Select the most appropriate choice to fill in the blank.
Newspapers have reported heavy flooding in the coastal areas. The damage ___________ to be extensive.

Correct option is D

The word that can be filled in the blank is ‘is expected’ to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. • Is expected indicates a passive prediction about the extent of damage, fitting well in this context. Grammatical Rule involved: Passive voice construction - Used for indicating what is anticipated or predicted without emphasizing the subject. • Here, ‘is expected’ is the correct choice to describe future expectations.
Meanings of other given words:
• Expected - incomplete without a verb to indicate the state. • Is expecting - suggests active anticipation; not suitable here. • Has been expected - incorrect tense for future prediction. • Thus, only ‘is expected’ is fitting.