Reading comp PrepTest 153 · Section 1 · Question 4

Passage

 Most writings on the subject of motion pictures, including those scrutinizing the structural characteristics, aesthetic qualities, and effects of motion Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Humanities

Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • A problem for movies is introduced
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Critics - Don't consider what the film's audiences see
    • Problem - External factors get in the way of the director's intent reaching audiences (We'll probably see some of those factors in upcoming paragraphs)
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • Some of the factors mentioned above are discussed
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • There are several ways a film can be "mutilated"
      • Subtitles, which may be of poor quality
      • Dubbing, which can be more damaging
      • Reediting or new titles to make them more understandable
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • Some more factors are discussed (specific to TV/video)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • "Most extensive" deformations
      • Loss of image size/definition
      • Ads, spoken interruptions to soundtrack, and station identifications added in
      • Increase in speed to increase time for ads
Paragraph 4
  • Paragraph note
    • Why this is accepted/overlooked, and what problems it creates
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Why is it accepted/overlooked?
      • Difference - Film can be exactly duplicated
    • Problems with alterations:
      • Criticism may be unfair when it's based on an edited version
      • Criticism of original version might set up bad expectations for audiences who see edited version
Main Point:
The heavy alterations made to movies when they're prepared for different audiences (language) and mediums create a problem for critics, audiences, and directors, in that they can set up unfair criticism and false expectations.

Key Lines:
Lines 6-10 - Set up the problem in the passage and preview what is going to be discussed
Paragraphs 2-3 - Sprinkled throughout, each factor that was mentioned in Lines 6-10 will be important to be able to find quickly
Lines 38-44 - Why the problem is accepted and overlooked
Lines 46-48 - One implication of the problem
Lines 50-57 - Second implication of the problem

Meta-Structure:
ID a Problem. While problems are generally coupled with solutions, there are passages that focus solely on the problem. For these passages, it's important to focus on the Author's exploration of the problem—especially causes and implications of it. Here, the factors throughout Paragraphs 2 and 3 as well as the cause for acceptance at the beginning of Paragraph 4 will be important. And the implications that start in Line 44 will also be.

Last Thoughts:
Paragraphs 2-3 included essentially a list of factors that played into this problem, so we should be able to quickly find any specific one of them for detail-based questions. And we shouldn't forget the superlative language in Line 23 ("most extensive")—such language usually shows up in a correct answer (though not always).

Question prompt

Which one of the Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: E

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Question Type

Humanities

Answer choices

  1. A
    Almost all filmmakers whose Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. This answer brings up a viewpoint different from the Author's—that of the filmmakers. If such a viewpoint existed in the passage, we would have noted it. Since we have no tags highlighting such a viewpoint, we can feel comfortable eliminating this answer.
  2. B
    Mass-market television and video Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. (Paragraph 3) Paragraph 3 talks about TV and video, and there's nothing there about the problem getting better recently—the Author speaks only to problems and not solutions. As such, this answer is unsupported.
  3. C
    Many professional commentaries on Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 39-41) Paragraph 4 is the only place where other art works are discussed, and there's nothing backing up this answer there.
  4. D
    Almost all viewers of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 36-37) The only place where the passage speaks about the awareness of viewers, and it's the alterations that audiences are said to rarely speak about. First, that doesn't mean they're not aware of it; second, this answer is about commentaries and not alterations.
  5. E
    In almost every film Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem
    Correct. Question Type:
    Strengthen

    Strategy Overview:
    Review the Author's argument on this topic and anticipate an answer that strengthens that conclusion

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    The entire passage largely dealt with modifications of films for distribution. The Author starts by saying that there are ""various external factors"" that get in the way of the filmmaker's intent, and she describes these alterations as ""mutilat[ions]"" and ""deformations""—so she clearly thinks they're bad.

    We have her overall view, and we have a list noted for what specific alterations she thinks are particularly egregious. Let's find an answer that uses those specifics to justify the overall point.

    Answer Explanation:
    (Lines 29-31) Is the soundtrack mentioned at all when the Author listed out the factors that harm the integrity of a film? Yep—we notated it, and we can see it in Lines 29-31. There, one harmful intrusion includes spoken announcements over parts of the soundtrack. If every part of a soundtrack is designed to contribute significantly to the artistic value of the film, then any such announcement would harm the film. This answer strengthens the argument that such an alteration should be considered a ""deformation,"" and so it's the correct answer.

    Key Takeaway:
    Strengthen questions in RC tend to be a bit more straightforward, connecting to a key detail or conclusion of the passage.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 9%
  2. B 11%
  3. C 19%
  4. D 5%
  5. E Credited 56%

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