Fill in the blanks in the given sentence with the most appropriate pair of words.
He sat there all night, like a sniper trained well, waiting _____ for the hornbill to ______ shuffle out of its nest.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → patiently, finally
- Patiently means calmly, without losing interest, over a long time. A man who sits all night "like a sniper trained well" is "waiting patiently".
Example: The fisherman sat patiently by the river for hours. - Finally means at last, after a long wait: the hornbill comes out of its nest only at the end of that long night, "for the hornbill to finally shuffle out of its nest".
Example: After a two-hour delay, the train finally arrived.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: finally, patiently — Incorrect. The two words are in the wrong blanks: "waiting finally" makes no sense, and a bird that "patiently shuffles out" does not mark the end of the man's wait.
Option 3: continuously, excitedly — Incorrect.
- "Waiting continuously" adds nothing to "all night", and it misses the calm of a trained sniper.
- "Excitedly shuffle out" describes the bird's mood, not the moment the long wait ends.
Option 4: excitedly, continuously — Incorrect.
- A trained sniper waits calmly, not excitedly.
- "Continuously shuffle out" describes a repeated movement, not the single moment the bird comes out.