#11 - Global Reference, Must Be True, Author's Perspective

[Administrator]

Please post your questions below!

[knutson.m]

Hi.

I picked answer choice B and I can't figure out why D is the correct answer here.

[Jay Donnell]

Hi Knutson.m!

This one was definitely tricky, and it crucially depends on whose perspective we are being asked about. The definition from Bordwell in the first paragraph defines the style as 'being governed by straightforward narrative considerations,' and that the technical elements are employed to tell a straightforward story.

The author of the passage, however, highlights the musicals of the 1930s as a deviation from that alleged straightforward filmmaking style. The author details how in these musicals, 'filmmaking techniques are used not to advance a narrative but as a respite from narrative,' and that the 'editing and camera movement function not to help tell a story but to manipulate images into intricate patterns.' This sounds as the author is describing these techniques as decidedly not 'simplistic.'

What the author spends most of their focus on is how the audience comes to accept these strange deviations from the straightforward narratives of typical Classic era films. Near the bottom of the passage, the author states that the viewer cannot remain unfazed by the break in the film's 'reality,' but that 'would be worthwhile for scholars like Bordwell to first consider how viewers process cinematic images and eventually come to accept them as conventions before generalizing about the realism of certain film styles.'

This is used to support the author's implied position that audiences have begun to accept the conventions of the musical films from the 1930s due mostly to their acceptance and familiarity with the visual diversions so prevalent in the musical theatre that preceded motion pictures.

Keeping in mind that the question asks for what the author, not Bordwell, would agree with, (D) becomes the correct response. This one was pretty nit-picky, I hope that this helped to clear it up!

[jacoba1119]

Answer choice D says they accept certain conventions "primarily" through repeated exposure. How do we know he thinks it is "primarily" through repeated exposure? I get that he thinks repeated exposure plays a part, but the use of "primarily" is tripping me up.

[Adam Tyson]

You've got a point there, jacoba1119, and if we were trying to prove that the author would definitely agree with this answer, we would have some difficulty doing so. But that's not the task presented by this question! Instead, we have to select the answer that is the one that the author would be most likely to agree with from among the five choices given. There is at least some evidence that the author might agree with answer D, while there is no evidence that the author would agree with any of the other answers. Thus, from among these answers, D is the only one that we can say he would be likely to agree with.

Also, consider that if the author thought there was something else at play here, other than repeated exposure, that allowed viewers to accept the conventions of the movie musical, wouldn't he have mentioned and focused on that, rather than on acquiring familiarity and eventual acceptance?

You don't have to love an answer, or be able to prove it, in order for it to be the best of the bunch! Don't get caught up trying to discredit answers or argue against them, but instead focus on seeing why one answer is better than the others (or, as I so often find myself doing, focus on why the other four answers are worse.)

[nguyenpcindy]

I am a bit confused regarding what is Bordwell's perspective and what is the author's perspective. Does the author agree with Bordwell's definition of the classical era of filmmaking? I was also stuck on question #9, which asks how the author utilizes the term "realistic" throughout the passage. The answer explanation points out the author emphasizes the first reference to "realistic" - which is in Bordwell's definition. But in this question, given that D is incorrect, it seems that he does not agree with Bordwell's definition of classical filmmaking? Sorry hope this makes sense, but just in general having trouble clarifying author's view of Bordwell's definition of classical filmmaking in the passage.

[Robert Carroll]

nguyenpcindy,

It looks to me like the author is accepting Bordwell's definition of the classical era. The disagreement seems to be over whether musical films can be considered realistic - Bordwell thinks they can, whereas the author thinks it requires some stretch of the term "realism" to so classify them. Disagreement over which films are counted as classical seems no part of the passage - Bordwell's view is presented and the author offers no criticism of that, while offering criticism of other views of Bordwell.

It seems as if your question is actually about question #9, which has its own thread here - viewtopic.php?f=1300&t=26948 Let us know in that thread if you have any more questions about #9!

Robert Carroll

[lsatquestions]

Hi, I selected the correct answer but had A as a contender. Do you mind please explaining why A is incorrect?

[SwanQueen]

Greetings!

Is (B) wrong because of "usually very simplistic" ?

I suppose "realistic" elements (trying to be like in real life) is not synonymous for "simplistic" per se?

Thank you in advance for your time.

[Adam Tyson]

Exactly right, SwanQueen! There is no evidence in the passage that the technical elements are usually simplistic, or even that they are EVER simplistic. All we know is that they are employed to tell a realistic story.

And regarding answer A, lsatquestions, there is likewise no evidence that Busby Berkeley's musicals are unique among musicals. Musicals are anomalous among the films of the period, but Berkeley's film is given as a general example of musicals and not as an exception to what musicals are typically like.