Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions .

U.N Abandons Treaty to Ban Cloning

          U. N. diplomats abandoned efforts to draft that would outlaw human cloning. They will likely settle for a weaker statement, and won’t seek a widespread ban, officials said. The debate began when Italy introduced a document into the U.N. to stop any attempt at cloning human life. The Belgians objected to the use of the term “human life” in the document, because they fear it would put a stop to all forms of human cloning.

          [1] There is near universal support among the United Nations' 191 members for a ban on reproductive cloning-creating cloned babies. [2] Many countries have wrestled over whether to allow cloning for stem cell and other types of research. [3] Indeed, many researchers believe that stem cells could be used to repair nerve tissue or cure diseases, including Alzheimer's. [4] Stem cells are taken from an embryo and cloned, but extracting these cells kills the embryo. Opponents say that this equal to murder

The word “extracting” in the passage is closest in meaning to _______