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.
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.
Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.
Which of the following statements is supported by this passage?
A The lightening of women’s skin has often, but not always, been preferred.
B A woman’s social position could be revealed by her makeup.
C The practice of lightening the skin originated in Greco-Roman societies.
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