Find out the appropriate word and fill blank (ii).
Directions: In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. Choose the option out of the five words/phrases which fits the blank appropriately.
When we sit down for a meal of market-bought products, we like to think we're getting a reasonable __(i)__ of the body's nutrient requirements, but studies show that because of our chemical intensive farming, the food that we have, does not__(ii)__ the vital nutrients that our ancestors enjoyed.
Plants __(iii)__ with the help of soluble chemical fertilisers get lazy and do not develop the deep, healthy root systems that pull additional elements out of the__(iv)__. In addition, the micro-organisms that break down organic matter and minerals to be taken up by plant roots are __(v)__ by chemical bombardment and violent mechanised manipulation of their environment. Essentially, we're getting robbed, and having to pay for it in __(vi)__ health, energy, longevity, and advancing medical bills.
Unfortunately, agriculture's single-minded focus on increasing __(vii)__ at any cost over the last half-century created a blind spot where rapid __(viii)__ of the nutritional quality of our food has occurred. This decline has been observed to be quite __(ix)__ in some crops but has sadly gone largely __(x)__ by scientists, farmers, government and consumers.