In the passage about human ability to change the landscape and question our role in nature, choose the single verb that can correctly fill all three blanks.

Introduction / Context:
This passage based question discusses the human ability to change the environment and the ethical questions that arise from that power. The same verb must fill three blanks: the ability of humans to ______ the landscape, animals that have extensions to ______ their environment, and whether humans have the right to ______ the land, factory farm animals, and pollute waterways. The original options are not suitable verbs, so applying the recovery first policy, we infer a more appropriate verb that logically fits all three contexts.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The first blank describes humans ability to modify or change the landscape.
• The second blank refers to animals having extensions to modify their environment.
• The third blank asks whether humans have the right to modify the land, factory farm animals, and pollute waterways.
• All three blanks clearly expect a verb with the meaning "change" or "modify".
• The provided options are nouns or verbs that do not fit grammatically or semantically in all three places.

Concept / Approach:
The most natural verb to use in all three blanks is "alter", which means to change or modify something. We can say humans alter the landscape, animals have tools to alter their environment, and we question whether humans have the right to alter the land and ecosystems. This word maintains a consistent meaning across all uses and captures the moral dimension of changing nature that the passage is concerned with. Therefore, we reconstruct the options by identifying "alter" as the correct verb required by the passage.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Insert "alter" into the first blank: "The ability of humans to alter the landscape and recognize the consequences of doing so puts us in a peculiar position." This reads naturally and accurately describes human influence on nature. Step 2: Insert "alter" into the second blank: "Some animals have extensions to alter their environment and some do not." This fits well, as animals such as beavers or birds use tools or structures to alter their surroundings. Step 3: Insert "alter" into the third blank: "Do we have the right to alter the land, factory farm animals, and pollute waterways?" This also makes sense, linking the physical changes humans impose on land and living beings with ethical questions. Step 4: Compare the sense across all three uses. The verb "alter" consistently carries the idea of making changes to nature, which is exactly what the passage is exploring. Step 5: Recognise that the originally listed answer choices do not provide a suitable verb that fits all three blanks, so we apply the recovery first policy and supply the correct verb "alter" as the intended answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can test a few alternative verbs such as "change" or "modify". Both can fit grammatically, but "alter" is slightly more formal and commonly used in environmental ethics discussions. For example, environmental literature often speaks of humans altering ecosystems. Using "alter" keeps the style consistent and precise. The reconstructed sentence with "alter" flows smoothly and maintains the intended meaning without distortion, showing that it is the most appropriate choice for all three blanks.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"Aspects" and "pollutants" are nouns and cannot be used directly as verbs in the given positions. "Employ" and "operate" are verbs, but they do not fit all contexts. "Employ the landscape" and "operate the land" sound unnatural and do not clearly express the idea of changing the environment. "Operate animals" is also incorrect. None of these alternatives expresses the moral and physical act of changing natural systems as accurately as "alter".

Common Pitfalls:
One common difficulty in such questions is assuming that at least one of the printed options must be correct even when they all look wrong. In practice, databases can contain mis keyed options or missing words. When that happens, you should fall back on the meaning dictated by the passage and choose or reconstruct the word that makes the most sense. Keeping a strong sense of context and grammar helps you to identify when a verb is required and what general meaning it should carry. Here, the expressed idea of humans changing nature guides you naturally to the verb "alter".

Final Answer:
The verb that correctly fills all three blanks in the passage is alter.