Direction: In the passage given below there are 5 blanks, each followed by a word given in bold. Each blank has four alternative words given in options (1), (2), (3) and (4). You have to tell which word will best suit the respective blank. Mark (5) as your answer if the word given in bold after the blank is your answer i.e, No improvement required.

The Times of India (TOI) is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. According to the Audit ______(A)______ [council] of Circulations, it is ______(B)______ [stated] 9th in the world by circulation and 3rd in India. It is the oldest English-language newspaper in India, and the second-oldest Indian newspaper still in circulation since its first ______(C)______ [writing] published in 1838. It is nicknamed as "The Old Lady of Bori Bunder", and is an Indian "newspaper of record". Near the beginning of the 20th century, Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, called The Times of India "the ______(D)______ [magnificent] paper in Asia". In 1991, the BBC ranked The Times of India among the world's six best newspapers. It is  ______(E)______ [confessed] and published by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (B.C.C.L.), which is owned by the Sahu Jain family. In the Brand Trust Report 2012, The Times of India was ranked 88th among India's most trusted brands. In 2017, however, the newspaper was ranked 355th.