Colonialism had a great impact on the lives of the aboriginal Australians who were eventually (1) _______ by the whites with all power and privilege. The colonisers turned their land into rubbish pits and (2) _______ sites for their own betterment. The aborigines were often (3) _______ as sub-humans with low status and dirty habits. The whites not only displaced the tribes off their homeland but also (4) _______ the beauty and balance of the natural world. An increase in deforestation and destruction of traditional land led (5) _______ like emu, eagle, and kangaroo, among many others to dwindle over time.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3.

To determine the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3, let us analyze the context of the sentence: "The aborigines were often (3) _______ as sub-humans with low status and dirty habits."

Here, the sentence describes how the white colonisers viewed, regarded, or thought of the aboriginal Australians. Let's evaluate the given options:
1. created: This means to bring something into existence. Tribes are not "created as sub-humans" in this context.
2. perceived: This means to interpret, regard, or look upon someone or something in a particular way. Saying they were "perceived as sub-humans" fits the context perfectly as it describes the attitude and viewpoint of the colonisers towards the aborigines.
3. received: This means to get or accept something, which does not fit the grammatical structure "received as sub-humans with low status" in this context.
4. led: This is the past tense of lead, which means to guide or conduct, and does not fit the context.

Therefore, "perceived" is the most appropriate word to complete the sentence, indicating that the aborigines were regarded or viewed as sub-humans by the colonisers.

The correct answer is perceived.