Theater Critic: The play La Finestrina, now at CentralTheater, was wri

AndrewN

I need help in understanding the meaning of option D.

Director's claim :- The play that is being performed today cannot be more closer than it is to the original production.
Harlequin :- His style resembles that of Marx. But Marx's style was also not of 20th century but of 16th century.So harlequin's style is also old school.


(D) the performance of the actor who plays Harlequin in La Finestrina does not serve as evidence against the director’s claim
In my opinion actor's performance suggests that the style is copied even in modern day. This evidence serves against (counter to)the director claim that this production is as similar to the original production as is possible in a modern theater.

Hello, warrior1991. You have things a little mixed up at the end, so I will do my best to explain (D) in the context of the passage.


How about we start with the answer choice? Everything up to the verb phrase of the main clause, does not serve, is about the character Harlequin and how the actor plays that character. We are not concerned with specifics yet. Meanwhile, the noun phrase at the end of the answer choice, evidence against the director's claim, draws attention to the claim in question. Lucky for us, we see that the second line of the passage starts with the director claims, so all we have to do is match information. Evidence against the claim would work to negate it, as in,

this production is not as similar to the original production as is possible in a modern theater

Now, since our verb phrase in (D) tells us not to go against the claim the director made, we should leave it intact and consider it valid. So, do both halves of (D) surrounding the verb phrase work in tandem? Does the portrayal of Harlequin fall in line with the way the character may have been portrayed in eighteenth-century Italy, when the play was written? In a word, yes. It is possible, according to the passage. Why? Because the modern-day actor playing Harlequin seems to do so in the style of Groucho Marx, but the passage informs us that this comic style was not just around in the 1700s in Italy, but that it was very much within a two-century-old comic acting tradition. Thus, the Groucho-esque portrayal of Harlequin by the modern-day actor would not fly in the face of the claim the director has made. The story checks out, and that is why (D) is the answer (in addition to other answers failing to build accurately off the passage).

I hope that helps. Thank you for thinking to ask.

- Andrew

Question stem, rephrased:
Which of the following is best supported by the passage above?

Apply the NEGATION TEST.
When the correct answer is negated, the passage will be contradicted.

D, negated:
The performance of the actor in La Finestrina serves as EVIDENCE AGAINST the director’s claim [that the production is as similar to the original production as is possible in a modern theater].
According to the passage, the actor gives a performance...within the comic acting tradition that had begun in sixteenth-century Italy -- SUPPORTING the director's claim that the current production is similar to the original production of the 18th-century Italian play.
The negation of D contradicts the information in blue.
Since we cannot negate D without contradicting the passage, we know that D is a statement supported by the passage.

Theater Critic: The play La Finestrina, now at Central Theater, was written in Italy in the eighteenth century. The director claims that this production is as similar to the original production as is possible in a modern theater. Although the actor who plays Harlequin the clown gives a performance very reminiscent of the twentieth-century American comedian Groucho Marx, Marx’s comic style was very much within the comic acting tradition that had begun in sixteenth-century Italy.

The considerations given best serve as part of an argument that:

This is basically an inference question. On the basis of the given information, we have to infer which of the answer choice is correct

(A) modern audiences would find it hard to tolerate certain characteristics of a historically accurate performance of an eighteenth-century play

Nothing is given in the argument about how the audience will perceive the play: Irrelevant, hence incorrect

(B) Groucho Marx once performed the part of the character Harlequin in La Finestrina

Just because the actors performance is inspired by Marx's style does not mean that Marx played the same role earlier. Hence incorrect

(C) in the United States the training of actors in the twentieth century is based on principles that do not differ radically from those that underlay the training of actors in eighteenth-century Italy

Very little information is given here for us to reach into any generalization. Hence incorrect.

(D) the performance of the actor who plays Harlequin in La Finestrina does not serve as evidence against the director’s claim

This is correct. The director mentioned that he tried to keep the original ( older style of the play). And the actor also was inspired from someone whose comic style is inspired by the sixteenth century style. So the performance of the actor may provide for some support for the claim, but in no ways it serves against the claim

(E) the director of La Finestrina must have advised the actor who plays Harlequin to model his performance on comic performances of Groucho Marx

No, just because the actor's performance was inspired by Marx, it does not mean that anyone directed him. He may have done that on his own because he like Marx's style or may be for some other reason. Hence incorrect

I am confused how the option D is correct.

Because the question statement clearly mentions that the play was originally from the 18th century.
And the acting style was from 16th century.

The passage says nothing to confirm that the acting method of 16th century was followed in the 18th century. So we can neither confirm nor deny that the director's claim is correct or not.

Can someone clarify this doubt ?
Thanks

Would an expert be able to direct me to similar Official Guide problems that have the same or a similar question stem?

I found the wording of the question ("The considerations given best serve as part of an argument that") to be very confusing, and I am hoping to practice more problems in this nature.

Thank you in advance.

Hi AndrewN - I too had the very exact question as above post.

The author states - Harlequin the clown is giving a performance reminiscent of the 20th century. This 20th century performance is similar to tradition that had begun in sixteenth-century Italy.

But the claim was -- production is similar to the 18th century.

How to connect - begun in the 16th century to the 18th century italy specifically ?

KarishmaB avigutman
If you've happened to come across one in this nature?

It's just an inference question, woohoo921. You can search GMAT Club for other official inference questions (also known as 'draw a conclusion' questions).
How can we tell what this question is asking?
The considerations given best serve as part of an argument that...
The words "part of an argument" imply that the passage above is not a complete argument. Why not? What's it missing? It must be missing a conclusion (if it had a conclusion, it'd be an argument).
What are the "considerations"? Those are the facts, or the premises.

Hi avigutman - is (D) really an inference however ?

(D) is another claim if you ask me. The claim in (D) cannot be prooven right nor can the claim in (D) be prooven wrong

Please pay close attention to the words boldfaced below, jabhatta2:

So, A does not serve as evidence against B.
Does that seem to you like something that is particularly difficult to prove (that obviously depends on the nature of A and of B, but, all else being equal, what do you think)? How *big* of a claim is that, really?
Let's look at an analogy: My big muscles do not serve as evidence against the claim that I drink excessively.
Is that true? Well, just because I have big muscles, does that necessarily mean that I don't drink excessively?
No! There are plenty of heavy drinkers with big muscles.
In other words, this part of your post is incorrect:

A claim of this sort is by default true if it can't be proven false.

avigutman - thank you so much avi

Not an expert but lemme just try and help. I struggled with this question for a while too. The best indicator that you've understood something is if you can make someone else understand.
Look at this sentence from the passage - "Marx’s comic style was very much *within* the comic acting tradition that had
*begun* in sixteenth‐century Italy." The words 'within' and 'begun' suggest us that we are talking about a timeline range here, as in, for the while in 20th century when Marx used to perform, his *sixteenth-century* style was *still* relevant in the *twentieth century*, as it is an acting *tradition*. So if Marx's 16th century acting tradition was relevant in the 20th century, and the actor who performed Harlequin mimicked Marx's 20th century style, we can infer that this current remake of an eighteenth century play would also be relevant today and wouldn't be something outdated. When the director made the claim that it is *as similar as the original*, they are trying to rule out refuting claims that the performance could be outdated. So the inference that the actor's performance doesn't serve against the director's claim is true.

The Option D talks about whether the performance of the actor who plays Harlequin in La Finestrina serves as a evidence to Director's claim. Certainly it can not be said that whether the performance is as per Director's claim or not. The performance may have some resemblance of Director's claim and may have other features.

So the more correct option would be the "Performance does not CONTRADICT the director's claim" OR "Performance does not completely serve as evidence to director's claim.

Please comment if I am wrong.

In the GMAT, we have to find the best option 'among' the options, ofcourse option D isn't the best option in itself but it makes the most relevant sense here doesn't it, we don't have a choice here do we. If we start to think about what 'else' 'could' or 'coudln't' be true, we can think ourselves into oblivion and burn brain cells for no reason, so it's best to keep our eyes on the job. Find the best one among all 5.

The given considerations suggest a relationship between the play La Finestrina, the actor's performance as Harlequin, and the historical context of comic acting traditions. To determine the argument supported by these considerations, let's evaluate each option:

(A) Modern audiences would find it hard to tolerate certain characteristics of a historically accurate performance of an eighteenth-century play.
This option is not directly supported by the given information. While it discusses modern audience preferences, it does not connect to the play, the actor's performance, or the historical context.

(B) Groucho Marx once performed the part of the character Harlequin in La Finestrina.
This option is not supported by the given information. It introduces a historical claim about Groucho Marx's involvement in the play, which is not mentioned in the original text.

(C) In the United States, the training of actors in the twentieth century is based on principles that do not differ radically from those that underlay the training of actors in eighteenth-century Italy.
This option is not directly supported by the given information. It discusses the training of actors in different time periods and locations but does not connect to the play or the actor's performance.

(D) The performance of the actor who plays Harlequin in La Finestrina does not serve as evidence against the director's claim.
This option is supported by the given information. The statement acknowledges that the actor's performance as Harlequin resembles Groucho Marx's comic style, which is part of the comic acting tradition originating in sixteenth-century Italy. This suggests that the actor's performance aligns with the director's claim of recreating the original production as closely as possible.

(E) The director of La Finestrina must have advised the actor who plays Harlequin to model his performance on comic performances of Groucho Marx.
This option is not supported by the given information. While it mentions the director's involvement in advising the actor, there is no specific mention of the director instructing the actor to model the performance on Groucho Marx.

Based on the given information, (D) is the best choice as it aligns with the statement that the performance of the actor playing Harlequin does not contradict the director's claim.

Understanding the argument -

Theater Critic:
The play La Finestrina, now at Central Theater, was written in Italy in the eighteenth century. Fact
The director claims that this production is as similar to the original production as is possible in a modern theater. - Director's claim.
Although the actor who plays Harlequin the clown gives a performance very reminiscent of the twentieth-century American comedian Groucho Marx, Marx’s comic style was very much within the comic acting tradition that had begun in sixteenth-century Italy. - Contrast shared by Critic. The critic acknowledges that the artist's performance was very reminiscent of the twentieth-century American comedian Groucho Marx; he/she shares a contrast by saying that Marx’s comic style was very much within the comic acting tradition that had begun in sixteenth-century Italy.

This is an inference question, so please stick to the argument and no outside information.

Option Elimination -

(A) modern audiences would find it hard to tolerate certain characteristics of a historically accurate performance of an eighteenth-century play - We don't know. It is a "might be a true" category, which is wrong as we can't say this with 100% confidence based on the Information in the passage.

(B) Groucho Marx once performed the part of the character Harlequin in La Finestrina - out of scope. Nothing in our argument scope mentions this, and no outside information.

(C) in the United States the training of actors in the twentieth century is based on principles that do not differ radically from those that underlay the training of actors in eighteenth-century Italy - We don't know from the argument if Groucho Marx took the training. Out of scope.

(D) the performance of the actor who plays Harlequin in La Finestrina does not serve as evidence against the director’s claim - OK. We can deduce it from the information in the passage. How? The director's claim + Critic's acknowledgment that the actor's performance was very reminiscent of the twentieth-century American comedian Groucho Marx, whose comic style was very much within the comic acting tradition that had begun in sixteenth-century Italy. As you can see, we are not comparing 16th-century England, France, or Spain with 18th-century Italian play. We are comparing 16th-century Italian comic traditions with 18th-century plays. I know it's two centuries of difference, but it's the safest option out of 5, and we can deduce it.

(E) the director of La Finestrina must have advised the actor who plays Harlequin to model his performance on comic performances of Groucho Marx - Is it mentioned in the passage? Can we deduce it from the passage? No. Maybe he did, or maybe he did not. It is a "might be a true" category, which is wrong as we can't say this with 100% confidence based on the Information provided in the passage.