Fame and fortune are often associated with virtue, industry, and a hos

Question

Fame and fortune are often associated with virtue, industry, and a host of other attributes. However, random strokes of fate often determine such success and said commonly perceived virtues prove irrelevant. For instance, decades after her death, Coco Chanel remains the epitome of French fashion and her name, as well as the company she founded, is known throughout the world. Yet, few realize that she, while undeniably talented, initially succeeded by leveraging her status as a courtesan. As a company owner, it would be an understatement to say that she was not known for her generous treatment of her employees. During the Nazi occupation, she lived a privileged life at the Hotel Ritz and her lover at the time was a German intelligence operative.

Conversely, there is the example of Madeleine Vionnet, a professional contemporary of Chanel. She is often credited with permanently transforming fashion through her use of the bias cut—cutting material against the grain of the fabric. In the 1930’s, her gowns were worn by Hollywood stars, and her standing was second to none. She was also, in many ways, an early feminist, establishing largely unheard of employee benefits—such as day care and medical care—for her largely female staff. In addition, she lobbied for fashion copyright protections. When the Second World War broke out, she closed her business and simply retired. Today, she is largely unknown outside of the fashion industry.    1 
 1. The author wrote the passage to posit which of the following?

(A) that the relationship between virtue and success is inverse
(B) that an inferior designer was more successful than a superior one
(C) to contrast the aesthetic of Chanel to that of Vionnet
(D) to suggest that no causal relationship exists between personal qualities and professional legacy
(E) to contrast the difference between transitory and lasting success

2 
 2. The author discusses the employee benefits offered by Vionnet in order to

(A) emphasize Vionnet’s anti-Nazi politics
(B) illustrate Vionnet’s admirable qualities
(C) highlight Chanel’s reputed drug use and collaboration
(D) demonstrate the economic burden of French socialist policies
(E) provide details that bolster Vionnet’s feminist credentials

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Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. The author discusses the employee benefits offered by Vionnet in order to

Explanation

When a question uses the phrase  “in order to,”  the correct answer will address the author’s purpose for inserting the detail rather than the literal meaning.

Choice (A)  is at best unknown, as her company was in operation before the war.

Choice (B)  is correct because the information supports the author’s theory that personal virtue is irrelevant to material success.

Choice (C)  comes from the wrong paragraph, as this information about Vionnet does not  “highlight”  anything about Chanel.

Choice (D)  is not supported by anything in the passage.

Choice (E)  is a distortion; the author mentions that Vionnet could be so thought of, but his point is merely about her personal integrity and does not address her feminist credentials.

Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

The author wrote the passage to posit which of the following?

Explanation

The passage indicates that Chanel and Vionnet are examples illustrating a theory that personal virtues are  “irrelevant”  to material success. This matches  choice (D).

Choice (A)  is a distortion, as  “irrelevant”  indicates no relationship, not an inverse one.

Choice (B)  confuses an example given in the passage with the purpose of the passage and creates a hierarchy that the passage did not.

Choice (C)  again confuses example and purpose; furthermore, the passage does not focus on aesthetics.

Choice (E)  is an irrelevant comparison and also confuses example and purpose.

Answer: D

Pranavsawant · Answer

"She was also, in many ways, an early feminist"
This is not said as "she could be thought of as an early feminist". Here the author is unequivocally saying that she was an early feminist and goes on to describe those things for her primarily female staff. Just doesn't make sense to say this doesn't adresss that point.

gullyboy09 · Answer

Hi  Bunuel , can you please help with the second question. I believe E should be the answer.

because the text uses a direct "claim-and-evidence" structure: it labels Vionnet an "early feminist" and immediately cites the "unheard of employee benefits" as the supporting data for that specific title. B is very broad.

guddo · Answer

2. The author discusses the employee benefits offered by Vionnet in order to

The passage’s larger point is that  fame and virtue do not necessarily go together . Chanel remained famous despite serious moral flaws, while Vionnet had many admirable qualities and is now largely unknown.

(A) emphasize Vionnet’s anti-Nazi politics

The employee benefits are not mentioned to show anti-Nazi politics. That point comes later, when the passage says she closed her business and retired during the war.

(B) illustrate Vionnet’s admirable qualities

This is the best answer. The details about day care, medical care, and copyright advocacy are used to show that Vionnet was humane, progressive, and admirable, which strengthens the contrast with Chanel.

(C) highlight Chanel’s reputed drug use and collaboration

The employee benefits have nothing to do with that, and the passage does not mention drug use at all.

(D) demonstrate the economic burden of French socialist policies

The passage says nothing about socialist policies or economic burden.

(E) provide details that bolster Vionnet’s feminist credentials

This is tempting because the passage does call her “in many ways, an early feminist.” But that is too narrow. The benefits are used more broadly to present Vionnet as a morally admirable figure, not just as a feminist.

Answer: (B)

guddo · Answer

I think  E is a very reasonable trap , because the passage does say she was “in many ways, an early feminist” and then gives those benefits right after.

But  B  is still better because the question asks why the author discusses those details in the passage as a whole, not just what sentence they support locally.

The passage’s main contrast is:
Chanel was famous despite moral flaws,
Vionnet had admirable qualities but is now largely unknown.

So the employee benefits are being used more broadly to show Vionnet was a good, admirable person. Feminism is part of that, but  E is narrower than the author’s larger purpose .

Fame and fortune are often associated with virtue, industry, and a hos

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Fame and fortune are often associated with virtue, industry, and a hos

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