Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question. These mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants ... ("A Modest Proposal"; paragraph 1) Based on the context, the word "sustenance" most likely means

Answer 1

Based on the context, the word sustenance means the maintaining of someone or something in life or existence or to beg the supplement or supplies necessary to endure life or support life. Therefore, mothers employ all day strolling to beg for their infants lives instead of using that time to work honestly.

Answer 2

Answer:

This excerpt taken from Swift´s famous satire, A modest proposal, elaborates one key feature of his essay, which is the injustices to which the Irish were subjected at the time he wrote it (1729).  

Following the excerpt´s context, one can easily conclude that the word sustenance refers to the means of support and subsistence (like food and shelter) that Irish mothers seek for their offspring in the face of unjust labor and social conditions.