One step taken toward the desegregation of public schools was a. opening numerous private schools and academies. b. outlawing of all forms of de facto segregation. c. providing white parents with valuable tax credits if they enrolled their children in all–african american schools. d. attracting more black students to white schools by hiring only african american teachers. e. busing children from poor urban school districts to wealthier suburban ones.

The correct answer is letter e, busing children from poor urban school districts to wealthier suburban ones. Desegregation is being defined as a way of ending a policy in regards of racial segregation in which they are likely to treat everyone equally and without having to separate two different parties or categories.

d. i assume the underlined word is "role." reformat if it isn't.

explanation:

role is closest to part because when replacing words, "playing a vital decision," "playing a vital activity," and "playing a vital dollar" don't make logical sense. the only meaningful choice is "playing a vital part."

this fits one of merriam-webster's definitions of role: "a function or part performed especially in a particular operation or process."