (rhymes with "find") is to follow a twisting, curving course, the very meaning of meander. "The river winds its way slowly to the sea" says the same thing as the question's sentence.
Example: The mountain road winds up to the hilltop temple.

Option 3: swing — Should be Incorrect. (But this is the correct answer in the NTA Answer Key.) To swing is to move back and forth, or to turn suddenly in a curve. It suggests a single quick turn, not the slow, repeated twisting that meander describes.
Example: The children swing in the park every evening.

Option 4: wrap — Incorrect. To wrap is to cover something by folding material round it. It says nothing about the path of a river.
Example: She wrapped the gift in red paper.

Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.

 

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