Asked by j

Read the excerpt from "A Modest Proposal.”

Then as to the females, it would, I think, with humble submission, be a loss to the publick, because they soon would become breeders themselves: And besides, it is not improbable that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice, (although indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering upon cruelty, which, I confess, hath always been with me the strongest objection against any project, how well soever intended.

Which phrase from the excerpt is an example of verbal irony?

a loss to the publick
some scrupulous people
indeed very unjustly
strongest objection against

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
"indeed very unjustly"

Explanation: Swift's speaker insists critics would be "very unjust" to call the proposal cruel, when in fact the critics would be justified — a clear case of saying the opposite of what he means (verbal irony).