In the given passage few words are missing, which are followed by serial numbers. Choose the appropriate word from the given options that can fit into the given blank without altering the intended meaning.

Economic development and growth are supposed to ______________ (16) the employment situation in a country. Much of development literature _______________(17) this idea as a major expectation at least from the long-run perspective. It is also the case that the greater the amount of ________________ (18) labour in an economy and the greater the ________________(19) of underemployment, the slower will be the pace of change in the employment structure towards more regular and protected waged forms of employment. In fact, one can only give a proper perspective to the misunderstood policy challenges of __________________ (20) in a developing economy by first examining these matters at the broadest level with existing data.

The correct option to fill in blank (17) based on the provided answer key is maintains.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Analyze the Context:
The sentence reads: "Much of development literature _______________(17) this idea as a major expectation at least from the long-run perspective."
Here, the subject is "Much of development literature" (singular noun phrase), which requires a singular verb in the present tense to state a general fact or ongoing position in literature.

2. Evaluate the Options:
• maintains: Grammatically correct (third-person singular verb) and semantically appropriate, meaning to assert, uphold, or hold a particular position/opinion in the literature.
• level: Does not fit grammatically or contextually as a verb here.
• cherished: Past tense/participle form; does not fit the active voice tense required by the sentence structure without an auxiliary verb.
• share: Plural verb form; does not agree with the singular subject "Much of development literature".
• endorsed: Past tense; while relevant in meaning, "maintains" provides the continuous present assertion commonly used when referring to literature.

3. Conclusion:
Inserting maintains completes the sentence accurately both contextually and grammatically: "Much of development literature maintains this idea as a major expectation..."