Although Levi never states it explicitly in "On the Bottom," what should the reader infer has happened to the women? A.) They have returned home. B.)They have become Nazi sympathizers. C.)They have been killed. D.)They have evaded capture by the Nazis.

 C.) They have been killed.

In the context of Primo Levi's writing, particularly in his work "On the Bottom" from his book "If This Is a Man," the reader must infer the experiences of the Holocaust through indirect means. Levi often doesn't spell out the fates of individuals explicitly, instead he allows the reader to understand the realities of the concentration camp through descriptions and events that imply certain outcomes. Not mentioning the women any further, in the context of the book which deals with the brutalities of Auschwitz, implies that they have met with the grim fate common to many prisoners: death. The absence of further information about them, coupled with the knowledge of what happened in such camps, leads to the conclusion that the women have likely been killed.

Extra: Primo Levi's "If This Is a Man" (known as "Survival in Auschwitz" in the United States) is an autobiographical account of his time as a prisoner in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. The book is a harrowing firsthand account of the dehumanization and daily struggles faced by inmates of the camp. Levi's style of writing, which is both precise and restrained, forces the reader to read between the lines and to understand the enormity of the tragedy without always being explicit. The fate of individuals in such a setting was often grim, and many prisoners did not survive due to the harsh conditions, forced labor, and the genocidal policies of the Nazi regime. The suggestion that people have disappeared or are no longer mentioned can often imply that they have been killed, which was an everyday occurrence in the concentration camps.