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655-705 Level|   Inference|                                          
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Sofiaxcvfc
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Theater Critic: The play La Finestrina, now at CentralTheater, was wri 04 Jun 2024, 01:14
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I totally disagree. Sixteenth-century theatre is DIFFERENT from that of 18th century. In what way do we take as given that a performance placed 2 centuries before the "original production" supports the argument?
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rak08
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Theater Critic: The play La Finestrina, now at CentralTheater, was wri 26 May 2025, 04:30
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I couldn't really grasp what others said so here's how i figured why i picked the wrong choice

A play - ct - written in Italy - production similar to OG as much as possible - "Actor = played H the clown - similar performance to that of an "American comedian marx. which was within comic acting tradition : basically kind of like mimicry ?"

we need something that goes well with above
A : audience perception is not required, we are talking from "producers side"
B : this one gets me, however "the actor was similar to Marx's "COMIC" Style now even if Marx played a part of H character + our actor performed similar to marx = he did justice to his work or he didn't : it almost adds no additional insights
C: this is what i selected --> which has honestly no basis because marx & his training or our actor's training is not mentioned. little do we know they both were just organic actors/comics
D : yeah his acting is not served against the fact that director tried to do justice to OG ~ Actor's style was similar to a comic and he is a clown so its not like he wasn't funny or his acting was "serious" unlike a clown.
E :director advising is an additional info which is unnecessary
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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

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

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

(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

(D) the performance of the actor who plays Harlequin in La Finestrina does not serve as evidence against the director’s 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
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Theater Critic: The play La Finestrina, now at CentralTheater, was wri 07 Sep 2025, 23:41
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In an inference question, will the right answer be directly related to the argument?
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Theater Critic: The play La Finestrina, now at CentralTheater, was wri 09 Sep 2025, 10:02
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Sofiaxcvfc
I totally disagree. Sixteenth-century theatre is DIFFERENT from that of 18th century. In what way do we take as given that a performance placed 2 centuries before the "original production" supports the argument?


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I completely understand your confusion about the timeline! This is actually a common point of confusion in this question. Let me help clarify the key insight you're missing.

The Critical Timeline Understanding:

When the passage says the Italian comic tradition "began in sixteenth-century Italy," it doesn't mean it ended in the 16th century. Think of it like this:


  • 16th century: Italian comic acting tradition starts
  • 17th century: This tradition continues and evolves
  • 18th century: The tradition is still active when La Finestrina is written
  • 20th century: Groucho Marx uses a style rooted in this same continuing tradition


The Logic Flow:
Step 1: The director claims the current production is historically accurate to the 18th-century original.
Step 2: Someone might object: "But the actor playing Harlequin performs like Groucho Marx (20th century) - that can't be historically accurate!"
Step 3: The critic's defense: "Actually, Marx's style comes from the Italian comic tradition that was already established and active in the 18th century, so this performance style IS historically appropriate."

Why Answer (D) is Correct:

The critic is arguing that the Marx-like performance doesn't contradict the director's claim of historical accuracy because:

  • The Italian comic tradition that began in the 16th century was still the dominant style in 18th-century Italian theater
  • Marx's 20th-century style was derived from this same tradition
  • Therefore, a Marx-like performance is actually consistent with how it would have been performed originally

Your Misconception: You're thinking of the 16th and 18th centuries as completely separate theatrical eras, but theatrical traditions span centuries. It's like saying "Shakespeare began writing in the 16th century" - his influence didn't stop in 1600; it continued through the 17th, 18th, and beyond.

Key Takeaway for GMAT CR: When passages mention when something "began," always consider that it likely continued beyond that starting point. The GMAT often tests whether you can track continuity and evolution of ideas, traditions, or practices across time periods.
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