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. ____________ time, the strokes were more fluid.

Introduction / Context:
This blank comes from the same descriptive passage about swimming or snorkelling in the Andamans. The sentence containing the blank describes how the swimmer's strokes and movements changed after some initial experience. The phrase ______ time, the strokes were more fluid, the movements more relaxed must be completed with a word that points to the current occasion, contrasting it with earlier attempts. The candidate must choose the demonstrative or preposition that produces a natural expression in English narrative style.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Target fragment: ____________ time, the strokes were more fluid, the movements more relaxed.
• Options: These, Those, At, This.
• The previous sentence mentions a few glorious minutes later, signalling progression in the same event.
• The idea is to compare the present moment of swimming with earlier, less confident attempts.

Concept / Approach:
The natural expression in English is This time, the strokes were more fluid, meaning on this particular occasion, in contrast to earlier times. These and those are plural demonstratives used with countable nouns, whereas time here refers to a specific occasion, often used with this or that. At time by itself is incomplete; we normally say at that time or at this time. Within the given options, only This forms a correct and idiomatic phrase at the beginning of the sentence: This time, the strokes were more fluid.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the full sentence: ____________ time, the strokes were more fluid, the movements more relaxed.Step 2: Recognise that this structure is used to highlight a change compared with earlier experiences: This time it was different.Step 3: Test each option. These time is incorrect because these normally modifies plural countable nouns, not a single occasion. Those time is ungrammatical; we say those times for multiple occasions.Step 4: Test At time, which is incomplete; we need at this time or at that time, but only single words are allowed here.Step 5: Test This. This time, the strokes were more fluid is the familiar and correct expression, so This is the correct choice.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify by thinking of common everyday sentences: This time I will succeed, This time he did not argue, or This time the exam felt easier. In each case, the phrase this time marks a contrast with past attempts. The passage clearly implies that earlier, the swimmer's strokes were less fluid, and now they have improved. Using This time as an introductory phrase fits perfectly. The other options would either produce incorrect grammar or completely change the nuance of the sentence, making it sound unnatural to a fluent speaker.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
These: These time is wrong because these must modify a plural noun, such as these times, not a single time. Those: Those time is similarly incorrect, and even those times would not capture the idea of the particular present occasion that is being contrasted with earlier ones. At: On its own, at time does not form a complete phrase; we require another word such as at this time or at that time. The question allows only one word in the blank, so at cannot succeed here.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may quickly choose At because they are used to the phrase at that time in narrative texts, without noticing that the required structure here is slightly different. Others may misapply these or those because they associate them with earlier or distant moments, but forget the singular versus plural distinction. A simple method to avoid such errors is to mentally add the word time after each option and ask which combination is one you have actually seen or heard frequently in English. This time is very common; the others are not.

Final Answer:
The correct word to complete the phrase is This, giving This time, the strokes were more fluid, the movements more relaxed.