The answers to the text-dependent questions for Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” on CommonLit focus on identifying the main idea, analyzing the author’s use of satire, and understanding the rhetorical strategies used to criticize the treatment of the poor in Ireland.
A Modest Proposal Commonlit Answers
Quizzma Team
12th Grade
Lexile: 1540
Source:A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
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1 Assessment Answers
2 Discussion Answers
Assessment Answers
Question Answer
PART A: Which TWO of the following statements best
describe the central ideas of the text?
In order to control population and poverty,
the children of the poor should be sold as
food.
The social situation during this time is dire,
with poverty rampant throughout the
kingdom, particularly in Ireland.
PART B: Which TWO of the following paragraphs best
support the answers to Part A?
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 24
PART A: To what is the author referring when using
words like “breeders” (Paragraph 5, Paragraph 14,
Paragraph 18, and Paragraph 21) and “commodity”
(Paragraph 6 and Paragraph 29) in the text?
Poor child-bearing women and their
children.
PART B: What effect does the author’s word choice have
on the tone of the text?
It dehumanizes these people, reducing them
to their worth or abilities (i.e. giving birth),
conveying a tone of indifference.
How does Swift’s use of hyperbole, or exaggeration,
contribute to this satirical text?
By suggesting taboos such as infanticide
and cannibalism to solve social issues,
Swift employs hyperbole to satirize the
government and upper
class’s lack of concern for poverty.
Which TWO groups is Swift ultimately criticizing in “A
Modest Proposal”?
the upper classes
politicians (both Irish and English)
How does the following quote develop the narrator’s point of view ?: “I desire those politicians who dislike my
overture … that they will first ask the parents of thesemortals, whether they would not at this day think it a great
happiness to have been sold for food, at a year old in the manner I prescribe, and thereby have avoided such a
perpetual scene of misfortunes as they have since gone through by the oppression of landlords, the impossibility of
paying rent without money or trade, the want of common sustenance, with neither house nor clothes to cover them
from the inclemencies of the weather, and the most inevitable prospect of entailing the like or greater miseries
upon their breed for ever.” (Paragraph 32)
The quote from Paragraph 32 of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” develops the narrator’s point of view by
intensifying the satirical critique of the social and political situation in Ireland. This passage serves several purposes in
shaping the narrator’s perspective:
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1. Highlighting the Desperation of the Poor: By suggesting that parents might consider it a “great happiness” for their children to be sold as
food to avoid a life of misery, Swift emphasizes the extreme desperation and hopeless conditions faced by the poor. This hyperbolic
statement underlines the severity of their plight.
2. Critiquing Political Inaction and Indifference: The narrator challenges politicians who oppose his proposal, pointing out the dire
circumstances of the poor due to societal neglect and exploitation. This is a direct critique of the ruling class and policymakers who have
failed to address the poverty and suffering in Ireland.
3. Satirizing the Lack of Viable Solutions: Swift’s narrator insinuates that the proposed cannibalism is a better alternative than the current
situation, which is fraught with “oppression of landlords,” lack of money, and absence of basic necessities. This exaggeration is a satirical
way to criticize the lack of real and humane solutions being offered by those in power.
4. Emphasizing the Cycle of Poverty and Misery: The quote also underscores the generational aspect of poverty, as the
currentgenerationof the poor is likely to pass on the same, if not worse, conditions to their children (“entailing the like or greater miseries
upon their breed for ever”). This reflects the narrator’s cynical view that the situation is so bad that being sold for food as infants would be
a preferable fate.
Overall, this quote sharpens the satirical tone of the text, using dark humor and exaggeration to criticize the societal and
political neglect of the impoverished in Ireland, while also highlighting the absurdity of looking for simplistic solutions
to complex social issues.
Discussion Answers
Can any proposal be justified if objectively analyzed and presented? Why or why not? Explain your answer in
detail.
No, not any proposal can be justified even if objectively analyzed and presented. There are several reasons why:
1. Morality and ethics – Some proposals can simply be unethical or immoral, regardless of how objectively or rationally they are defended.
For example, Swift’s satirical proposal to eat infants could not and should not ever be justified, no matter how logical the arguments. There
are ethical lines that should not be crossed.
2. Unintended consequences – An objective analysis may miss or fail to fully consider negative unintended consequences that could result
from a proposal’s implementation, even if the proposal seems well-reasoned on the surface. Most proposals have complex implications that
extend beyond what can be comprehended through pure logic.
3. Flawed assumptions – Underlying all arguments are assumptions and premises. If these foundational assumptions are flawed, biased, or
inaccurate, then any subsequent objective reasoning built upon them will lead to unsound conclusions and proposals that should not be
justified or enacted.
4. Subjective values play a role – Pure objective analysis ignores issues like morality, quality of life, ideals of justice or virtue that shape
human societies.
5. But public policy proposals inevitably involve navigating difficult trade-offs between objective benefits/efficiency and more subjective
societal values. A proposal cannot and should not be judged solely on objective merits.
In summary, while vigorous, unbiased analysis is important, at the end of the day both quantitativeassessmentsand
ethical judgments based on shared human values should determine whether any given proposal is justifiable.
Relying solely on seeming objective rationality without accounting for moral, unintended harms or questionable
assumptions can potentially “justify” clearly harmful, unethical policies. More than objective logic is required when
proposing solutions that impact human lives and welfare.
What is fair? Drawing upon your own experiences and outside readings, explain your answer in detail.
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I believe at its essence, fairness means treating people equitably, justly, and in a manner that honors their dignity and
basic rights.
Fairness is not necessarily about strict equality, but rather ensuring people have access to the same opportunities and that
outcomes are based on reasonable systems, free from biases or unnecessary barriers related to race, gender, etc.
In my experience, fairness is when rules and competitions are clear and judging is impartial, when groups work to give
everyone a chance to contribute, and when leaders make decisions after listening to different viewpoints.
Unfairness often stems from unclear expectations, favoritism, or prejudice against particular groups or individuals. I’ve
seen how a teacher hastily accusing certain students of cheating without fully investigating can be unjust. Outside of
school, issues like racial profiling exhibit deep societal unfairness as well.
My readings of historical civil rights cases like Brown v.Boardof Education show how the concept of “separate but
equal” was anything but fair in reality.
Protestors and advocates fought legislative battles to move closer to fairness under the law. Literature also explores
complex dynamics related to fairness through characters with competing notions of justice.
Overall, achieving true fairness is an ideal we continually strive towards but rarely perfectly reach. Still, the ethical
struggle remains one of the most important we take up as a free society – working toalignstated values with reality.
My view of fairness will likely evolve, but protecting human dignity seems central to its meaning so far in my youthful
understanding.
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