In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the…

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

A mother duck and her little ducklings were on their way to the lake one day. Suddenly the mother duck saw a fox in the distance. She was frightened and shouted, “Children, hurry to the lake. There’s a fox!” The ducklings (1) towards the lake. The mother duck began to walk back and forth (2) one wing on the ground. When the fox saw her, he said to himself, “It seems that she’s hurt and can’t fly! I can easily catch and eat her!” Then he ran towards her. The mother duck ran, leading the fox away from the lake so, he (3) be able to harm her ducklings. The mother duck saw that they had reached the lake. She was (4), so she stopped. The fox thought she was tired and he came closer, but the mother duck quickly spread her wings and (5) up in the air. She landed in the middle of the lake and her ducklings swam to her.

Find the appropriate word in 2nd case.