The answer is A, because beneficial, solute, and equal, do not make sense in the sentence.
It would be b. because he lived from 1564-1616.
I have trouble believing Mr. Sawicki's characterization of Steve, because he knows Steve only in school. Since Mr. Sawicki does not know Steve outside of school, he cannot make a judgment about what Steve has been doing in his neighborhood or who his friends are. Sawicki says Steve is honest, but even if Steve is good or honest in Mr. Sawicki's opinion, good people can still make mistakes.
Comparative and superlative. Hope this helps.
