V25-28

Question

In Edo-period Japan (1603–1868), society was structured under a strict class hierarchy, where clothing and material possessions visibly reflected one's social rank and role. Sumptuary regulations, known as Shōgunal edicts, were enforced to preserve this order by controlling the use of luxurious fabrics, colors, and patterns. These laws not only distinguished the samurai elite from commoners but also imposed distinctions within the warrior class itself. Lavish silk robes, embroidered patterns, and imported dyes were symbols of rank, while commoners were restricted to muted colors and basic cotton garments. The concept of “appropriate dress” became an essential element in maintaining social stability and reinforcing the existing power dynamics.
 
As Japan's economy expanded during the late Edo period, affluent merchant families began to accumulate wealth rivaling that of the samurai. With this newfound prosperity came the desire to display status through luxurious textiles and ornate accessories, challenging the established class distinctions. Merchants, though legally beneath samurai, began to sponsor kabuki theater, tea ceremonies, and elaborate festivals, where they could subtly showcase their affluence through patterned kimonos and discreet silk linings. To counter this perceived threat, the shogunate periodically revised sumptuary laws, restricting the use of gold embroidery, bright colors, and brocades exclusively to the samurai elite, so that no merchant could appear their equal.
 
Despite these efforts, the economic clout of wealthy merchants continued to grow, gradually shifting the balance of power. By the mid-19th century, economic privilege increasingly outweighed hereditary status as a marker of influence. This shift paralleled rising discontent with the rigid feudal order, culminating in the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which dissolved the shogunate and dismantled the class-based dress codes.
 
A pivotal proclamation issued in 1871 further crystallized this transformation: “All persons, regardless of class, are free to adopt Western dress or traditional attire as they see fit.” This decree not only marked the formal collapse of Edo Japan’s sumptuary system but also symbolized the broader societal shift towards modernization and equality, reflecting Japan’s ambitions to align with Western nations in the emerging global order.

The passage most likely mentions the shogunate’s rule limiting gold embroidery, bright colors, and brocades exclusively to the samurai as evidence that

A. the samurai feared existing dress laws were losing their power to preserve clear class boundaries
B. luxury-textile production was intended to remain under samurai control rather than in commercial hands
C. cultural venues such as kabuki theater were a major driver of demand for opulent garments
D. the shogunate aimed to stop wealthy merchants specifically from dressing in ways that could challenge samurai prestige
E. the scarcity of deluxe materials required official rationing so they retained their symbolic value

bb · Answer

Official Solution:

In Edo-period Japan (1603–1868), society was structured under a strict class hierarchy, where clothing and material possessions visibly reflected one's social rank and role. Sumptuary regulations, known as Shōgunal edicts, were enforced to preserve this order by controlling the use of luxurious fabrics, colors, and patterns. These laws not only distinguished the samurai elite from commoners but also imposed distinctions within the warrior class itself. Lavish silk robes, embroidered patterns, and imported dyes were symbols of rank, while commoners were restricted to muted colors and basic cotton garments. The concept of “appropriate dress” became an essential element in maintaining social stability and reinforcing the existing power dynamics.
 
As Japan's economy expanded during the late Edo period, affluent merchant families began to accumulate wealth rivaling that of the samurai. With this newfound prosperity came the desire to display status through luxurious textiles and ornate accessories, challenging the established class distinctions. Merchants, though legally beneath samurai, began to sponsor kabuki theater, tea ceremonies, and elaborate festivals, where they could subtly showcase their affluence through patterned kimonos and discreet silk linings. To counter this perceived threat, the shogunate periodically revised sumptuary laws, restricting the use of gold embroidery, bright colors, and brocades exclusively to the samurai elite, so that no merchant could appear their equal.
 
Despite these efforts, the economic clout of wealthy merchants continued to grow, gradually shifting the balance of power. By the mid-19th century, economic privilege increasingly outweighed hereditary status as a marker of influence. This shift paralleled rising discontent with the rigid feudal order, culminating in the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which dissolved the shogunate and dismantled the class-based dress codes.
 
A pivotal proclamation issued in 1871 further crystallized this transformation: “All persons, regardless of class, are free to adopt Western dress or traditional attire as they see fit.” This decree not only marked the formal collapse of Edo Japan’s sumptuary system but also symbolized the broader societal shift towards modernization and equality, reflecting Japan’s ambitions to align with Western nations in the emerging global order.
 
 The passage most likely mentions the shogunate’s rule limiting gold embroidery, bright colors, and brocades exclusively to the samurai as evidence that

A. the samurai feared existing dress laws were losing their power to preserve clear class boundaries
B. luxury-textile production was intended to remain under samurai control rather than in commercial hands
C. cultural venues such as kabuki theater were a major driver of demand for opulent garments
D. the shogunate aimed to stop wealthy merchants specifically from dressing in ways that could challenge samurai prestige
E. the scarcity of deluxe materials required official rationing so they retained their symbolic value

A) Incorrect. Suggests samurai feared their existing dress rules were losing force, but the passage never claims earlier laws were failing; it simply shows the shogunate adding new limits to block merchants from imitating samurai.
 
B) Incorrect. Implies the laws sought to control who produced luxury textiles, whereas the passage makes clear the regulations targeted only who was allowed to wear such items.
 
C) Incorrect. Links the restrictions to demand from kabuki and other cultural events, yet the passage identifies merchants’ status-display, not cultural fashion trends, as the trigger for tightened rules.
 
D) Correct. Matches the passage’s point that the shogunate tightened dress codes specifically to prevent wealthy merchants from appearing equal to the samurai and thereby undermining the warrior class’s prestige.
 
E) Incorrect. Attributes the laws to scarcity management, but the passage frames them as tools for preserving exclusivity and hierarchy, not rationing limited resources.

Answer: D

Adit_ · Answer

Why is option A wrong here? I understand D is also very close in fact both A and D are very close, but the answer says "Suggests samurai feared their existing dress rules were losing force, but the passage never claims earlier laws were failing". But here option A also never claims that earlier laws were failing, it simply says that they feared the potential loss of power and which eventually led them to add new limits to block access to merchants, which again is exactly what is suggested in answer as well. Kindly help me out.

bhanu29 · Answer

I don't really see the mention of fear in the passage, we cannot make an assumption that samurai "feared". That's exactly why option A is incorrect. Hope that helps!!

- B

SomethingSomw · Answer

The passage mentions, "to counter the perceived threat" about this, which is where fear could be interpretted as a valid concept since Shogun were threatened by merchants' behavior

bhanu29 · Answer

"To counter a threat" = intent. Not fear.

GMAT never lets you infer an emotional state (fear, anxiety) from a described action. That leap is out-of-scope, and A gets eliminated for exactly that reason.

Never ever ever ever ever bring outside info to answer GMAT Verbal.

RonPurewal · Answer

The answer should be (A), which is fine as is. The connection between "to counter this perceived threat to strict boundaries" and "they feared that the existing law was losing its power to maintain strict boundaries" rings true to the way GMAC writes problems of this type.

.

Choice (D), as it stands right now, isn't  objectively incorrect —so it needs revision to make it that way (= objectively wrong-way or unsupported in at least one explicit aspect, like all of GMAC's wrong answers).

At the same time, choice D isn't a  right  answer either. The main problem is that Choice (D) says that the shogun was specifically driven to abolish the   wearing   of those fineries by merchants. Each of the pink words below (separately) implies that the merchants were not, in fact, actually   wearing   these materials:

Wearing conspicuous finery at a major see-and-be-seen social event is obviously the exact opposite of "subtly" displaying material wealth, so "subtly" by itself proves that the merchants weren't physically going around wearing this stuff. (Okay, "discreet silk linings" could be described as subtle—but kimono patterns cannot.)

Moreover, just basic English, to "use" a material doesn't mean wearing it—it means putting it to some sort of practical/functional use. If a   merchant   is "subtly" "using" fine materials to display affluence, then that's going to mean something like... displaying those things among their wares. In no conceivable way could these words possibly describe  wearing  conspicuously fine finery not just to  attend  the biggest parties in the realm, but in fact to   host/sponsor   those events!! So D is not true to the text.

(There's also the further issue that most 21st-century readers know a "kimono" as a female-only garment—making it  even less  likely that they're going to read this paragraph and come away with the impression that the merchants were wearing this stuff, unless /1/ they actually know that "kimonos" were unisex clothing in the XVIIth century, and/or /2/ they picture Edo-era merchants as female by default.)

.

Buuuuut {D} still needs to be made clearly, objectively  wrong , à la GMAC's wrong answers.

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