In the following questions, a sentence is given with a blank in it. It is then followed by five alternatives among which, one of the words fits correctly in the given blank so as to make the sentence meaningful. Find out the most suitable word and mark it as your answer.  The agricultural officer reported that sustainable farming methods had been _____________ adopted across the drought-prone region, leading to significantly higher crop yields.

• Meaning of the sentence: A farming officer said that eco-friendly farming was used widely in dry areas, which helped grow a lot more crops. • Why Option C is correct: Extensively means widely or over a large area. Widespread adoption explains why crop yields improved significantly. Why other options are wrong: • Sparsely means in very small amounts or scattered thinly, which would not result in significantly higher crop yields. • Reluctantly means doing something unwillingly, which does not explain the positive outcome. • Adversely means in a harmful or negative way. • Marginally means by a very small amount, which contradicts "significantly higher crop yields".