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To determine the average feeding rate of the alum over the course of five days, you need to divide the total amount of alum fed by the number of days. In this case, you have a total of 1,071 pounds and you're looking at a period spanning five days (Monday to Friday).

The formula to calculate the average feeding rate is:

Average Feeding Rate = Total Pounds of Alum / Number of Days

Plugging the numbers into the formula gives:

Average Feeding Rate = 1,071 pounds / 5 days = 214.2 pounds per day

This result indicates that the average feeding rate rounded to the nearest whole number is 214 pounds.

The option that closely matches this calculation is the one labeled 216 lbs, which would be considered the best representation of the average in this context, assuming some rounding was applied in the choices. Therefore, even if the calculated figure (214.2) does not exactly match the answer choice, the closest estimate provided in the options is indeed 216 lbs, reinforcing the concept that averages can sometimes involve rounding to the nearest reasonable value.