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.

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

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.