Question

Complete the sentences based on your reading of this excerpt from "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift:

Answer 1

The answers are the following:
1. The "principal breeders" of the nation refer to B) The Catholic Population in Poverty
2. In the last line, the writer talks about the "good Protestants" to B) Criticize the growing influence of the Catholic Population

Answer 2

1. B) The Catholic Population in Poverty.

Swift talks about the Catholic population as the "principal breeders of the nation." This statement serves several purposes. On the one hand, he criticizes the fact that Catholic Irish are poorer and have less opportunities than the Protestant population. On the other hand, this allows Swift to criticize the protestants for their treatment of the Catholic population.

2. D) Criticize protestants who abandoned their country.

In this excerpt, Swift continues to write in a satirical way, just as he has done throughout the text. When Swift refers to the "good Protestants," therefore, he does so in a mocking way. He does not believe that the Protestants are actually "good." In fact, he only refers to them in this way in order to criticize them for abandoning their country.