Read the following comprehension passage carefully and then answer the question by choosing the best option out of the four alternatives. My brother David was always very close to our grandmother. They shared a deep love of Mother Nature and of eating food that they had grown with their own hands. Whenever his work schedule permitted, he would drop in for a short visit and a cup of coffee. One day, when David found no one at home, he left a small chunk of garden dirt on her porch. This simple act later became known in the family as his special "calling card". Whenever Grandmother returned home and saw the little piece of soil on her porch, she immediately knew that Dave had come by to see her. Although Grandmother grew up in poverty in Italy, she managed to do well after moving to the United States. She remained healthy and independent and enjoyed a long, fulfilling life. Recently she suffered a stroke and passed away. Everyone in the family felt deep sorrow, and David was completely heartbroken because his lifelong friend was gone. According to the passage, Grandmother used to be _____.

Introduction:
This comprehension question is testing whether the reader can interpret background information about Grandmother's financial condition at different stages of her life. Instead of focusing only on emotional details, you must also notice the contrast between her poor childhood in Italy and her later success in the United States.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Grandmother had a "poor upbringing in Italy".
- After moving to the United States, she "managed to do well".
- She remained healthy, independent, and enjoyed a fulfilling life in her later years.
- The options talk about being poor or rich in Italy and in the United States, and about change over time.

Concept / Approach:
The key concept here is reading for contrast. The passage presents a clear before and after picture: earlier life in Italy versus later life in the United States. The phrase "poor upbringing" describes her early economic status. The phrase "managed to do well" suggests that later she became financially secure or at least comfortable. You must pick the option that expresses this change without adding anything extreme or contradictory to the text.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the sentence about her childhood: she had a poor upbringing in Italy. This clearly tells us that earlier she was poor.Step 2: Identify the sentence about her life in the United States: she managed to do well there. This means she improved her situation and became successful or comfortable.Step 3: Combine these two pieces of information into a single idea: poor earlier in Italy, but later successful in the United States.Step 4: Compare this combined idea with each option and check which one closely matches the sense of improvement over time.Step 5: Notice that option C, "poor earlier but became rich later on", expresses the idea of rising from poverty to prosperity, which fits best with "poor upbringing" and "did well".

Verification / Alternative check:
In many reading passages, "did well" is used as a polite or general way to say someone became successful, financially stable, or at least far better off than before. It may not literally mean extremely rich, but among the given options, the only one that captures improvement from poverty to a higher economic level is option C. The other choices either reverse the direction or ignore the contrast mentioned in the passage.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, "rich in Italy but poor in the United States", is the opposite of the passage, which clearly states that she was poor in Italy and did well later. Option B, "in the United States but is now in Italy", talks only about place, not about wealth, and also conflicts with the fact that she has died. Option D, "rich earlier but now poor", again reverses the actual timeline and fails to match the description of a fulfilling life in the United States. Therefore only option C reflects the correct direction of change.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes read "did well" in a very vague way and fail to connect it with financial improvement. Others rush through the passage and mix up the order of events, thinking she was poor in the United States instead of Italy. It is important to slow down and pay attention to time markers such as "although" and to phrases that indicate origin, like "in Italy" and "in the United States".

Final Answer:
The passage clearly shows that Grandmother rose from poverty to a better financial situation, so the correct answer is poor earlier but became rich later on.