What does this mean “the close knit family unit has rebounded.”

Read the passage: canines may not be the deepest thinkers in the world. but perhaps that's for the best. the life of a dog—sitting alone all day, waiting for everyone to come home—can be pretty boring. super-smart animals would probably get totally stressed out, says university of pennsylvania researcher james serpell. look at it this way: if dogs were any smarter, they probably wouldn't choose to hang around with us. which best describes the tone of the passage?

The brother of a presidential candidate writes an editorial in which he defends this candidate against charges of corruption. in such a circumstance, it is most appropriate for the reader to a) suspect that the candidate may have been framed. b) consider whether the candidate has the best family or not. c) wonder if the writer may be biased, due to his family connection. d) wonder if the writer may be inaccurate, due to wanting to get people to read his column. \

Hyperbole in the book messenger by lois lowry