Question Details

Rearrange the following sentences in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them.


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.

Which of the following word aptly fills the blank given in the passage?

Options

A

costs

B

profits

C

equity

D

categories

E

risks

Show Answer

Correct Answer :

Option A

costs

Solution :

The correct answer is costs.


Step-by-step Explanation:

1. Analyze the Context: The sentence in which the blank appears reads: "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."

2. Identify the Theme: The paragraph discusses gender-based pricing (the "pink tax"), where products marketed to women cost more than comparable products marketed to men. Specifically, the preceding sentence states that women face an average price difference of 13 percent for personal care products.

3. Evaluate the Options:

  • costs: Since the passage focuses on the price premium (extra money paid by the consumer) for women's products, buying these frequently means that the extra costs (or expenses) accumulate or "add up" over time for the consumer. This fits the context perfectly.
  • profits: Although companies make profits, the focus of this sentence is on the financial burden/impact on the individual buyers ("purchased most frequently... hits women and girls... even harder"). Therefore, "profits" is incorrect.
  • equity: This refers to fairness or value, which does not logically "add up over time" to create a financial burden.
  • categories: The categories themselves do not add up over time in a financial sense.
  • risks: While there could be financial risks, the direct consequence of price differences on frequently purchased items is the accumulation of monetary costs.

4. Conclusion: The word that logically and grammatically fits the blank is costs.

Unlock Our Free Library

Access expert-curated educational resources and study materials—completely free.

Discover more resources

You may also like

Mock Tests

View All
  • CLAT
  • intermediate
  • 2 hours
  • current affairs, english, general knowledge, legal reasoning, logical reasoning, quant

  • CLAT
  • intermediate
  • 2 hours
  • current affairs, english, general knowledge, legal reasoning, logical reasoning, quant

Ask AI Tutor
5 left
Q1 View Question & Options
AI Tutor is solving this question...
Reading question context & options...