Meaning: 'Adopted' means to take up or start to use something, in this case, knowledge from another culture.

Wrong options:

• developed: The verb 'developed' implies growth or evolution, which does not fit the context of initially taking knowledge from another country.
• adjoined: 'Adjoined' means to be next to or joined with something, which does not convey the action of taking knowledge.
• merged: 'Merged' suggests a combination of two entities, which is not applicable here as it does not reflect the act of adopting knowledge.
• halted: 'Halted' means to stop, which is not relevant to the action of acquiring knowledge.
• removed: 'Removed' indicates taking something away, which contradicts the idea of adopting knowledge.
• adapted: 'Adapted' means to modify something to suit a new purpose, which does not fit the context of initially acquiring knowledge.

Correct answer: developed

Explanation: The verb 'developed' is in the past tense and indicates that Japan progressed and created its own culture after halting the relationship with China. This fits the context of cultural evolution.

Meaning: 'Developed' means to grow or cause to grow and become more mature, advanced, or elaborate.

Wrong options:

• adopted: 'Adopted' refers to taking on knowledge, which does not fit the context of Japan's own cultural growth.
• adjoined: 'Adjoined' means to be next to something, which does not relate to cultural development.
• merged: 'Merged' implies combining, which does not accurately describe Japan's independent cultural evolution.
• halted: 'Halted' means to stop, which does not convey the idea of cultural growth.
• removed: 'Removed' suggests taking something away, which is not relevant to the idea of developing culture.
• adapted: 'Adapted' means to modify something, which does not fit the context of developing a culture independently.

Correct answer: removed

Explanation: The verb 'removed' is in the past tense and indicates that Japan eliminated certain elements from its culture, which aligns with the context of cultural independence after halting relations with China.

Meaning: 'Removed' means to take something away or eliminate it.

Wrong options:

• adopted: 'Adopted' refers to taking on knowledge, which does not fit the context of eliminating aspects of culture.
• developed: 'Developed' implies growth, which contradicts the action of removing elements from culture.
• adjoined: 'Adjoined' means to be next to something, which does not relate to the act of removing.
• halted: 'Halted' means to stop, which does not convey the idea of removing cultural elements.
• merged: 'Merged' suggests combining, which is not relevant to the act of removing.
• adapted: 'Adapted' means to modify something, which does not fit the context of removing elements.

Correct answer: adapted

Explanation: The verb 'adapted' is in the past tense and indicates that Japan modified certain elements to fit its own cultural context, which is consistent with the overall theme of cultural evolution.

Meaning: 'Adapted' means to change something to suit a new purpose or conditions.

Wrong options:

• adopted: 'Adopted' refers to taking on knowledge, which does not fit the context of modifying elements for cultural suitability.
• developed: 'Developed' implies growth, which does not specifically convey the idea of adapting elements to fit Japanese taste.
• removed: 'Removed' means to take something away, which contradicts the idea of modifying elements for cultural purposes.
• halted: 'Halted' means to stop, which does not relate to the action of adapting cultural elements.
• merged: 'Merged' suggests combining, which does not accurately describe the act of adapting elements to suit a culture.