"A Modest Proposal"

Which of the following best summarizes the problem the author sees in his society?

• There are not enough jobs for the women to work and provide for their families.
• Too many men are abandoning their families, leaving them in poverty.
• Children are not receiving proper educations from the government.
• Poverty and starvation are increasingly plaguing the streets.

The author believes that his plan…

• will only help the poor.
• should only apply to newborn infants.
• will improve everyone's lives.
• will prevent children from being illegitimate.

What problem does the author face concerning infants in his plan?

• They are too young to provide for themselves or contribute to society.
• They need constant attention and affection from the parents.
• They contract illnesses very easily and often die within the first year.
• They are worth far more as infants than they are as adolescents.

The author reveals that his solution is…

• to sell children off for labor.
• to teach children chiefly about agriculture.
• to take the infants away from their mothers.
• to breed, raise, and eat the infants like livestock.

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of the author's scheme?

• There will be fewer numbers of poor people and "papists."
• Poor people will finally have something of value.
• The nation can expect growth in its overall economy.
• People will be less likely to marry and have so many children.

The only objection the author foresees is…

• that there will not be enough babies to go around.
• that cannibalism is an immoral practice.
• that the poor will refuse and will revolt against such inhuman treatment.
• that his plan will reduce the population, which was his goal all along.

Which of the following statements would the narrator most likely agree with when it comes to alternate solutions?

• They aren't worth considering if no one will act on them.
• Hope is the only solution for a better future.
• They need more money before they can be considered.
• Alternate solutions will just divide people instead of uniting them.

How does the author justify his proposal to potential critics?

• His wife and children are too old to qualify for his proposal, but he states he would if they were not.
• He doesn't care whether the proposal is put into action or not, and so he doesn't need to justify it.
• He claims there are plenty of poor people that would prefer having been sold as food, instead of suffering later.
• He claims there are plenty of starving poor people that would voluntarily eat their own children.

Which TWO of the following statements best describe the central ideas of the text?

• Poor families are just going to keep growing, so it's best to leave them to starve themselves out.
• In order to control population and poverty, the children of the poor should be sold as food.
• Any other proposal would be a waste of time to listen to.
• The social situation during this time is dire, with poverty rampant throughout the kingdom, particularly in Ireland.
• A person is not measured by how productive, costly, or useful they can be to larger society.

PART A: What is the author referring to when he uses words like "breeders" and "commodity" in the text?

• poor child-bearing women and their children
• various forms of livestock
• middle-class wpmen and their property
• wealthy, Catholic women and their babies