Instructions
Read the following passage and answer the TWO questions that follow.
Beauty has an aesthetic, but it is not the same as aesthetics, not when it can be embodied, controlled by powerful interests, and when it can be commodified. Beauty can be manners, also a socially contingent set of traits. Whatever power decides that beauty is, it must always be more than reducible to a single thing. Beauty is a wonderful form of capital in a world that organizes everything around gender and then requires a performance of gender that makes some of its members more equal than others.
Beauty would not be such a useful distinction were it not for the economic and political conditions. It is trite at this point to point out capitalism, which is precisely why it must be pointed out. Systems of exchange tend to generate the kind of ideas that work well as exchanges. Because it can be an idea and a good and a body, beauty serves many useful functions for our economic system. Even better, beauty can be political. It can exclude and include, one of the basic conditions of any politics. Beauty has it all. It can be political, economic, external, individualized, generalizing, exclusionary, and perhaps best of all a story that can be told. Our dominant story of beauty is that it is simultaneously a blessing, of genetics or gods, and a site of conversion. You can become beautiful if you accept the right prophets and their wisdoms with a side of products thrown in for good measure. Forget that these two ideas—unique blessing and earned reward—are antithetical to each other. That makes beauty all the more perfect for our (social and political) time, itself anchored in paradoxes like freedom and property, opportunity and equality.
Beauty has an aesthetic, but it is not the same as aesthetics, not when it can be embodied, controlled by powerful interests, and when it can be commodified. Beauty can be manners, also a socially contingent set of traits. Whatever power decides that beauty is, it must always be more than reducible to a single thing. Beauty is a wonderful form of capital in a world that organizes everything around gender and then requires a performance of gender that makes some of its members more equal than others.
Beauty would not be such a useful distinction were it not for the economic and political conditions. It is trite at this point to point out capitalism, which is precisely why it must be pointed out. Systems of exchange tend to generate the kind of ideas that work well as exchanges. Because it can be an idea and a good and a body, beauty serves many useful functions for our economic system. Even better, beauty can be political. It can exclude and include, one of the basic conditions of any politics. Beauty has it all. It can be political, economic, external, individualized, generalizing, exclusionary, and perhaps best of all a story that can be told. Our dominant story of beauty is that it is simultaneously a blessing, of genetics or gods, and a site of conversion. You can become beautiful if you accept the right prophets and their wisdoms with a side of products thrown in for good measure. Forget that these two ideas—unique blessing and earned reward—are antithetical to each other. That makes beauty all the more perfect for our (social and political) time, itself anchored in paradoxes like freedom and property, opportunity and equality.
Question 16.
Based on the passage, which of the following CANNOT be inferred about beauty?
A
Beauty is no longer an abstract concept.
B
Beauty has become an aspirational good.
C
Different powers and influences delineate beauty for us.
D
Beauty is defined and appreciated by the perceiver.
Question Explanation
Text Explanation
Option D is the correct answer.
The passage emphasizes that beauty is socially constructed, shaped by economic, political, and social systems. It argues that beauty is commodified, controlled by powerful interests, and used as a form of capital, suggesting that beauty is not merely a matter of individual perception or appreciation. Instead, it is influenced and defined by external forces, making D inconsistent with the passage.
Option A: The passage discusses how beauty has been embodied and commodified, making it a tangible form of capital rather than an abstract idea. Thus, this can be inferred.
Option B: The passage describes how beauty is presented as something to aspire to, achieved through the "right prophets and their wisdoms with a side of products," making this inference valid.
Option C: The passage explicitly states that beauty is defined by "whatever power decides" and is influenced by economic and political conditions.
Option E: The passage supports this by emphasizing that beauty is determined by external factors like politics and economics, rather than by those who are considered beautiful themselves.Video Explanation
Option D is the correct answer.
The passage emphasizes that beauty is socially constructed, shaped by economic, political, and social systems. It argues that beauty is commodified, controlled by powerful interests, and used as a form of capital, suggesting that beauty is not merely a matter of individual perception or appreciation. Instead, it is influenced and defined by external forces, making D inconsistent with the passage.
Option A: The passage discusses how beauty has been embodied and commodified, making it a tangible form of capital rather than an abstract idea. Thus, this can be inferred.
Option B: The passage describes how beauty is presented as something to aspire to, achieved through the "right prophets and their wisdoms with a side of products," making this inference valid.
Option C: The passage explicitly states that beauty is defined by "whatever power decides" and is influenced by economic and political conditions.
Option E: The passage supports this by emphasizing that beauty is determined by external factors like politics and economics, rather than by those who are considered beautiful themselves.
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