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

Literacy is a very important quality of a population. (1) ________ an informed and educated citizen can make (2) ________ choices and undertake research and development (3) ________. Low levels of literacy are a (4) ________ obstacle for economic improvement. In India, (5) ________ has been a steady improvement in the literacy levels.