Question

Match the given proverb with the most appropriate meaning:
Beauty is only skin deep.
a) Beauty is only on the skin.
b) A person's character is more important than his appearance
c) Only a person with a beautiful skin is beautiful.
d) None of the above.

Answer 1

Hint: A proverb is a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people.

Complete answer:
In the given question, we have to find out which of the options makes the most sense and thus matches the meaning of the given proverb ‘Beauty is only skin deep.’
The given proverb has the following definition- What matters is a person's character, rather than his/her appearance.
Let us thus analyze the options given to us in this question:
Option (a.), ' Beauty is only on the skin.', does not match the definition of the given proverb, in fact, it takes it quite literally.
Therefore, option (a.) is incorrect.

Option (b.), ‘A person's character is more important than his appearance', is same as the definition of the proverb.
Therefore, option (b.) is correct.

Option (c.), ‘Only a person with beautiful skin is beautiful.', is not synonymous to the definition of the proverb and is quite misleading.
Therefore, option (c.) is incorrect.

Option (d.), ‘None of the above.', is not right as an option (b.) is the correct definition of the given proverb.
Therefore, option (d.) is also incorrect.

Note:
In this type of question, the student must always remember that any proverb, idiom or phrase rarely ever has the literal meaning which the words in the respective proverb, idiom or phrase portray. Thus, these are often symbolic and usually even have advice.