Question

the author writes about a trip he took to niagara falls, a massive set of waterfalls on the border of the united states and canada.
from niagara falls

i could not get out of my mind the thought of a friend, who said that the rainbows over the falls were like the arts and beauty and goodness, with regard to the stream of life—caused by it, thrown upon its spray, but unable to stay or direct or affect it, and ceasing when it ceased. in all comparisons that rise in the heart, the river, with its multitudinous waves and its single current, likens itself to a life, whether of an individual or of a community. a mans life is of many flashing moments, and yet one stream; a nations flows through all its citizens, and yet is more than they. in such places, one is aware, with an almost insupportable and yet comforting certitude, that both men and nations are hurried onwards to their ruin or ending as inevitably as this dark flood.
(from niagara falls by rupert brooke from modern essays)
choose the meaning of the word inevitably.

word in passage	meaning of word

certainly forcefully majestically swiftly

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of "inevitably" in the passage, we analyze the context. The passage compares the river's flow to the lives of men and nations, stating they are "hurried onwards to their ruin or ending as inevitably as this dark flood." The word "inevitably" here conveys a sense of certainty, as the river's flow (and thus the ruin/ending of men and nations) is certain to happen. Among the options, "certainly" best captures this sense of inevitability or certainty. "Forcefully" implies strength, "majestically" implies grandeur, and "swiftly" implies speed, none of which match the context of certainty as well as "certainly" does.

Answer:

certainly