A Modest Proposal and Other Satires Quizzes

A Modest Proposal and Other Satires Quiz 1

By Cora Frazier · Edited by Adam Kissel · Last reviewed May 30, 2010

1 In the beginning of "A Modest Proposal,” what are the mothers of Ireland doing instead of working?

begging for their infant children

stealing

engaging in prostitution

ignoring their infant children
2 What do the children of the begging mothers do when they grow up?

steal, fight for France, or sell themselves

borrow money to support themselves

steal, fight for Spain, or sell themselves

find employment to support themselves
3 The writer calls the condition of the poor children in Ireland what?

regrettable

deplorable

unavoidable

commendable
4 What should be done for the person who can solve the conditions in Ireland, or “whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of making these children sound, useful members of the commonwealth”?

he should be executed

he should be banished

a statue should be erected for him

he should receive a medal
5 According to Swift's narrator, for how long may a child be supported on mother's milk, and perhaps two shillings?

one year

six months

three years

two years
6 What is NOT an advantage to his idea that Swift's narrator cites in “A Modest Proposal”?

it will decrease wife-beating

it will decrease the number of voluntary abortions

it will decrease the population of Ireland

it will decrease sibling rivalry
7 According to Swift's narrator, how many people live in Ireland?

two million

one million and a half

one million

one million and a quarter
8 At what age does the narrator in “A Modest Proposal” think children learn the ability to steal?

age seven

age three

age one

age six
9 The merchants assure the narrator of “A Modest Proposal” that

a child of twelve is a saleable commodity

a child of twelve is not a saleable commodity

a child of twelve would make a delicious dinner

a child of twelve is not old enough to steal
10 The acquaintance of the narrator, who assures him that a child is a “delicious food,” is from where?

America

England

Formosa

Spain
11 How many females should be kept alive for “breeding” purposes, in relation to one male?

six females to one male

two females to one male

three females to one male

four females to one male
12 How many dishes will a child make for “entertainment for friends”?

three dishes

one dish

two dishes

four dishes
13 How much does Swift's narrator guess a child weighs after it is born?

ten pounds

twelve pounds

twenty-eight pounds

twenty pounds
14 For whom will the food of infants be “proper,” as they have “already devoured most of the parents”?

the beggars

the priests

the papists

the landlords
15 For how long does Swift's narrator predict infant flesh will be in season?

only in the spring

only in February

only in March

throughout the year
16 In what month will the infants be most plentiful?

February

October

March

April
17 Why will the infants be most plentiful at that time?

it is a quirk of Irish genetics

it is nine months after the end of Lent

unborn children are most likely to survive to birth in that month

it is nine months after Christmas
18 About how much does Swift's narrator guess a gentleman will pay for the carcass of an infant?

two shillings

eight shillings

one pound

ten shillings
19 The carcass of an infant may serve what purposes?

gentlemen’s gloves and ladies’ boots

ladies’ hats and gentlemen’s boots

ladies’ gloves and gentlemen’s boots

ladies’ gloves and gentlemen’s hats
20 Who suggests to Swift's narrator that the people of Ireland also consume children of fourteen?

a very wicked person

a very worthy person

a priest

a Spaniard
21 Why does Swift's narrator reject the idea of eating Irish children of fourteen?

the flesh of boys of fourteen is too lean from constant exercise

children of fourteen may resist capture and murder

it is wrong to eat children of fourteen

the flesh of boys of fourteen is too supple from constant exercise
22 The acquaintance of the narrator has learned about cannibalism of older children from another acquaintance from where?

Australia

Formosa

America

Spain
23 What is the first reason Swift's narrator provides in favor of his proposal?

it will decrease the number of Puritans

it will decrease wife-beating

it will decrease the number of Protestants

it will decrease the number of papists
24 What is the second reason Swift's narrator provides in favor of his proposal?

it will decrease wife-beating

it will decrease the number of papists

it will give the poor something valuable of their own

it will decrease the number of Puritans
25 What is the third reason Swift's narrator provides in favor of his proposal?

it will give the poor something valuable of their own

it will decrease the number of papists

it will decrease the overall wealth of the nation

it will increase the overall wealth of the nation

What impression do you get of the narrator in lines 22-39? on "A Modest Proposal"

Asked by Maria L #584932

Answered by ggxdksv sd s #1323381 on 10/13/2023 12:00 AM

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What does Swift tell his readers is his proposed solution to the social problem?

a. Eat the poor Irish children

Asked by Karim G #1166847

Answered by jill d #170087 on 8/23/2021 1:43 PM

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What does the extreme nature of the proposal imply about English treatment of the Irish?

Swift's persona highlights the economic inequality in Ireland and England with “A Modest Proposal.” In the beginning of the essay, he expresses great sympathy for the beggars of Ireland, describing their destitution in detail. His solution of...

Asked by Anamaria M #1294998

Answered by jill d #170087 on 3/13/2023 11:08 AM

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A Modest Proposal and Other Satires

by Jonathan Swift

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