Passage Four

Dressing fashionably was very important in fourteenth-century Spain. This was especially true for any man who considered himself an aristocrat or dandy. Before going out, a well-dressed man would put on his finest boots, one of his embroidered caps and his favorite beard, dyed to match the color of his clothing.

Believe it or not, false beards were once as popular as neckties are today. Beards had for years considered a sign of strength and manhood, and the bigger and thicker they were, the better. Those unfortunates who had little facial hair were forced by custom into wearing false beards made of horsehair. Soon, however man in the Spanish fashion world was wearing them too, while many quite substantial real beards were shaved off to make way for the false variety.

By day, the fashionable dandy might wear a yellow or a crimson beard to impress his friends, but in the evening a long black beard was proper for serenading his senorita, Any color or shape of beard could be had.

However, as you can imagine, the growth of this unusual custom created many interesting problems. People with similar beards were mistaken for one another. Creditors could not find debtors, and police often arrested the wrong people, while the real villain escaped wearing their hairy disguises. The price of horsehair skyrocketed. Finally, King Philip IV of Aragon put a stop to all the foolishness by outlawing the wearing of false beards.

46. What is the passage mostly concerned with?

A. The size of beards.

B. The color of beards.

C. Varieties of false beards.

D. The custom of wearing false beards.