Modest Proposal

What large scale societal problem does Swift plan to resolve?

• Overpopulation of Ireland

• Spreading religion to Ireland

• Poverty in Ireland

• Ease political tensions in Ireland

Which 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 address the issue of poverty, the children of the poor should be sold as food.

• A person is not measured by how productive, costly, or useful they can be to larger society.

• The poor should get out of the streets and make more of an effort to find employment, rather than beg for their food.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

In "A Modest Proposal", what social problem does Swift blame for widespread thievery in Ireland?

• Lack of jobs and the people therefore having to steal to survive

• Heavy pollution caused by decaying bodies

• Men were abandoning their families, leaving them in poverty.

• A wickedness caused by reading stories about Satan

A Modest Proposal" is actually a sharp critique of what?

• The Irish potato famine

• The lack of fertilizing practices in Irish farming

• The poor state of England's fishing fleet

• England's treatment of the Irish

Which sentence best describes the narrator's purpose in writing this proposal?

• He is proposing a solution to the problem of Irish parents who cannot financially support their children.

• He is proposing a solution to the problem of teen crime and promiscuity in Ireland.

• He is proposing a solution to the problem of English landlords' unfair treatment of Irish tenants.

• He is proposing a solution to the problem of servant shortages in wealthy English households.

What two pieces of evidence strongly support Swift's attitude toward the treatment of Ireland's poor people?

• His assurance of religious freedom & statistical prowess

• His nationality & his excitement for new income for the Irish

• His plan for "baby-skin" clothing & his wife past childbearing age

• His list of bad solutions and quote about devouring parents

How does the author justify his proposal to potential critics?

• 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.

Swift compares poor women to ___, whose only purpose is to have children.

• employees

• breeders

• lawyers

• sinners

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.7

CCSS.RI.11-12.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

In addition to eating the children, what else does Swift propose using them for?

• Medicine

• Gloves and boots

• Trophies

• Pets

In "A Modest Proposal," why did the author say that his proposal for eating kids would be good for marriages?

• A smaller family means the spouses will pay more attention to each other.

• Children ruin marriages.

• Suffering would bring the spouses closer together.

• It brings in money and makes the husband see his pregnant wife as valuable.