Comprehension:

In the following passage some of the words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

The "Sesame Street" spinoff (1)_____ to be the first Russian-language educational TV (2)_________ aimed specifically at preschoolers. The project (3)________ support from both American and Russian government officials. "If we do not reform our (4)_________, we can hardly hope that we will reform our society," (5)_________ Elena Lenskaya, a director in Russia's Ministry of Education, during a 1992 U.S. congressional hearing on the planned adaptation.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5.

said 

- The most suitable word for the blank is 'said'.

- The complete sentence is: "If we do not reform our education, we can hardly hope that we will reform our society," said Elena Lenskaya, a director in Russia's Ministry of Education, during a 1992 U.S. congressional hearing on the planned adaptation.

- In this sentence, the word "said" is used to fill in the blank. "Said" is the past tense of the verb "say," and it is used here to indicate that Elena Lenskaya made the statement mentioned in the sentence.