In the excerpt, the thesis statement is expressed in these sentences: man early discovered death. as soon as his evolution permitted, he made himself better devices for killing than the old natural ones of fang and claw. which of these supporting premises reinforces the thesis statement? i. like a settler clearing land of its weeds and forest bushes in order to plant corn, so man was compelled to clear all manner of life away in order to plant himself. ii. he devoted himself to the invention of killing devices before he discovered fire or manufactured for himself religion. iii. and ever he has carried the battle wider and wider, until to-day not only is he a far more capable killer of men and animals than ever before, but he has pressed the battle home to the infinite and invisible hosts of menacing lives in the world of microorganisms. iv. and from the fear-stricken, jungle-lurking, cave-haunting creature of long ago, he won to empery over the whole animal world.

The supporting premises that reinforce the thesis statement are:

* Like a settler clearing land of its weeds and forest bushes in order to plant corn, so man was compelled to clear all manner of life away in order to plant himself.

* He devoted himself to the invention of killing devices before he discovered fire or manufactured for himself religion.

*And ever he has carried the battle wider and wider, until to-day not only is he a far more capable killer of men and animals than ever before, but he has pressed the battle home to the infinite and invisible hosts of menacing lives in the world of microorganisms.

Explanation:

These lines support the idea that man focused in killing -destroying- everything that was getting in the way of the primary objective of their survival or development, when in the first stages it is was a survival technique as human behavior became more complicated, the killing and destruction devices reach bigger areas.

faithful servants eumaeus and philaetius:

his ragged vest then drawn aside disclosed the sign conspicuous, and the scar exposed: eager they view'd, with joy they stood amazed with tearful eyes o'er all their master gazed:

these servants know ulysses by the scar he got when he was a child - so when he showed them the mark, they immediately knew this is truly their master and they hugged him, finally starting to believe his words.