سوال ۱۴ کنکور ارشد علوم کامپیوتر ۱۳۹۷

Cloze passage (choose the best option for blank 14):

Estimates of the number of humans that Earth can sustain have ranged in recent decades from fewer than a billion to more than a trillion. (11) ________, since "carrying capacity" is essentially a subjective term. It makes little sense to talk about carrying capacity in relationship to humans, (12) ________ and altering both their culture and their physical environment, (13) ________ can thus defy any formula (14) ________ the matter. The number of people that Earth can support depends on (15) ________, on what we want to consume, and on what we regard as a crowd.

14. ... can thus defy any formula ________ the matter.