Which of the following is the correct spelling of “meantained” as used in the passage above?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the given question.

“My curiosity about birds dates back to a long time. In my childhood, we had a pet mynah at home and I had taught it to pronounce some words. I believed then that the birds did not really know the meaning of what they only mechanically repeated. But I had to revise my opinion as my mynah did something amazing. One afternoon, as I was about to sit for lunch, the mynah started screeching ‘Earthquake! Earthquake! We felt nothing, but next morning, there was a report in the paper about a mild tremor. Ever since, I have meantained an interest in birds.”