What does the yo-yo tell us about human's quest for food?

What is the meaning of each underlined word in these excerpts from "a modest proposal" by jonathan swift? i think it is agreed by all parties, that this prodigious number of children in the arms, or on the backs, or at the heels of their mothers, and frequently of their fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom, a very great additional grievance; and therefore whoever could find out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these children sound and useful members of the common-wealth, would deserve so well of the publick, as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation. some persons of a desponding spirit are in great concern about that vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or maimed; and i have been desired to employ my thoughts what course may be taken, to ease the nation of so grievous an incumbrance. the word prodigious means . the word desponding means .

Plz asap read this sentence from paragraph 3 of the article. the boys and girls are merely asked to obtain the signatures of ten friends or relatives. how does the word "merely" affect the meaning of the sentence? a- it suggests that asking people to subscribe to the washington times is something negative. b- it implies that obtaining ten signatures is not a requirement for receiving a prize. c- it downplays the fact that to win the prize, children must ask people to subscribe to the washington times. d- it emphasizes that children receive the prize only if they obtain ten signatures.

Announcer two: ladies and gentlemen, following on the news given in our bulletin a moment ago, the government meteorological bureau has requested the large observatories of the country to keep an astronomical watch on any further disturbances occurring on the planet mars. due to the unusual nature of this occurrence, we have arranged an interview with noted astronomer professor pierson, who will give us his views on the event. in a few moments we will take you to the princeton observatory at princeton, new jersey. we return you until then to the music of ramón raquello and his orchestra. the passage is from the transcript of the radio adaptation of the war of the worlds by h. g. wells. instead of including expert interviews, h. g. wells uses a narrator to tell about an alien invasion that occurred a few years earlier. by including expert interviews, how does the radio broadcast change the story most effectively? o.a. it puts the story in the past tense, increasing its personal tone. o o b. it makes the broadcast sound more like a fictional story. o o c. it makes the broadcast sound like a news report. o d. it makes the story sound less believable by changing who presents the story's details.