Based on the given passage above, when Bertie says he feels like a "badly wrapped brown-paper parcel" he means that he feels tired and out of sorts. Therefore, the correct answer of the given question above would be the first option: tired and out of sorts.
The world would be a much happier place because if everyone helped each other there would be much happier people knowing that other people have their back and are willing to help each other. An act of kindness will help the community be better because even if you do one small little thing for one person they might be motivated to start helping other people and so on.
The sentence from the introduction paragraph that serves as the author's thesis is: "<em>Yet key technological developments caused a rapid growth in American urban areas</em>."
A thesis statement is, by definition, the sentence that captures the main idea and your point of view on it on your article.
The sentence that I believe best represents what the author meant to present to the readers is one that briefly explains his view on the topic mentioned in the title, which is the positive effect of technological advancements on a city's growth.
