Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the…
2025
Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the passage. Some words may be highlighted for your attention. Pay careful attention.
The history of the Mona Lisa is shrouded in mystery. Among the aspects which remain unclear is the exact identity of the sitter, who commissioned the portrait, how long Leonardo worked on the painting, how long he kept it, and how it came to be in the French royal collection. The portrait may have been painted to mark one of two events - either when Francesco Del Giocondo and his wife bought their own house in 1503, or when their second son, Andrea, was born in December 1502 after the death of a daughter in 1499. The delicate dark veil that covers Mona Lisa's hair is sometimes considered a mourning veil. In fact, such veils were commonly worn as a mark of virtue. Her clothing is unremarkable. Neither the yellow sleeves of her gown, nor her pleated gown, nor the scarf delicately draped round her shoulders are signs of aristocratic status. The Mona Lisa's famous smile represents the sitter. It is a visual representation of the idea of happiness suggested by the word "gioconda" in Italian. Leonardo made this notion of happiness the central motif of the portrait: it is this notion which makes the work such an ideal. The nature of the landscape also plays a role. The middle distance, on the same level as the sitter's chest, is in warm colors. Men live in this space: there is a winding road and a bridge. This space represents the transition between the space of the sitter and the far distance, where the landscape becomes a wild and uninhabited space of rocks and water which stretches to the horizon, which Leonardo has cleverly drawn at the level of the sitter's eyes.
What does the veil in the painting symbolize?
- A.
The beauty of the sitter
- B.
The identity of the sitter
- C.
The admiration of the painter
- D.
The mark of virtue.
Attempted by 194 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Answer: The veil symbolizes a mark of virtue.
Explanation: The passage says that the delicate dark veil covering Mona Lisa's hair is sometimes considered a mourning veil, but immediately adds that such veils were commonly worn as a mark of virtue. This statement directly supports the view that the veil symbolizes virtue.
Why not the sitter's identity: The passage explicitly notes the sitter's identity is unclear, so the veil is not described as identifying the sitter.
Why not the beauty of the sitter: The text treats the clothing and veil as signs of social custom or virtue and calls the clothing unremarkable; it does not link the veil to beauty.
Why not the painter's admiration: The passage attributes the veil to customary practice (virtue/mourning), not to an expression of the artist's feelings.
Conclusion: The veil is best understood as a mark of virtue, as stated directly in the passage.