As one of the most pervasive and influential popular arts, the movies

Question

As one of the most pervasive and influential
popular arts, the movies feed into and off of the rest of
the culture in various ways. In the United States, the
star system of the mid-1920s—in which actors were
 (5)  placed under exclusive contract to particular
Hollywood film studios—was a consequence of
studios’ discovery that the public was interested in
actor’s private lives, and that information about actors
could be used to promote their films. Public relations
 (10)  agents fed the information to gossip columnists,
whetting the public’s appetite for the films—which,
audiences usually discovered, had the additional virtue
of being created by talented writers, directors, and
producers devoted to the art of storytelling. The
 (15)  important feature of this relationship was not the
benefit to Hollywood, but rather to the press; in what
amounted to a form of cultural cross-fertilization, the
press saw that they could profit from studios’
promotion of new films.

(20)  Today this arrangement has mushroomed into an
intricately interdependent mass-media entertainment
industry. The faith by which this industry sustains itself
is the belief that there is always something worth
promoting. A vast portion of the mass media—
 (25)  television and radio interviews, magazine articles,
even product advertisements—now does most of the work
for Hollywood studios attempting to promote their
movies. It does so not out of altruism but because it
makes for good business: If you produce a talk show
 (30)  or edit a newspaper, and other media are generating
public curiosity about a studio’s forthcoming film, it
would be unwise for you not to broadcast or publish
something about the film, too, because the audience for
your story is already guaranteed.

(35)  The problem with this industry is that it has begun
to affect the creation of films as well as their
promotion. Choices of subject matter and actors are
made more and more frequently by studio executives
rather than by producers, writers, or directors. This
 (40)  problem is often referred to simply as an obsession
with turning a profit, but Hollywood movies have
almost always been produced to appeal to the largest
possible audience. The new danger is that,
increasingly, profit comes only from exciting an audience’s
 (45)  curiosity about a movie instead of satisfying
its desire to have an engaging experience watching the
film. When movies can pull people into theaters
instantly on the strength of media publicity rather than
relying on the more gradual process of word of mouth
 (50)  among satisfied moviegoers, then the intimate
relationship with the audience—on which the vitality
of all popular art depends—is lost. But studios are
making more money than ever by using this formula,
and for this reason it appears that films whose appeal is
 (55)  due not merely to their publicity value but to their
ability to affect audiences emotionally will become
increasingly rare in the U.S. film industry.  
 1 
 1. The passage suggests that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) The Hollywood films of the mid-1920s were in general more engaging to watch than are Hollywood films produced today.
(B) The writers, producers, and directors in Hollywood in the mid-1920s were more talented than are their counterparts today.
(C) The Hollywood film studios of the mid-1920s had a greater level of dependence on the mass-media industry than do Hollywood studios today.
(D) The publicity generated for Hollywood films in the mid-1920s was more interesting than is the publicity generated for these films today.
(E) The star system of the mid-1920s accounts for most of the difference in quality between the Hollywood films of that period and Hollywood films today.

2 
 2. According to the author, the danger of mass-media promotion of films is that it

(A) discourages the work of filmmakers who attempt to draw the largest possible audiences to their films
(B) discourages the critical review of the content of films that have been heavily promoted
(C) encourages the production of films that excite an audience’s curiosity but that do not provide satisfying experiences
(D) encourages decisions to make the content of films parallel the private lives of the actors that appear in them
(E) encourages cynicism among potential audience members about the merits of the films publicized

3 
 3. The phrase “cultural cross-fertilization” (line 17) is used in the passage to refer to which one of the following?

(A) competition among different segments of the U.S. mass media
(B) the interrelationship of Hollywood movies with other types of popular art
(C) Hollywood film studios’ discovery that the press could be used to communicate with the public
(D) the press’s mutually beneficial relationship with Hollywood film studios
(E) interactions between public relations agents and the press

4 
 4. Which one of the following most accurately describes the organization of the passage?

(A) description of the origins of a particular aspect of a popular art; discussion of the present state of this aspect; analysis of a problem associated with this aspect; introduction of a possible solution to the problem
(B) description of the origins of a particular aspect of a popular art; discussion of the present state of this aspect; analysis of a problem associated with this aspect; suggestion of a likely consequence of the problem
(C) description of the origins of a particular aspect of a popular art; analysis of a problem associated with this aspect; introduction of a possible solution to the problem; suggestion of a likely consequence of the solution
(D) summary of the history of a particular aspect of a popular art; discussion of a problem that accompanied the growth of this aspect; suggestion of a likely consequence of the problem; appraisal of the importance of avoiding this consequence
(E) summary of the history of a particular aspect of a popular art; analysis of factors that contributed to the growth of this aspect; discussion of a problem that accompanied the growth of this aspect; appeal for assistance in solving the problem

5 
 5. The author’s position in lines 35-47 would be most weakened if which one of the following were true?

(A) Many Hollywood studio executives do consider a film’s ability to satisfy moviegoers emotionally.
(B) Many Hollywood studio executives achieved their positions as a result of demonstrating talent at writing, producing, or directing films that satisfy audiences emotionally.
(C) Most writers, producers, and directors in Hollywood continue to have a say in decisions about the casting and content of films despite the influence of studio executives.
(D) The decisions made by most Hollywood studio executives to improve a film’s chances of earning a profit also add to its ability to satisfy moviegoers emotionally.
(E) Often the U.S. mass media play an indirect role in influencing the content of the films that Hollywood studios make by whetting the public’s appetite for certain performers or subjects.

CEdward · Answer

Sajjad1994  Can you post the answers? Also, just curious - how come you don't just post all of the answers in general for LSAT questions? It would help the community a lot.

For 5, I was split on three choices - A, C, and D. I ultimately picked D because I felt it was more encompassing of what the passage was about.

5. The author’s position in lines 35-47 would be most weakened if which one of the following were true?

(A) Many Hollywood studio executives  do consider  a film’s ability to satisfy moviegoers emotionally.
I ruled this one out because it says ''do consider"...well that might be true that they do consider, but the reality is their actions are divorced from their considerations. The classic: "they say one thing, but do another". So this doesn't really weaken the argument.

(B) Many Hollywood studio executives achieved their positions as a result of demonstrating talent at writing, producing, or directing films that satisfy audiences emotionally.
(C) Most writers, producers, and directors in Hollywood  continue to have a say  in decisions about the casting and content of films despite the influence of studio executives.

I eliminated this because it may be true that these writers, producers, and directors have a say still, but what will that really amount to? I am sure they have some level of input, but who makes the decisions mainly? The executives surely.

(D) The decisions made by most Hollywood studio executives to improve a film’s chances of earning a profit also add to its ability to satisfy moviegoers emotionally.

Correct. So we learn that making a profit can go hand in hand with satisfying moviegoers emotionally, it's not necessarily the case that a pursuit of the former comes at the expense of the other completely.

(E) Often the U.S. mass media play an indirect role in influencing the content of the films that Hollywood studios make by whetting the public’s appetite for certain performers or subjects.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello CEdward

We have more than 100 LSAT passage on board each having more than 6 questions at average. Although it is not impossible to post all the explanations regardless of the need but it has a few cons with it. I have seen a fellow wo have posted more than 100 passages from Aristotle and Kaplan and he also posted all of the explanations with each passage. Thanks to him for doing such a wonderful effort but the cons i have just suggested above are that:

Members read the question and if they got any question wrong they read the explanation and move on. They don't ask question because they find the solution at the same time. When they don't ask questions the discussions and analysis didn't happen, they question didn't get bumped to float on the forum. Such passages remain silent almost ever and i think a very few members come face to face to those question and that is accidently. Those topics didn't get enough chance to be discussed by different minds and approaches. Without the discussion the question become a dead rubber.

On the other hand when OE is not available with the question on the spot members asks for the explanations, questions got bumped up and been able to be seen by other members. At average each member got reply within 24 hours, question again bumped up and get an opportunity to be attempted by a new member and in this way the question remain alive.

I suppose other members might have a different point of view on this issue but this what my approach is. Nonetheless i try my best to post explanations as soon as possible, sometimes i misses out the question(s) because of the workload and that is an exception.

Thank you

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. According to the author, the danger of mass-media promotion of films is that it

Explanation

This question directs us to  paragraph 3 , the one which discusses the  “problem with”  (or  “danger of,”  as the stem has it) the mass-media promotion industry. There, we should recall, the author points to the tendency of studio execs to greenlight movies that will profit from all the promotional hype, rather than  (lines 43-47)  movies that will provide an engaging and satisfying emotional experience. That, in so many words, is what we get in  (C) .

(A)  is, in one sense, outside of the scope, in that the author’s concern is not with the encouragement or discouragement of filmmakers directly, but with the nature of the decision-making as to which projects get made. But if anything, since the studios seem to want to maximize profits, the author suggests that the current system is prejudiced in favor of the movies that will be hugely profitable. So there’s an air of au contraire about  (A)  as well.

(B)  There is an argument to be made in favor of the sentiment in (B), but the passage doesn’t present it. One might argue that if the media are dependent on Hollywood they might be less willing to provide honest reviews, but  paragraph 2  just says that the media have to pay attention to Hollywood.  Paragraph 2  doesn’t say that this attention needs to be favorable. So if you picked  (B) , you probably read too much into the passage.

(D)  is what we could call classic Half-Right/Half-Wrong, in that its initial focus on Hollywood decision-making is fine, but the choice then goes wacky by picking up details from  paragraph 1  (about actors’ private lives) that the author does not consider during  paragraph 3.

(E)  should strike you as outside the scope from the get-go, as the concept of cynicism is never mentioned in the passage.  (E)  is perhaps a plausible inference based on one’s real-life experience with hyped-up movies that turn out to be crummy, but isn’t part of the author’s discussion.

Answer: C

Explanation Credit: Kaplan LSAT

honey1 · Answer

In question 1 why option E is wrong 
In question 4 why option D is wrong 
In question 5 why are options A and B wrong 
THANK YOU

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

1. The passage suggests that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

Explanation

With which statement would the author agree? Surely he would sign on to  (A) , which favorably compares the films of the mid-1920s  (“created by   devoted to the art of storytelling,” lines 13-14)  to today’s films that have lost a relationship with the audience  “on which the vitality of all popular art depends” (lines 51-52).  The kicker is  lines 43-47: “The new danger” —which implies a comparison with the past—is that Hollywood now cares less about giving the audience “an engaging experience watching the film.” The entire passage is a lament for a kind of storytelling experience that the new business model has diminished, and  (A)  reflects that disappointment.

(B)  To say that 1920s films were  “created by   devoted to the art of storytelling” (lines 13-14)  does not imply that today’s films are not so created, or that the talent of film artists today is any less impressive than back then. It’s just that the new way of maximizing movie profit is getting in the way of that artistry nowadays.

(C)  Opposite.  Paragraph 2  makes it clear that to the author, Hollywood’s  “dependence on the mass-media industry”  is greater now than ever before.

(D)  The author never bothers to discuss the interest level of the publicity per se, though he is interested in the different phenomena affecting film production. This issue is outside the scope.

(E)  Clearly the author blames the interdependence of the studios and the mass media for  “the difference in quality”  between old films and new. And anyway, how could the star system of almost 80 years ago be blamed for the lower quality of today’s movies?

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

(D)’s first clause  (“summary of the history of...”)  is satisfactory, but the choice goes bad fast.  Paragraph 2  contrasts 1920s films with those of later years, so  (D)  is wrong to suggest that  paragraph 2  is simply expanding on the discussion of Old Hollywood. Also, nowhere in the passage does the author  “ ...the importance of avoiding this consequence.”  Indeed, the author seems gloomily convinced of the consequence’s inevitability.

(A)  Even if studios may  “consider”  the issue of a project’s emotional appeal,  (A)  doesn’t rule out the author’s conviction that such considerations will likely be overruled in favor of profit-driven factors. Correct  choice (D)  goes further, by asserting that emotional appeal can nonetheless result from decisions spurred by the profit motive.

(B)  Like  (A) , (B)’s truth still leaves the author’s pessimistic conclusion untouched. Of course, if  (B)  asserted that the executives’ past artistry governs their present decisions, it would be correct. But then we’d have  (D) , wouldn’t we?

Thank you!

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. The author’s position in lines 35-47 would be most weakened if which one of the following were true?

Explanation

As is the expectation, it happened as you read Para 3, that the author seems to perceive a dichotomy between publicity-driven films that will make a lot of profit, and  “emotionally satisfying”  films that are more like those of the fondly-remembered past? One student did. He told us:  “The moment I realized that the author draws a sharp distinction between success and quality, I knew that there’d be an Assumption or Weakener question picking up on it.”  And so there is. If it’s true, as  (D)  says, that the decisions meant to generate movie profits also (as it happens) provide emotional satisfaction for the audience, then the distinction the author keeps drawing in para 3 is blurred, and the effect of his future prediction blunted.  (D) , in short, counters his assumption that the choice of projects that will rake in profits must of necessity forestall the projects that will make us laugh and cry. (Maybe he never saw E.T.)

(A)  Even if studios may  “consider”  the issue of a project’s emotional appeal,  (A)  doesn’t rule out the author’s conviction that such considerations will likely be overruled in favor of profit-driven factors. Correct  choice (D)  goes further, by asserting that emotional appeal can nonetheless result from decisions spurred by the profit motive.

(B)  Like  (A) , (B)’s truth still leaves the author’s pessimistic conclusion untouched. Of course, if  (B)  asserted that the executives’ past artistry governs their present decisions, it would be correct. But then we’d have  (D) , wouldn’t we?

(C)  is too much of a leap of faith. We can’t be sure that the artists’  “say in decisions”  must lead to more emotionally engaging movie stories. Maybe they are overruled in their recommendations; or worse, maybe the artists are every bit as profit-driven as the execs are when it comes to choosing a project.

(E)  strengthens the argument in its suggestion that when the press whips up public curiosity in a project it influences the choice of what films to make. This fact strengthens the connection between public curiosity and studio decision-making that is at the heart of the author’s argument.

Answer: D

VerbalBot · Answer

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As one of the most pervasive and influential popular arts, the movies

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