In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives. And then, a few glorious minutes ______________, it was time to reluctantly head ashore. ____________ time, the strokes were more fluid, the movements more relaxed. I turned back one last time ____________ hello to a clown fish, the reason why I came to the Andamans. As I watched, it played hide-and-seek _________ a sea anemone, before frisking away. Suddenly, I realised a kinship with the blue waters ___________ the Bay of Bengal. a few glorious minutes ______________, it was time to reluctantly head ashore.

Introduction / Context:
This question is based on a short narrative passage describing a swimming or snorkelling experience in the Andaman Islands. Several blanks have been left in the text to test the candidate's understanding of time expressions and collocations. The specific blank here comes after the phrase a few glorious minutes and before a comma, leading into it was time to reluctantly head ashore. The correct answer must fit both grammatically and idiomatically to describe what happened after a short period of time passed.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Target fragment: And then, a few glorious minutes ______________, it was time to reluctantly head ashore.
• Options: late, later, lately, latest.
• The narrative is in the simple past, describing a sequence of events in time.
• The phrase a few minutes later is a common English expression indicating what happened after some time.

Concept / Approach:
The standard collocation is a few minutes later, which means after a short interval of time. It is frequently used in stories to move the action forward. The words late, lately, and latest have different uses. Late usually describes being delayed or not on time; lately refers to recent times but not with an exact minute count; latest refers to the most recent item in a series. Only later functions correctly as a comparative time adverb after a duration phrase like a few minutes. Therefore the correct approach is to recognise and apply the familiar phrase a few minutes later in this context.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the full clause: And then, a few glorious minutes ____, it was time to reluctantly head ashore.Step 2: Note that the blank must express that some time passed between an earlier moment and the decision to head ashore.Step 3: Recall the common time expression a few minutes later, which exactly fits the narrative pattern of moving forward in time.Step 4: Test each option: a few glorious minutes late, a few glorious minutes later, a few glorious minutes lately, a few glorious minutes latest.Step 5: Only a few glorious minutes later sounds natural and correct; the others are ungrammatical or unnatural in this position.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify by thinking about how stories usually move through time. Writers often use expressions like a few seconds later, a few hours later, or a few days later to indicate that an event takes place after an interval. They do not say a few minutes late in this kind of narrative, because late normally describes being behind schedule for a fixed appointment. Lately is used in sentences like Lately, I have been very busy, which describes recent general time, not a precise period after a specific moment. Latest is used in phrases like the latest news or the latest phone model and does not work with minutes at all.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Late: A few glorious minutes late would suggest that those minutes themselves were delayed, which does not make sense in this context. Lately: A few glorious minutes lately is not a standard combination, and lately does not follow a specific measure of time like minutes in this way. Latest: This adjective refers to the most recent in a series and is not used directly after a time expression like a few minutes. These words do not form a natural time linking phrase in the narrative.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may quickly see late and connect it with time, but fail to check the exact phrase structure. Others might be influenced by lately because it sounds formal and is associated with recent times, even though it does not follow a number plus time unit. A reliable strategy is to recall typical story phrases used in English textbooks and novels, where later frequently follows expressions with minutes, hours, or days to indicate a subsequent event in the storyline.

Final Answer:
The correct word to complete the time expression is later, giving the phrase a few glorious minutes later.