Most writings on the subject of motion pictures, including those

Question

Most writings on the subject of motion pictures, including those scrutinizing the structural characteristics, aesthetic qualities, and effects of motion pictures on audiences, have traditionally been relatively abstract and have not considered what a film's audiences actually see. In fact, various external factors intervene between the filmmaker's intent and the audience's experience, often altering the qualities of a film and, consequently, the viewer's perception of it.

In the process of distribution, a film can be mutilated in many ways. The damage is most obvious when films in one language are shown to audiences that speak a different language. Subtitling may be simply incompetent, full of mistakes, or used for actual censorship. Dubbing—a significantly more profound intervention—can be even more damaging. Some films are re-edited to render them "more understandable" by their target audiences, while others are given new titles rather than translations of their original titles, a practice that often creates false expectations and distorts the work's intent.

When a film is shown on television or video, it suffers the most extensive deformations. In addition to causing a loss of image size and definition, current mass-market television and video technology is harmful in other ways. These intrusions include advertisements that break the intended continuity, the superimposition of images—such as station identifications and weather bulletins—over parts of the picture, and spoken announcements over parts of the soundtrack considered by programmers to be "unimportant." Some alterations, such as a subtle increase in the projection speed of a televised movie to obtain more commercial time, are almost imperceptible but nonetheless detrimental to the integrity of a film.

It seems that audiences and even most film critics have tacitly accepted this situation—they rarely speak about it. This may be partly because of the special nature of film. In many other arts it is obvious that reproductions of a work are not the work itself, and they are not treated as such. However, the very nature of film makes it an exactly reproducible art form; under ideal conditions, each print is not merely a reproduction but is in fact another instance of the work itself. But we tend to overlook how rarely the ideal conditions apply, and this is disturbing for two reasons. First, professional analysis, interpretation, and evaluation may be unfair to filmmakers when—as is surprisingly often the case—they are based on a version that has already been seriously altered. Second, when critics' comments are based on original, uncompromised versions of the films, they may raise false expectations with regard to the more or less faulty versions that are often available to viewers.    1 
 1. In the passage, the author primarily attempts to

(A) provide evidence against a claim that is often made in the criticism of a particular art form
(B) establish that changing the materials used in a particular art form would enhance public appreciation of that art form
(C) refute a commonly held view regarding the detrimental effects of criticism on a particular art form
(D) describe a problem that is generally overlooked in the criticism of a particular art form
(E) explain why a particular art form is the target of negative criticism

2 
 2. The author distinguishes film from at least some other art forms with regard to the

(A) extent of public reliance on professional analyses and evaluations
(B) possibility of creating multiple instances of the same artwork
(C) susceptibility of the artwork to damage through environmental factors and aging
(D) degree of control that a work's creator has over the conditions of its public presentation
(E) complexity of the methods used to provide public access to artwork

3 
 3. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Films should be projected at precisely the speed at which they were designed to be projected. 
(B)Filmmakers should accept the fact that criticisms are often directed against distributors rather than against filmmakers.
(C) Film critics should acknowledge that mutilations of films during distribution and public exhibition are inevitable.
(D) Film commentaries should not be concerned with audience reactions to films.
(E) Films should be viewed only in relatively large, darkened theaters.

4 
 4. Which one of the following would, if true, most strengthen the author's argument concerning any modification of a film for distribution?

(A) Almost all filmmakers whose work critics respect approve of the distribution of altered versions of their films.
(B) Mass-market television and video technology has recently improved in its ability to present films in ways that conform to the intentions of filmmakers.
(C) Many professional commentaries on nonfilm artworks are based on aged, mutilated, or otherwise altered versions of those works. 
(D) Almost all viewers of films are unaware of the professional commentaries that are written about those films.
(E) In almost every film that has a soundtrack, all parts of the soundtrack are designed by the filmmaker to contribute significantly to the film's artistic value.

5 
 5. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes which one of the following statements about films?

(A) When shown on television—even without having been reedited and without any commercial breaks or superimposed messages—films can be artistically compromised to some extent.
(B) Films are considered by many art critics to be of questionable significance as a topic of serious scholarly analysis, interpretation, and evaluation.
(C) Because of technical limitations involved in the process of reproducing films, no reproduction of any one film can be strictly classified as the work that the filmmaker intended.
(D) Even when they are distributed in uncompromised versions, films elicit variable responses from viewers, and thus they can rarely be expected to have the aesthetic impact that the filmmakers intend.
(E) Most films do not meet the standards set by writings that analyze their structural and aesthetic qualities.

6 
 6. Suppose that a Russian company is planning to distribute to Russian-speaking audiences a film that was produced in Italy with dialogue originally spoken only in Italian. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following recommendations regarding the film?

(A) The company should attempt to translate the film's title into Russian but should also make explanatory material available for audiences that know no Italian.
(B) The company should first make the film available only to critics who understand Italian and afterwards should release it to the general public.
(C) The film should be subtitled in Russian, but only if the translation is strictly faithful to the original.
(D) The version of the film that Russian-speaking audiences see should not include subtitles.
(E) The film should be very cautiously restructured, as needed, to make the filmmaker's intentions clearer to Russian-speaking audiences.

solvewithsourabh · Answer

hey, could you provide solution for q4 and 6

4. Which one of the following would, if true, most strengthen the author's argument concerning any modification of a film for distribution?

(A) Almost all filmmakers whose work critics respect approve of the distribution of altered versions of their films.
(B) Mass-market television and video technology has recently improved in its ability to present films in ways that conform to the intentions of filmmakers.
(C) Many professional commentaries on nonfilm artworks are based on aged, mutilated, or otherwise altered versions of those works.
(D) Almost all viewers of films are unaware of the professional commentaries that are written about those films.
(E) In almost every film that has a soundtrack, all parts of the soundtrack are designed by the filmmaker to contribute significantly to the film's artistic value.

here goes my try for Q4,
so as per the Que stem we are asked to strengthen the argument provided by the Author specifically concerning the 'modifications done in the film' for distribution.
Now author agrues that the prgrammers do these modifications for commercial purposes but by doing so they compromise the intention/integrity of the film.

so, now we have to look for the ans option that will provide more grounds that these modifications really compromise the film's integrity in some way.
Opt E does this job perfectly. Opt E states that every part of the soundtrack is important and as per athour's argument - the programmers run spoken announcements over the parts of soundtracks which will eventually disturb the main/important soundtracks of the film.

hence opt E is correct.

thanks & regards,
SourabhC

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. Which one of the following would, if true, most strengthen the author's argument concerning any modification of a film for distribution?

Explanation

The author argues that various external factors intervene between the filmmaker's intent and the audience's experience, often altering the qualities of a film and, consequently, the viewer's perception of it. The author mentions that films can be mutilated in many ways during the process of distribution and suffer the most extensive deformations when shown on television or video. The author also argues that audiences and even most film critics have tacitly accepted this situation. To strengthen this argument, the answer choice would have to provide additional evidence or support for the idea that modifications of a film for distribution are common and damaging.

(A)  is irrelevant to the author's argument because the opinion of filmmakers is not discussed or relevant to the argument.

(B)  weakens the author's argument because it suggests that technology is improving and can present films in ways that conform to the intentions of filmmakers.

(C)  is irrelevant because it discusses professional commentaries on nonfilm artworks rather than film.

(D)  is also irrelevant because it discusses the awareness of viewers of professional commentaries rather than modifications of films for distribution.

(E)  strengthens the author's argument because it supports the idea that all parts of a film's soundtrack are significant to the film's artistic value and that any alteration to the soundtrack would be detrimental to the film's integrity.

Therefore, the correct answer is (E).

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. Suppose that a Russian company is planning to distribute to Russian-speaking audiences a film that was produced in Italy with dialogue originally spoken only in Italian. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following recommendations regarding the film?

Explanation

The passage discusses how external factors, such as subtitling, dubbing, editing, and technological limitations, can alter a film's qualities and distort the audience's perception of it. Therefore, the author would likely be concerned about the potential harm that could be caused to the Italian film's integrity and the audience's understanding of it when it is distributed to Russian-speaking audiences.

Option A  suggests that the company should translate the film's title into Russian and make explanatory material available for audiences that know no Italian. While this option acknowledges the language barrier and suggests providing additional information to enhance the audience's comprehension of the film, it does not address the issue of how subtitles or dubbing may affect the film's qualities and the audience's perception of it.

Option B  recommends that the film should first be made available only to critics who understand Italian and afterward should be released to the general public. This option seems impractical and does not address the issue of how the film should be distributed to Russian-speaking audiences.

Option C  suggests that the film should be subtitled in Russian, but only if the translation is strictly faithful to the original. This option addresses the language barrier and suggests that the translation should be accurate to preserve the original qualities of the film. This option aligns with the author's concerns about preserving the integrity of the film.

Option D  suggests that the version of the film that Russian-speaking audiences see should not include subtitles. This option does not address the language barrier and is likely to lead to the audience's incomprehension of the film.

Option E  recommends restructuring the film to make the filmmaker's intentions clearer to Russian-speaking audiences. However, this option suggests altering the film, which contradicts the author's concern about preserving the film's original qualities.

Therefore, the correct answer is  (C)  the film should be subtitled in Russian, but only if the translation is strictly faithful to the original.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

1. In the passage, the author primarily attempts to

Explanation

(A)  This option suggests that the author is presenting evidence to counter a claim made in criticism of a particular art form. However, the passage does not directly engage in refuting a specific claim made in criticism. Instead, it primarily describes how external factors can alter films and impact the viewer's experience.

(B)  This option implies that the author is advocating for changing the materials used in a particular art form to improve public appreciation. However, the passage does not address changing materials but rather focuses on how films are altered during distribution and presentation.

(C)  This option suggests that the author is arguing against a commonly held view about the detrimental effects of criticism on a specific art form. While the author does highlight how external factors can affect a film's perception, they do not directly address or refute a commonly held view about criticism's effects on the art form itself.

(D)   This is the correct answer. The passage primarily serves to describe a problem that is often overlooked in the criticism of films. The problem is the alteration of films during distribution and presentation, and how this affects the viewer's experience.

(E)  This option suggests that the author is explaining why a particular art form, in this case, film, receives negative criticism. However, the passage does not delve into the reasons behind negative criticism; it focuses on how films are altered and how this affects the audience.

Answer: D

Raman109 · Answer

1. In the passage, the author primarily attempts to

(A) provide evidence against a claim that is often made in the criticism of a particular art form
(B) establish that changing the materials used in a particular art form would enhance public appreciation of that art form
(C) refute a commonly held view regarding the detrimental effects of criticism on a particular art form
(D) describe a problem that is generally overlooked in the criticism of a particular art form
(E) explain why a particular art form is the target of negative criticism

(A) Provide evidence against a claim that is often made in the criticism of a particular art form. - The author does not provide the evidence but highlights the under-recognized issues (distribution alterations, TV issues, and so on) overlooked by critics and viewers.

(B) establish that changing the materials used in a particular art form would enhance public appreciation of that art form - Out of scope.

(C) refute a commonly held view regarding the detrimental effects of criticism on a particular art form - Out of scope.

(D) describe a problem that is generally overlooked in the criticism of a particular art form - OK.

(E) explain why a particular art form is the target of negative criticism - No. The issue is not to explain why they are the target of negative criticism. The issue is that there is a problem with that criticism in light of the issues that are overlooked by critics and viewers.

Raman109 · Answer

6. Suppose that a Russian company is planning to distribute to Russian-speaking audiences a film that was produced in Italy with dialogue originally spoken only in Italian. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following recommendations regarding the film?

(A) The company should attempt to translate the film's title into Russian but should also make explanatory material available for audiences that know no Italian. - Out of scope.

(B) The company should first make the film available only to critics who understand Italian and afterwards should release it to the general public. - Out of scope.

(C) The film should be subtitled in Russian, but only if the translation is strictly faithful to the original. - ok.

(D) The version of the film that Russian-speaking audiences see should not include subtitles. - no.

(E) The film should be very cautiously restructured, as needed, to make the filmmaker's intentions clearer to Russian-speaking audiences. - The passage mentions that this is an unreliable way: "Some films are re-edited to render them "more understandable" by their target audiences, while others are given new titles rather than translations of their original titles, a practice that often creates false expectations and distorts the work's intent." Wrong.

Most writings on the subject of motion pictures, including those

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Most writings on the subject of motion pictures, including those

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