1. read the passage.
excerpt from the autobiography of benjamin franklin
the autobiography of benjamin franklin is divided into four parts and documents franklin’s life from 1771 to 1790.
my elder brothers were all put apprentices to different trades. i was put to the grammar-school at eight years of age, my father intending to devote me, as the tithe of his sons, to the service of the church. my early readiness in learning to read (which must have been very early, as i do not remember when i could not read), and the opinion of all his friends, that i should certainly make a good scholar, encouraged him in this purpose of his. my uncle benjamin, too, approved of it and proposed to give me all his short-hand volumes of sermons, i suppose as a stock to set up with if i would learn his character. i continued, however, at the grammar-school not quite one year, though in that time i had risen gradually from the middle of the class of that year to be the head of it, and farther was removed into the next class above it, in order to go with that into the third at the end of the year.
part a
what effect does the word head have on the meaning of this passage?
it demonstrates how intelligent he was.
it indicates he would be a good preacher.
it shows he was a favorite of the teachers.
it reveals how self-important he was.
part b
how does the choice of the word head contribute to the passage’s tone?
it creates a sense of hopefulness.
it provides a sense of tradition.
it offers a sense of entitlement.
it adds a sense of pride.
2. read this sentence from paragraph 2.
they read it, commented on it in my hearing, and i had the exquisite pleasure of finding it met with their approbation, and that, in their different guesses at the author, none were named but men of some character among us for learning and ingenuity.
how does the word exquisite contribute to this passage?
it creates emphasis.
it makes the tone lighter.
it makes the tone more serious.
it clarifies a complex idea.