Film has provided unique opportunities for literary expression through the use of associated images. Largely developed by early surrealist artists, the method was originally explored as an extension of the surrealist association of unrelated images to create an abstract expression. In film form, an entire story can be presented through Freudian “free association”, wherein non-linear and even seemingly unrelated events come to describe underlying themes of plot and character. An understanding of the plot and characters can be derived from events that are nonsensical on the surface, but offer associations that allow for interpretation of a coherent story. The method was popularized by Alfred Hitchcock in the movie Psycho. This movie about a killer would not have been approved by the censors if the murder scene was filmed in a more typical manner. Instead, the idea of murder in that scene is expressed as a theme – a theme so powerful that the audience believed they had witnessed a murder scene despite the fact that there was no such scene. The film shows visuals of a hand holding a knife moving up and down, with nothing else on the screen at certain points, and separately it shows visuals of a woman screaming for no apparent reason. When these two visuals are shown one after the other several times, it gives rise to the perception that an event has been witnessed when it was never actually seen.
1. Which of the following best explains the organization of the passage?
A. A literary expression is introduced and its limitations are discussed.
B. A literary expression is introduced and its misuse is criticized.
C. A literary expression is elaborated and its potential threat is elucidated.
D. A literary expression is elaborated and an example is cited.
E. A literary expression is introduced and its merits are discussed.
2. Which of the following can be inferred to be the outcome of the unsuccessful use of associated images technique?
A. Mingling of unrelated events may make the scene open to interpretation.
B. The audience may not appreciate the ingenuity of free association.
C. Awareness about the frequent use of associated images in films may make censorship of movies more critical.
D. Free association may make it possible to create films leaning towards surrealism.
E. Use of associated images may lead to a new genre of films.
3.Which of the following describes the use of “free association” (see highlighted text)?
A. A scene in which two cars are shown to have crashed but only toy cars were actually filmed
B. “Shadow boxing” in which a person is shown fighting with no one else in the room
C. A horror movie filmed by repeatedly mixing images of a blinking lightbulb and a screaming protagonist
D. A scene that shows a stone being thrown at a lake, the stone’s flight, and a splash of water when the stone falls in the lake
E. A protagonist shown as rapidly pacing up and down to indicate his confused state of mind