Directions: Choose the best option to fill in the blank.

As a phenomenon, apart from what is underneath it all, this interest in ___________ experience – or whatever one wants to call it – seems to be a kind of seed – ground from which certain unusual people aside from all the ________ and all the deceivers, certain masters perhaps, may spring up.

Options (3) and (4) are ruled out because 'literals' and ‘officials' do not coordinate with deceivers in the sentence as they are opposite in meaning. On the same lines, ‘candidness’ in option (5) is also ruled out. If we know the usage of ‘transcending’ (to go beyond the limits of, overstep, exceed) and ‘trailing’ (following, behind), we will get to know at once that 'interest in experience' can be ‘transcending’ and not ‘trailing’. Hence, option (1) is the correct answer.