Quiz

Questions

1. What country is the subject of the proposal?
2. In what century was the proposal written?
3. Rather than working for an honest livelihood, what does the author say mothers do?
4. What do their children do when they grow up?
5. What is the author's stated goal?
6. How much does it cost to provide for a child in its first year?
7. According to the author, why do mothers murder their bastard children?
8. How many people does the author estimate live in Ireland?
9. How many children does the author estimate are born to poor parents each year?
10. How old does the author believe a child has to be to make a living by stealing?
11. How old must a child be before they are a "saleable commodity"?
12. How much could a child be sold for at this age?
13. Who has assured the author that a twelve-month-old baby is delicious?
14. Of the 120,000 children born to poor parents each year, how many does the author propose should be sold?
15. What percentage of the children not sold should be male?
16. What age should the children be when they are sold?
17. Who will be the buyers of these children?
18. What should mothers be advised to do in the month before sale?
19. What seasonings does the author suggest for the fore and hindquarters of the babies?
20. In what season of the year will the children taste the best?
21. How many people could one child serve?
22. What does the author suggest should be served as leftovers?
23. How many pounds does the author estimate a child will weigh at the age of one year?
24. Why is this food "very proper for landlords"?
25. What animal does the author suggest would be roasted in a similar manner to a child?
26. In what month will infant flesh be most plentiful?
27. How many dishes will a good fat child serve?
28. What does the author suggest that the thrifts make when they flay the carcasses?
29. When the children have reached the age of twelve, what meat does the author suggest they could take the place of?
30. Why would many Irish gentlemen be in want of the aforementioned meat?
31. On what island do the executioners sell the carcasses of prisoners as food?
32. Why do young laborers die quickly even when they are able to find work?
33. Who does the author claim are the principal breeders in Ireland?
34. Why would a child come in handy to a tenant who can't pay his rent?
35. How much does the author estimate it costs to care for a child at the age of two?
36. How much profit will parents earn by selling their year-old child?
37. Where does the author think this food will be served?
38. Why does the author believe that his plan would make marriage more common?
39. What objection does the author say could be raised against this proposal?
40. How would the author respond to this objection?
41. What will married women compete for?
42. What does the author suggest skeptics ask Irish peasants?
43. Why does the author argue that his plan would please England?
44. Why does the author claim to be unbiased about the nature of his proposal?

Answers

1. Ireland
2. The 18th century
3. Beg
4. Become thieves or leave the country
5. To provide a fair, cheap, easy method of making children useful to society
6. Two shillings
7. To avoid the expense of raising them
8. 1.5 million
9. 120,000
10. Six years old
11. Twelve
12. Three pounds to half a crown
13. An American
14. 100,000
15. Twenty-five percent
16. One year
17. Persons of good quality and fortune
18. Plump up the babies
19. Salt and pepper
20. Winter
21. Two
22. The hindquarters
23. Twenty-eight
24. They have "devoured" all of the wealth of the children's parents.
25. A pig
26. March
27. Four
28. Gloves and boots
29. Venison
30. They have killed all the deer.
31. Formosa
32. They are not strong enough.
33. Papists
34. The child could be sold.
35. Ten shillings for the year
36. Eight shillings
37. In taverns to fine gentlemen
38. Marriage would be more profitable.
39. There would be fewer Irish people.
40. Reducing the Irish population is the principal design of the proposal.
41. To bring the fattest child to market
42. Whether they would rather have their pesky child or have money in their pockets.
43. England has been happy to eat up Ireland.
44. His children are too old to sell, and his wife is past childbearing age.