What best explains why a firm's ratio of long-term debt/total capital is lower than the industry average, while the ratio of income before interest and taxes/debt interest charges is higher than the industry average

The lower ratio of long-term debt to total capital is explained by the fact that the company is not highly geared or leveraged in comparison to the industry average firm.

This also explains why the ratio of income before interest and taxes to the debt interest charges is higher than the industry average because the firm does not pay so much in interest expense as the average firm in its industry.

Explanation:

Company X's leverage determines its ratio of long-term debts to total capital.  If Company X has large long-term debts it will have a higher long-term debts to total capital ratio and vice versa.  In that situation, Company X will also pay more in interest, causing its ratio of income before interest and taxes to the interest charges to be higher than the industry average, and vice versa.

all of them make sense but, i would have to say ask someone who has been there/or lives there, and/or read recent newspapers from that city.

hope this !