In the following passage, there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Whatever prosperity India enjoyed in the seventeenth century disappeared when the Mughal Empire (1) apart. The most immediate cause of this breakdown was the religious intolerance, which led to the open rebellion. It was to (2) these revolts that the bigot ruler spent (3) years in the field, with immense armies consuming the revenues of the country. There were, however, more deep-seated (4). The corruption of officials and the oppression of the masses steadily (5) away the empire’s life blood. For some time, there had been a noticeable deterioration in the character of the ruling class. Wars of succession (6) wiped out the leading families, and new blood from central Asia was no (7) recruited for the higher governmental posts. Finally, the Mughal Empire was an alien regime. It continues to be so (8) Akbar’s policy of conciliation was abandoned, and it wore itself out trying to maintain its power (9) the ceaseless opposition, only now and then overt but always present, of the (10) citizens.
Which of the following suits best for the blank (4).