In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
Once the war was over, Ashoka ventured out to (1) ________ the city and all he could see were burnt houses and scattered corpses. The lethal war with Kalinga transformed the vengeful Emperor Ashoka into a stable and peaceful emperor, and he became a (2) ________ of Buddhism. According to the prominent Indologist, AL Basham, the 'Dharma' officially propagated by Ashoka was not Buddhism at all. Nevertheless, his patronage led to the (3) ________ of Buddhism in the Mauryan empire and other kingdoms during his rule, and worldwide from about 250 BCE. After the Kalinga War and Ashoka's conversion, the Empire experienced nearly half a century of peace and security. Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious (4) ________ and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge. Chandragupta Maurya's embrace of Jainism increased social and religious renewal and reform across his society, while Ashoka's embrace of Buddhism has been said to have been the (5) ________ of the reign of social and political peace and non-violence across all of India.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.

1. A
   successor
2. B
   patron
3. C
   founder
4. D
   doubter