Direction: In the following passage some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.

Following in the footsteps of France, Italy has ______ (1) ______ a new tax to be ______ (2) ______ on large tech companies, a move that is likely to put more strain on the country's relations with the USA. The Italian parliament has approved a 3% digital tax on some digital revenue of technology companies that make over $831 million in global revenue, including at least $6 million in Italy. The tax ______ (3) ______ similar to the one France implemented earlier this year, which has attracted ______ (4) ______ criticism from the USA. According to a report in The Epoch Times, dozens of countries are working on proposals to change corporate tax schemes to ______ (5) ______ money from tech firms that have users across the world, such as Facebook and Google's parent company Alphabet.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 1.

The correct answer is "approved."

 Key Points

• "Approved" means to be pleased about something; to like somebody/something. (किसी को पसंद करना या उससे संतुष्‍ट होना; स्‍वीकार्य समझना)
  • Example: She approved my proposal.
• It means that Italy agreed to the new tax, which makes sense in the given context.
• The correct answer is Option 3.
• Correct passage:

Following in the footsteps of France, Italy has approved a new tax to be ______ (2) ______ on large tech companies, a move that is likely to put more strain on the country's relations with the USA. The Italian parliament has approved a 3% digital tax on some digital revenue of technology companies that make over $831 million in global revenue, including at least $6 million in Italy. The tax ______ (3) ______ similar to the one France implemented earlier this year, which has attracted ______ (4) ______ criticism from the USA. According to a report in The Epoch Times, dozens of countries are working on proposals to change corporate tax schemes to ______ (5) ______ money from tech firms that have users across the world, such as Facebook and Google's parent company Alphabet.​

Additional Information

• Option 1 (accepted) is a past participle form of the verb "accept," which means to agree to or receive something. ((दी गई वस्‍तु को) स्‍वीकार या ग्रहण करना)
• Option 2 (declined) is a past participle form of the verb "decline," which means to refuse or reject something. ((किसी का) ह्रास होना, क्षीण होना)
• Option 4 (favoured) is a past participle form of the verb "favour," which means to support or prefer something/someone over others. (को समर्थन देना; अधिक पसंद करना)