In the following passage some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given. Select the most appropriate option for each blank.

Comprehension:
Many hundreds of years ago, a Brahmin lived in a town in Northern India. He spent many years (1)______ the ancient books and talking to the learned priests (2)______ came to visit the city. After much effort, he (3) ______ the knowledge of a certain spell. He was (4)______ proud of this and guarded his secret (5)______ .