Select the most appropriate word to fill in the blank in the followin…

The correct answer is Option (3) → were said

Passive of a reporting verb:

"There were said to be" gives what people say without naming who says it.

Change	Active	Passive	Why
Tense kept	said	were said	The reporting verb goes in the passive, be + past participle in the same tense: past “said” becomes “were said”. The verb agrees with the plural “serious flaws”, so were, not was.
Agent (by ...)	People	– (dropped)	“People” is left out because it does not matter who said it.
That-clause	that there were	There ... to be	The that-clause becomes “to be”: “that there were flaws” becomes “there … to be serious flaws”.
Full sentence	People said that there were serious flaws in the design.	There were said to be serious flaws in the design.

Example: There were said to be tigers in the forest near the village.

Why the Other Options are Incorrect?

Option 1: claimed — Incorrect.

• To claim is to say firmly that something is true.
• In the active form it needs a person as subject ("Experts claimed..."). "There" cannot claim anything, so the passive "were claimed" would be needed.
  Example: The company claimed that the product was safe.

Option 2: reported — Incorrect.

• To report is to give an account of something.
• Like "claimed", the active "reported" needs a real subject. Only the passive "There were reported to be" is correct.
  Example: The newspaper reported heavy rain in the hills.

Option 4: were told — Incorrect.

• "Were told" is passive, but "tell" is used for the person who receives the message ("We were told that...").
• "There were told to be" does not make sense.
  Example: The students were told to wait outside.

Contrast: "There were said to be" leaves out who said it. Active "claimed" or "reported" needs a real subject, and "were told" needs the person who hears the message as its subject.