Question

part a
read paragraph 4 from the passage.

alexandra reached home in the afternoon. that evening she held a family council and told her brothers all that she had seen and heard.

\i want you boys to go down yourselves and look it over. nothing will convince you like seeing with your own eyes. the river land was settled before this, and so they are a few years ahead of us, and have learned more about farming. the land sells for three times as much as this, but in five years we will double it. the rich men down there own all the best land, and they are buying all they can get. the thing to do is to sell our cattle and what little old corn we have, and buy the linstrum place. then the next thing to do is to take out two loans on our half-sections, and buy peter crows place; raise every dollar we can, and buy every acre we can.\

lou held his head as if it were splitting. \everybody will say we are crazy. it must be crazy, or everybody would be doing it...\

\if they were, we wouldnt have much chance. no, lou, i was talking about that with the smart young man who is raising the new kind of clover. he says the right thing is usually just what
if they were, we wouldnt have much chance. no, lou, i was talking about that with the smart young man who is raising the new kind of clover. he says the right thing is usually just what everybody dont do. why are we better fixed than any of our neighbors? because father had more brains. our people were better people than these in the old country. we ought to do more than they do, and see further ahead. yes, mother, im going to clear the table now.

what does the word fixed mean as it is used in this paragraph?
□ situated
□ talented
□ intelligent
□ extravagant

part b
which phrase from the excerpt provides a clue to the meaning of the word fixed?
□ \we wouldnt have much chance\
□ \talking about that with the smart young man\
□ \the right thing is usually just what everybody dont do\
□ \do more than they do, and see further ahead\

Explanation:

For Part A: In the context "Why are we better fixed than any of our neighbors?", "fixed" refers to the family's material/financial situation and how they are situated compared to others. The other options (talented, intelligent, extravagant) do not fit the context of comparing standing with neighbors.
For Part B: The phrase "do more than they do, and see further ahead" connects to the idea of being better positioned (fixed) by taking actions that put them ahead of neighbors, which clues the meaning of "fixed" as a favorable situated state.

Answer:

Part A: situated
Part B: "do more than they do, and see further ahead"