#22 - Global Reference, Must Be True, Author's Perspective

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (A).

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[ashpine17]

This question was so hard
I thought the correct answer was that the media was now doing most of the work advertising for studios; isn’t that what the paragraph 2 literally says??

[Jeff Wren]

Hi ashpine,

I'm a little confused by your question.

None of the answers in question 22 states "that the media was now doing most of the work advertising for studios," so I'm not sure what answer you chose.

Perhaps you're misreading one of the answers?

As for the correct Answer A, the author would very likely agree that the Hollywood films of the mid-1920s were generally more engaging to watch than the Hollywood films of today since the author's main point in the passage is how the mass media industry is now making Hollywood films less emotionally satisfying/engaging.

[jmulder615]

I would love an explanation here because I don't see how it is a valid inference that 1920s movies were "more engaging" than present movies. I would argue that developments in video technology have made even the worst modern movies more engaging than the best 1920s black-and-white movies. Sure, it is mentioned that movies today depend on, according to the author, captivating the audience through promo materials moreso than through the actual quality of the film. But, I think it would be a logical jump to say that because success in a field demands one thing, it can't possess another.

Idk, I usually can see the inference but I am struggling with this one.

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi jmulder,

Generally, I'm on board that just because a passage says captivating an audience requires promotion doesn't mean it doesn't also require other things. However, this passage uses the word "only" with regard to how movies are successful. Movies are successful now ONLY because they captivate curiosity, which means they aren't successful for other reasons. They therefore cannot also be successful because they are of higher quality. They are successful because they pique curiosity but nothing more.

Remember that you aren't trying to figure out what is actually true about the world here. Information about new technological advances in movie-making is beyond the scope of this argument. You are only asked questions about the perspective and information in the passage. It doesn't matter if you disagree with the author's conclusion. You aren't being asked to agree, but instead to describe, understand, and engage with the argument as written. It sometimes helps me to think of these passages as not trying to teach anything in particular, but instead, as if they were a student paper on X, and my job is to grade the reasoning. If I think of the passage in that way, it's easier for me to focus on the exact argument given.

Hope that helps!