The following text is from Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. The Mole is returning home after a visit to Mr. Badger's house.
As he hurried along, eagerly anticipating the moment when he would be at home again among the things he knew and liked, the Mole saw clearly that he was an animal of tilled field and hedge-row, linked to the ploughed furrow, the frequented pasture, the lane of evening lingerings, the cultivated garden-plot.
As used in the text, what does the word "anticipating" most nearly mean?
Explanation
Context: From Wind in the Willows: Mole hurried along, "eagerly anticipating the moment when he would be at home again." He "saw clearly that he was an animal of tilled field and hedge-row"—excited about returning.
Answer: D) Looking forward to
Why? "Eagerly anticipating" = excited expectation. Looking forward to = anticipating.
Traps:
- A) Managing → different
- B) Getting ahead of → different meaning
- C) Revealing → different