Comprehension Passage
Directions: In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
At a time when technology is integrated into all aspects of life, how can society’s most ___(1)___ members be better protected from its harms? A question like this one lay behind the observations on May 6, by a single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court, which said that efforts to protect minors should go beyond teaching them about “good touch” and “bad touch” in the physical world. Invoking the concept of “virtual touch”, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said, “Minors must be ___(2)___ with the knowledge and tools to navigate online interactions safely and recognise potential risks lurking in cyberspace.” More than three decades since the internet entered the public domain, the ___(3)___ of how the world wide web impacts society, especially children and young adults, struggles to keep pace with the evolution of the technology itself. Complicating this is the fact that the generations of so-called “digital natives” that have ___(4)___since the late 1990s, have limited or no experience of a world without the internet, even as those responsible for putting safeguards in place continue to frame the unique challenges of the digital world in analogue terms. There is little doubt that the pervasiveness of the internet has made it easier for children and young people to be exposed to dangers, including child sexual abuse, online harassment, cyberbullying and blackmail. Existing laws such as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, which mandate that parental consent be taken for processing of a child’s data, go some way towards ___(5)___ these concerns. But legislation can only play a limited role, thanks to the dynamic nature of the internet and its threats.
Which of the following is the most appropriate option to fill in the blank labelled as (1)?
1
vulnerable
2
influential
3
knowledgeable
4
wealthy
5
isolated