#4 - Concept Reference, Strengthen

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (E). We want to start here by thinking through what the author's argument is about modifications of film for distribution. The author believes that any modifications to the film are harmful. Specifically, the author talks about how dubbing, changing the speed, and commercial interruptions as some of the possible ways in which a film can be altered from its original form.

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B): Answer choice (B) doesn't help our argument at all. The author is trying to say that the alterations made are important, and impact the integrity of the film. Answer choice (B) says that the mass market technology for adjusting films for TV has changed to better reflect the original intent. That doesn't support the author's position that the alterations are against the original integrity of the film.

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. We want to support the idea that these alterations hurt the integrity of the film. Answer choice (E) does that by giving us a reason that one of the potential alterations (talking over parts of the soundtrack) hurt the integrity because all parts of the soundtrack are important. If all parts of the soundtrack are purposeful, talking over the soundtrack would hurt the integrity of the film.


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

[loveydog]

Why is E correct? I chose B. I thought that the authors argument was that any modification of a film for distribution alters the qualities of the film and the viewers perception. I'm not sure why E would strengthen this - does it just add another specificity to the film that any editing could mess up?

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi loveydog,

We want to start here by thinking through what the author's argument is about modifications of film for distribution. The author believes that any modifications to the film are harmful. Specifically the author talks about how dubbing, changing the speed, and commercial interruptions as some of the possible ways in which a film can be altered from its original form.

We want to support the idea that these alterations hurt the integrity of the film. Answer choice (E) does that by giving us a reason that one of the potential alterations (talking over parts of the soundtrack) hurt the integrity because all parts of the soundtrack are important. If all parts of the soundtrack are purposeful, talking over the soundtrack would hurt the integrity of the film.

Answer choice (B), on the other hand, doesn't help our argument at all. The author is trying to say that the alterations made are important, and impact the integrity of the film. Answer choice (B) says that the mass market technology for adjusting films for TV has changed to better reflect the original intent. That doesn't support the author's position that the alterations are against the original integrity of the film.

Hope that helps!
Rachael

[theamazingrace]

Is it right to say that B wrong because regardless of mass-market television and video technologies improvements with their ability to present films in ways that conform to the intentions of the filmmakers, the film itself is still altered which is the problem posed by the author?

[Paul Marsh]

Hey theamazingrace! Our author's argument concerning modification seems to be that any modification of a film for distribution is a detraction from the work and the filmmaker's intent.

Answer Choice B presents information that would actively weaken that argument. If new tech allows films to be presented in a way that better matches the filmmaker's intent, then the author's whole point about modifications necessarily detracting from the filmmaker's intent would be significantly lessened.

Your question seems to be whether B is presenting information that is irrelevant to the problem raised by the author. I would say no - it is not irrelevant, rather it lessens the problem raised by the author and therefore weakens the author's argument. Which of course makes it a bad answer for a Strengthen question.

Hope that helps!

[g_lawyered]

Hi PS,
I was able to pick answer E only by process of elimination. I had D as a contender but eliminated it because D states "Almost all viewers of films are unaware of the professional commentaries". I understood this to be in direct contradiction to what the 1st line of Paragraph 4 states " It seems that audiences and even most film critics have tacitly accepted this situation". It isn't possible for the viewers/audience to be "unaware" if they've accept the situation. Is this why D is incorrect?

I'm trying to fully understand why E is correct/ something that would strengthen the author's argument. In Paragraph 3, it states:

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.”

But this previous explanation states that the soundtrack is important. This explanation confused me:

"Answer choice (E) does that by giving us a reason that one of the potential alterations (talking over parts of the soundtrack) hurt the integrity because all parts of the soundtrack are important. If all parts of the soundtrack are purposeful, talking over the soundtrack would hurt the integrity of the film."

Does this mean that to the author the soundtrack is important to the film but the programmers are WRONG because they think it's unimportant?

With that explanation, is E correct because I has somewhat of the same language? E states "In almost every film that has a soundtrack, all parts of the soundtrack are designed by the filmmaker to contribute significantly to the filmʼs artistic value.". Does "soundtrack by filmmaker to contribute significantly to films value" equate to the importance of it from paragraph 2 (from the previously quoted lines).
Can someone please further explain this?
Thanks in advance

[Robert Carroll]

g_lawyered,

The situation that's been accepted is a modification of films. Answer choice (D) is talking about commentaries written about films. I don't see any connection there, so answer choice (D) doesn't strengthen the argument. You're noting that there's an interpretation that makes answer choice (D) weaken the argument...and I think I disagree, but that seems to highlight even more that answer choice (D) is wrong for a Strengthen question.

The point we're trying to strengthen here is that the changes to films that happen result in a distorted view of these films. If programmers are altering the soundtrack, and answer choice (E) is claiming that all parts of the soundtrack are essential, that seems very strongly to support the idea that distortions of films are resulting in mistaken ideas about them.

Robert Carroll