#1 - Main Point

[reop6780]

I understand this is main point question, which is usually easy.

Still, I keep choosing answer A over E; E is the correct answer.

From the line 8, "but his originallity..." the passage advances with the explanation of Sembene's originality in relevance with West African culture.

I just feel that answer E is phrased to focus on "social and political issues" while the whole passages are about similarities with West African culture.

What makes answer E better answer than answer A?

Is answer A wrong becasue it did not mention "social and politicla issues" which are meant to be important to address as main point, which I do not recognize?

Or, Is answer A short of some elements to fully address Western Affrican culture; in short, can it be a better answer if answer A added "motifs" to "traditional archetypal..and open-ended plots" ?

[Lucas Moreau]

Hello, reop,

These Main Point questions can get mighty specific, lol! The main problem with A is it talks about his "originality as a filmmaker"...seeing as he is explicitly drawing on traditional plots and character roles, I would say originality isn't his strongest suit. E is better because it speaks of what makes him "notable" as a filmmaker.

And also, yes, as you said, E talks about his use of these West African themes and motifs to perform social and political commentary. A is mostly correct, but not quite all-encompassing enough to be the Main Point.

Hope that helps,
Lucas Moreau

[reop6780]

So, basically A is a little short of some points to be a main point.

I was confused with the sentence, "But his orginality as a filmmaker lies most strikingly in his having successfully adapted film" in the first paragraph (8-9).

I really thought the passage started with its main point mentioned in the first paragraph.

I guess A is a trap.

Thank you

[jona_zx]

I eliminated E because of its use of "contemporary", the passage states that he wants to raise awareness of both past and present...

[Jeff Wren]

Hi jona,

This is one of those situations where you don't want perfect to be the enemy of good, as the saying goes.

Answer E is the best answer of the choices given.

While you are correct that the passage mentions Sembene's goal to "raise their awareness of the past and present realities of their society" (lines 6-8), the reason for including past realities of their society is to give context to current social and political issues. To use an example from the U.S., a historical film about slavery or Jim Crow segregation laws in the United States could provide historical context to contemporary issues of racial discrimination.

Sembene isn't simply interested in history for its own sake, he cares about how those past issues have created the current society and its issues. I realize that this isn't explicitly stated in the passage, but it is implied. Sembene is mainly known as a "sociopolitical" (line 3) filmmaker who studied "socialist realism" (lines 4-5) filmmaking methods. Later, the passage states that "his films denounce social and political injustice" (lines 48-49). While some of those injustices may have occurred in the past, they could still be relevant to contemporary social and political issues.