Read the following passage and answer the questions.
Gender-based pricing, also known as “pink tax,” is an upcharge on products traditionally intended for women which have only cosmetic differences from comparable products traditionally intended for men. In other words, it’s not actually a tax. It’s an “income-generating scenario for private companies who found a way to make their product look either more directed to or more appropriate for the population and saw that as a moneymaker,” explains Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, a lawyer, vice president for the Brennan School of Justice at NYU School of Law, and co-founder of Period Equity.
Yet pink tax is not a new phenomenon. The issue was delineated more finely in 2015 when the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs released a report about price disparities for 794 comparable products from 91 brands sold throughout the city. The report examined five different industries, such as personal care products or senior/home healthcare products. These encompassed 35 product categories, such as bodywash or shampoo. In every single of those five industries, consumer goods marketed to women and girls cost more. The same was the case in all but five of the 35 product categories. Researchers looked at 106 products in the toys and accessories category and found that, on average, those intended for girls were priced 7 percent higher.
NYC’s report found women faced an average price difference of 13 percent for personal care products among the 122 products compared in the study. And the authors aptly noted that these items, such as shaving gel and deodorant, are the ones purchased most frequently compared with other categories — meaning that the ____________ add up over time. While this is unfair for all those shopping for these products, that 13 percent price increase hits women and girls who come from lower income households even harder. Legislative attempts, however, could correct the pink tax. In 1995, then-Assemblywoman Jackie Speier successfully passed a bill that forbade gender pricing of services, such as haircuts.
According to the passage, which of the following statement is FALSE?
Correct Answer :
The impact of the "pink tax" is confined to a select range of product categories of the study.
Solution :
Correct Answer: The impact of the "pink tax" is confined to a select range of product categories of the study.
Step-by-Step Explanation:
To determine which of the statements is FALSE according to the passage, we can evaluate each option based strictly on the text provided:
1. "The New York City report encompassed five different industries and analyzed 35 product categories."
According to the second paragraph, "The report examined five different industries..." and "These encompassed 35 product categories...". Therefore, this statement is TRUE.
2. "Jackie Speier successfully passed a bill that prohibited gender-based pricing for services."
The third paragraph states: "In 1995, then-Assemblywoman Jackie Speier successfully passed a bill that forbade gender pricing of services, such as haircuts." Hence, this statement is TRUE.
3. "The "pink tax" is a pricing strategy employed by private companies within a capitalist framework."
The first paragraph explains that it is an "income-generating scenario for private companies who found a way to make their product look either more directed to or more appropriate for the population and saw that as a moneymaker". Since this describes private corporate strategies for profit generation, this statement is TRUE.
4. "The impact of the "pink tax" is confined to a select range of product categories of the study."
The second paragraph states that "In every single of those five industries, consumer goods marketed to women and girls cost more." It also notes that "The same was the case in all but five of the 35 product categories." This demonstrates that the pink tax was widespread across almost all categories examined (30 out of 35), rather than being "confined to a select range." Therefore, this statement is FALSE, making it the correct option to choose.
Access expert-curated educational resources and study materials—completely free.
Create, conduct, and manage professional online assessments with Mindyard. Perfect for teachers and institutes.
Copyright © 2026 Mindyard. All Rights Reserved.