Question

Read this excerpt from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

Answer 1

Answer: The sentence in the paragraph that demonstrates a tone of superiority is this one: "I was better dress'd than ever while in his service, having a genteel new suit from head to foot, a watch, and my pockets lin'd with near five pounds sterling in silver."

Explanation: Just to elaborate a little on the answer, it can be added that the lines that precede this relate how Franklin, after having lived in Philadelphia for a few months and worked as a printer in the shop of Samuel Keimer, returned to Boston in April of 1724—specifically, although this is not mentioned in the passage, in order to ask his father for financial support to start his own printing business in Philadelphia. Franklin relates how, in spite of the difficult sailing conditions, they arrived safely around two weeks later. It is only at the end when he shows a tone of superiority. He describes how he was dressed when he visited his brother at his printing business, stressing that he was better dressed that day than any other day as his brother's employee, and describing the suit, the watch, and the silver that he carried with him, an appearance that seems to have bothered his brother.