A Modest Proposal Trivia
"This quiz tests players' knowledge of Jonathan Swift's satirical essay "A Modest Proposal". Best of luck!"
- 1.What is the full title of "A Modest Proposal"?
- A.
A Modest Proposal for Maximizing the Usefulness of the Poor Children of Ireland and for Providing a Means to Regulate the Economy
- B.
A Modest Proposal for Feeding the Hungry, Clothing the Needy, Sheltering the Homeless, and Enriching the Poor People of Ireland
- C.
A Modest Proposal for Improving the Living Standards in Ireland and for Relieving the Poor People in Ireland of Their Unwanted Children
- D.
A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland from Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Public
- 2.Of the following, which is not one of the common options chosen by the children of Ireland?
- A.
Become thieves
- B.
Sell themselves to the Barbadoes
- C.
Fight for the Pretender in Spain
- D.
Become factory workers
- 3.How old did Swift recommended children be before they became a modest proposal?
- A.
Two years
- B.
One year
- C.
Four years
- D.
Six months
- 4.Of the 120,000 childen annually born in Dublin at the time, how many did Swift suggest should be used for the modest proposal?
- A.
100,000
- B.
10,000
- C.
120,000
- D.
5,000
- 5.What was the ethnicity of the person who told the narrator that a young, healthy child is a most delicious, nourishing and wholesome food?
- A.
Spanish
- B.
American
- C.
Italian
- D.
English
- 6.During what time are the most Roman Catholic children born?
- A.
Nine months after Christmas
- B.
Nine months after the first day of autumn
- C.
Nine months after the first day of spring
- D.
Nine months after Lent
- 7.What did the narrator recommend as the spelling price for a beggar's child?
- A.
One hundred shillings
- B.
Ten shillings
- C.
Twenty shillings
- D.
Three shillings
- 8.What did the narrator acknowledge as the strongest objection to his proposal?
- A.
It would be too difficult to implement if it was run by the government.
- B.
It would create a more homogenous Ireland.
- C.
It was a little bordering on cruelty.
- D.
It would be looked down upon in other countries.
- 9.Which of the following is listed as one of the benefits of the narrator's modest proposal?
- A.
People will not live in fear of being robbed.
- B.
The price of other foods in Ireland will go down.
- C.
The food will bring a great custom to taverns in Ireland.
- D.
Sanitation in Ireland will be improved.
- 10.Why did the narrator say that the modest proposal food should not bear exportation?
- A.
The people of Ireland could not afford the shipping costs.
- B.
The flesh is too tender to admit a long continuance of salt.
- C.
The smell of the food would be repulsive over a long journey.
- D.
The people of Ireland did not want other nation’s citizens eating their children.
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