Based on the text, Alexander lived with his family in a house. His elder brother was Mike, and he had friends, Tim and Mary. The question asks how many children were in Alexander's family. It mentions that Mike was his elder brother, so there were at least two children. Since it does not mention that Alexander had other siblings, and his parents are not specified, we can assume that it is Alexander and his brother.
Thus, the answer is 2) two
Answer: two