Tutmania | GMAT GRE RC Practice

What happens when a single archaeological discovery reshapes an entire decade’s cultural landscape? Can the unearthing of ancient artifacts spark both nationalist pride and rampant exploitation simultaneously? These passages explore Tutmania’s far-reaching impact on 1920s society, tracing how one tomb’s opening triggered waves of commercialization, artistic transformation, and conflicting responses across continents.

Read these RC passage(s) in Social Sciences and answer the question(s) that follows. You can choose the GMAT style Reading Passage and the question or the GRE RC variant and answer the GRE-style question. Even better, you could solve both.

GMAT Passage | Moderate Difficulty | ~190 Words

When Tutankhamun’s tomb was opened in November 1922, it unleashed a cultural phenomenon that would define popular aesthetics for the remainder of the decade. Western nations, weary from World War I’s devastation and the Spanish Flu pandemic, seized upon this discovery as welcome relief from contemporary anxieties. The ensuing commercialization proved relentless and often absurd: manufacturers marketed Egyptian-themed consumer products ranging from decorative biscuit tins to sarcophagus-shaped mechanical pencils, while one company brazenly advertised ordinary citrus fruits as “Pharaoh brand” lemons. The influence also extended beyond novelties into legitimate artistic movements, as Art Deco architecture adopted hieroglyphic motifs and incorporated design elements mimicking ancient obelisks.

However, this Western enthusiasm masked a profoundly different response within Egypt itself. Having gained independence from Britain mere months before the discovery, Egyptians embraced Pharaohnism—a nationalist movement that reclaimed their ancient heritage as a foundation for modern identity. Egyptian writers portrayed reanimated mummies not as Western horror figures but as protective guardians defending their culture against foreign appropriation. The phenomenon thus represents both cultural exchange and exploitation—a duality that continues to complicate how ancient civilizations are presented and commodified in contemporary society.

Question Type: Main Idea | Question Difficulty: Medium

The main idea of the passage is that:

1. Tutankhamun’s discovery transformed Western art and architecture through Egyptian design elements.
2. Egyptian nationalists successfully reclaimed their heritage through Pharaohnism in response to Western commercialization.
3. Commercialization of Egyptian antiquities following the discovery created ethical problems persisting today.
4. Western fascination with ancient Egypt reflected post-war desire to escape anxieties through exotic consumption.
5. Tutmania exemplified how archaeological discoveries generate conflicting responses while facilitating both appreciation and exploitation.

GRE RC Practice | Medium Difficulty | ~140 Words

Western fascination with ancient Egypt existed long before 1922, resurging prominently after Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign introduced hieroglyphic inscriptions to European audiences. However, the November 1922 discovery of an intact royal tomb catalyzed an unprecedented transformation in this interest’s scope and intensity. Aggressive press coverage ensured global dissemination of excavation updates, with photographers congregating at the site in such numbers that structural collapse became a legitimate concern. The subsequent commercialization proceeded through distinct phases: initial novelty products appeared by Christmas 1922, followed by applications in textile design throughout 1923, culminating in architectural adaptations that characterized the neo-pharaonic style through decade’s end. Concurrently, the first dedicated Egyptology program at an Egyptian university was established in 1924, simultaneously granting Egyptians scholarly authority over their heritage while providing mechanisms to challenge the antiquities trade that the discovery’s popularity had intensified.

Question Type: Role of Sentence | Question Difficulty: Medium

Select the sentence that describes an institutional development that served dual purposes, one of which involved responding to a negative consequence of the commercialization phenomenon.