In Greco-Roman societies, women applied white lead and chalk to their

Question

In Greco-Roman societies, women applied white lead and chalk to their faces to attract attention. Ancient Egyptians wore light foundation to gild their skin, while their kohl eyeliner was only slightly heavier than the eye makeup popular in the mid-1960s. Persians believed that henna dyes, used to stain hair and faces dark, enabled them to summon the majesty of the earth. The European Middle Ages followed the Greco-Roman trend of pale faces. Those rich enough not to work outdoors and acquire a suntan wanted to flaunt their affluence by being pale.  To look feminine, fashionable sixth-century women would achieve the same ideal by bleeding themselves.  While pale of skin, regal 13th-century Italian women wore bright pink lipstick to show that they could afford makeup.    1 
 1. Which of the following statements presents a situation most analogous to that described in the highlighted sentence?

A. Contrary to common opinion, zebras are dark animals, with white stripes where the pigmentation is inhibited.
B. The frog’s brown and yellow coloring, as well as its rough texture, allows it to blend in with tree trunks.
C. The short-tailed cricket is known to eat its own wings to survive.
D. To look masculine, birds called budgerigars display naturally occurring yellow fluorescent plumage on their crowns.
E. The male blue-tailed iguana will chew down some of its spines to appear more masculine.

2 
 2. Which of the following statements is supported by this passage?

I. The lightening of women’s skin has often, but not always, been preferred.
II. A woman’s social position could be revealed by her makeup.
III. The practice of lightening the skin originated in Greco-Roman societies.

A. I Only
B. II Only
C. III Only
D. I and II Only
E. II and III Only

3 
 3. The passage cites each of the following reasons for some cultures’ preferring artificially pale skin EXCEPT

A. to flaunt affluence
B. to look golden
C. to call forth the splendor of the earth
D. to attract attention
E. to look feminine

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Passage # 244 Date: 20 Jul-2023
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Carcass · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #1

The question asks which choice is most analogous in meaning to the highlighted sentence, “To look feminine, fashionable sixth-century women would achieve the same ideal by bleeding themselves.” All the choices are about animals, not people, but only (E) contains an analogous situation: self-destructive physical harm to (allegedly) produce an image befitting one’s gender. Choice (A) mentions light and dark coloring, which the passage does discuss, but it’s not analogous to the highlighted sentence in meaning. The second choice, (B), concerns camouflage only. While (C) includes self-destructive physical harm, that harm is inflicted for survival purposes, not for the sake of appearing more masculine or feminine. The opening phrase of (D) sounds like the highlighted sentence, but the remainder of this answer choice discusses a naturally occurring trait, not a self-inflicted one.

Carcass · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #2

The author describes several societies in which women lightened their skin as dictated by the fashion of the time, but she also cites a culture in which darker colors were preferred (Persians with henna dye). Hence, choice (A) is correct. The passage states that in 13th-century Italy, the use of makeup was a sign of social status, so choice (B) is correct. The passage begins with the Greco-Roman societies, but it doesn’t say whether the practice of lightening skin originated there, so (C) is incorrect.

Carcass · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #3

For varied reasons—to flaunt affluence (A), to attract attention (D), and to look feminine (E)—most of the societies described in the passage preferred white color or paleness on women’s faces. These three choices are thus incorrect. The Egyptians preferred a light foundation also, but of a golden hue, so (B) is incorrect. In this passage, only the Persians went for a darker look with henna dye in their hair and on their skin to “summon the majesty” of the earth. Choice (C) is therefore a reason for preferring artificially darker rather than lighter skin, and it is the correct answer.

Shreya1211 · Answer

Sajjad1994 
Can you kindly provide the explanation to Q3? I am unable to find option B mentioned in the passage to strike it as incorrect.

Carcass · Answer

Ancient Egyptians wore light foundation  to gild  their skin

to gild= to make gold

Hope now is clear

Carcass · Answer

The official explanation above was quite clear though

The Egyptians preferred a light foundation also, but of a golden hue, so (B) is incorrect.

Shreya1211 · Answer

carcass  thank you so much!
Yes, the explanation is very detailed and clear. I, on the other hand, couldn’t understand that gild stands for golden. It is clear now.

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In Greco-Roman societies, women applied white lead and chalk to their

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

In Greco-Roman societies, women applied white lead and chalk to their

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