Imagine two electrons: one is close to the nucleus and one is far away. Which electron would be easier to remove from the atom and why?

Far away from the atom because think of it like a magnet. Nucleus is positive charge while Electron is negative charge. Put opposite charges together like a magnet its going to attract and take some effort to separate them. Now put two opposite charge a foot away from each other, you should be able to move it no problem.