The 35-millimeter (mm) format for movie production became a de facto

Question

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Passage # 12, Date: 06-Apr-2020
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The 35-millimeter (mm) format for movie production became a de facto standard around 1913. The mid-1920s through the mid-1930s, however, saw a resurgence of wide-film formats. During this time period, formats used by studios ranged in gauge from 55mm to 70mm. Research and development then slackened until the 1950s, when wide-screen film-making came back in direct response to the erosion of box-office receipts because of the rising popularity of television. This Cinerama (1952) is generally considered to mark the beginning of the modern era of wide-screen film-making, which saw another flurry of specialized formats, such as CinemaScope. In 1956, Panavision developed Camera 65 for MGM Studios; it was first used during the filming of Raintree County. Panavision soon contributed another key technical advance by developing spherical 65mm lenses, which eliminated the “fat faces” syndrome that had plagued earlier CinemaScope films.

Some forty “roadshow” films were filmed in wide-screen formats during this period. But wide-screen formats foundered due to expense, unwieldy cameras, and slow film stocks and lenses. After the invention of a set of 35mm anamorphic lenses, which could be used in conjunction with much more mobile cameras to squeeze a widescreen image onto theatrical screens, film technology improved to the point where quality 70mm prints could be blown up from 35mm negatives.

Some forty “roadshow” films were filmed in wide-screen formats during this period. But wide-screen formats foundered due to expense, unwieldy cameras, and slow film stocks and lenses. After the invention of a set of 35mm anamorphic lenses, which could be used in conjunction with much more mobile cameras to squeeze a widescreen image onto theatrical screens, film technology improved to the point where quality 70mm prints could be blown up from 35mm negatives.    1 
 1. It can be inferred from the information in the passage that wide-film formats were

(A) in use before 1913.
(B) not used during the 1940s.
(C) more widely used during the 1920s than during the 1930s.
(D) not used after 1956.
(E) more widely used for some types of movies than for others.

2 
 2. The passage mentions all the following as factors contributing to the increased use of wide-film formats for moviemaking EXCEPT:

(A) spherical camera lenses.
(B) Panavision’s Camera 65.
(C) television.
(D) anamorphic camera lenses.
(E) movie theater revenues.

3 
 3. Which of the following statements is most strongly supported by the passage’s information?

(A) If a movie does not suffer from the “fat faces” syndrome, then it was not produced in a wide-film format.
(B) Prior to the invention of the 35mm anamorphic lens, quality larger prints could not be made from smaller negatives.
(C) The same factors that contributed to the resurgence of wide-film formats in the 1950s also led to the subsequent
decline in their use.
(D) The most significant developments in 35mm technology occurred after the release of  Raintree County. 
(E) Movie-theater revenues are not significantly affected by whether the movies shown are in wide-screen format.

Source:  Master GMAT

pabpinor · Accepted Answer

1. It can be inferred from the information in the passage that wide-film formats were

(A) in use before 1913.  Right.   This is the best answer, the passage says that they were overtaken in 1913 by the 35mm one, so before they must be in use. 
(B) not used during the 1940s.  Wrong.   This does noe makes sense as it says that they were growing in the 20's & 30's and that in the 50's they continued to be used. 
(C) more widely used during the 1920s than during the 1930s.  Wrong.   There is no differentiation on their use in the 20's vs the 30's, it just says they were resurging, so we cannot predict that. 
(D) not used after 1956.  Wrong.   That is not mentioned, the passage says that in 1956 a new camera was developed, anyway after that they declined, but we cannot say that they were not used at all. 
(E) more widely used for some types of movies than for others.  Wrong.   There is no text that indicates a major use by any type of film, the passage talks a bout film technology, not movies.

2. The passage mentions all the following as factors contributing to the increased use of wide-film formats for moviemaking EXCEPT:

(A) spherical camera lenses.  Wrong.   This is a factor, the spherical lense is mentioned to have solved the fat face problem of the previous lenses. 
(B) Panavision’s Camera 65.  Wrong.   This camera is mentioned to be developed in 1956, so it is a factor too. 
(C) television.  Wrong.   The TV also popularized the movies and helped the industry to grow (after a decline in movie theaters revenues). 
(D) anamorphic camera lenses.  Right.   This is not a factor that contributed to increase wide-screen formats, but that one that made them decrease, by allowing 35mm negatives to be converted into 70mm with a high quality. So this is our exception. 
(E) movie theater revenues.  Wrong.   Movie theater revenues helped funding the R&D and de developement of new cameras to feed the growing demand.

3. Which of the following statements is most strongly supported by the passage’s information?

(A) If a movie does not suffer from the “fat faces” syndrome, then it was not produced in a wide-film format.  Wrong.   That is not true since there was a round lens that solved that issue, maybe could be right if we would talk about a specific time before this invention. 
(B) Prior to the invention of the 35mm anamorphic lens, quality larger prints could not be made from smaller negatives.  Right.   This was the tipping point that disrupted the use of wide formats as it was possible to replicate them with cheaper and more resourceful cameras, clearly it is the most strong statement that finishes the passage. 
(C) The same factors that contributed to the resurgence of wide-film formats in the 1950s also led to the subsequent decline in their use.  Wrong.   Some of the factors when changed may have led to the decline, but as the passage finishes it is clear that the most disruptive point was the technology that allowed 35mm to become 70mm quality movies. 
(D) The most significant developments in 35mm technology occurred after the release of Raintree County.  Wrong.   This movie was filmed in 65mm wide format, and the significant development after it was a circular lens that eliminated the fat face issue, but was done in a 65mm camera, so not related to 35mm. 
(E) Movie-theater revenues are not significantly affected by whether the movies shown are in wide-screen format.  Wrong.   This cannot be inferred from the text, so cannot be an argument. There is no mention to revenues related to one type of other.

Regards,
Pablo

debjit1990 · Answer

Answers according to me ;
1.a
2.d
3.b

ArtVandaley · Answer

Indeed a tough one. One had to read between the lines to identify the correct answer choice, and even then, one cant be sure.

My take on this RC is A,D & B in that order. Detail explanation to follow soon.

SiffyB · Answer

1. It can be inferred from the information in the passage that wide-film formats were

(A) in use before 1913.  The passage states that "The mid-1920s through the mid-1930s saw a resurgence of wide-film formats". Thus, the wide-filn formats were in use before 1913. 
(B) not used during the 1940s. -  Not mentioned in the passage. 
(C) more widely used during the 1920s than during the 1930s. -  The relative popularity of wide-firm formats in the 1920s and 1930s has not been discussed. 
(D) not used after 1956. -  Though new technologies and formats came up by 1956, we don't know for sure whether the wild-firm formats was totally done away with. 
(E) more widely used for some types of movies than for others. -  Not stated in the passage.

2. The passage mentions all the following as factors contributing to the increased use of wide-film formats for moviemaking EXCEPT:
 
  (A) spherical camera lenses.  The spherical lenses corrected the problem that plagued the CinemaScope films. This does not mean that these lenses increased the use of wide-film formats. This is the correct choice.  
(B) Panavision’s Camera 65.  This is also a factor as stated in second last line of Para 1. 
(C) television.  "wide-screen film-making came back in direct response to the erosion of box-office receipts because of the rising popularity of television". Thus, increased use of wide-film formats was due to television. 
(D) anamorphic camera lenses. -  The second paragraph states that anamorphic camera lenses heavily improved the wild-film formats. Thus, this is also a factor affecting its popularity. 
(E) movie theater revenues. -  The passage talks about erosion of box office receipts, which also means that the overall revenue declined. Thus, this is also a factor affecting the increased use of wide-film formats.

3. Which of the following statements is most strongly supported by the passage’s information?

We need to study each statement and determine which one is most strongly supported by the information given in the passage.

(A) If a movie does not suffer from the “fat faces” syndrome, then it was not produced in a wide-film format. -  The passage states that "fat faces" syndrome was a problem in CinemaScope films, which was a type of wide-film format. But there can be other types of wide-film formats that don't have this problem. In that case, this statement does not hold true. 
(B) Prior to the invention of the 35mm anamorphic lens, quality larger prints could not be made from smaller negatives. -  The passage states that "film technology improved to the point where quality 70mm prints could be blown up from 35mm negatives". But what if prior to this invention, 70mm prints could be blown up from 50mm negatives? Also, it says that the technology improved, not that a new tech was introduced. In that case, the quality larger prints could be made from smaller negatives right? We don't have sufficient information to rule out this possibility. 
(C) The same factors that contributed to the resurgence of wide-film formats in the 1950s also led to the subsequent decline in their use.  Subsequent decline in sue of wide-film formats is not discussed in the passage. 
  (D) The most significant developments in 35mm technology occurred after the release of Raintree County.  Correct answer. 
(E) Movie-theater revenues are not significantly affected by whether the movies shown are in wide-screen format. - Reason behind the decrease or increase in movie-theatre revenues is not discussed int he passage.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OAs of this RC has been posted now. If anyone have any question kindly let me know.

1. A
2. D
3. B

Good work  pabpinor .

800Dreamer · Answer

Can you please paste OE for Q3?

Is this really a 600-700 level RC? I feel this should be 700 level RC.

pabpinor · Answer

I think this is not 700], was quite straightforward and the answers are not subjective, maybe is because I know a bit about the technical side but for me was much more easy than other science or literature passages.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. Which of the following statements is most strongly supported by the passage’s information?

Difficulty LeveL:   600

Explanation

The passage’s final sentence states that after the invention of the 35mm anamorphic lens, quality 70mm (larger) prints could be made from 35mm (smaller) negatives. It is reasonable to assume that larger prints could not be made from smaller negatives prior to that invention.

The correct answer is (B).

BlueBook · Answer

What makes A) wrong?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Please read here reasoning by pabpinor and if you still didn't understand let me know then. https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-35-milli ... l#p2490430 Regards

VerbalBot · Answer

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The 35-millimeter (mm) format for movie production became a de facto

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The 35-millimeter (mm) format for movie production became a de facto

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