People from ancient rome and modern-day u. s. are patriotic. what does this mean? they express devoted love, support, and defense of their country. they were exiled from their country. they paid taxes to their country.

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."