#13 - Specific Reference, Weaken

[ChickenTacosPlease]

Hi PowerScore,

So, I'm not actually having issues in understanding why C is correct for this question, nor am I struggling with why my chosen answer (A) isn't good enough. What I am having trouble with on this question, however, is attempting to reconcile the question and its correct answer, with that of the answer to question #11 from this same passage. I know that probably sounds silly, since the answer for one question shouldn't depend on another, but the fact is that I had answer C selected for this #13 and I changed it after considering the implications of that choice on what I'd selected for #11 and how confident I was in that answer (more confident then choosing C for #13). This was my only miss for this RC, so it's bugging quite a lot. Breaking my problem down as simply as I can...

#13:
Q. How do we weaken the position of Bordwell described at the top of Para 3?
A. (c) Evidence that viewers of musical films in the 1930s all experienced these films in the same way, whether or not they had previously been exposed to musicals

#11:
Q. The author of the passage would most agree with?
A. (d)Audiences learn to accept certain cinematic images as conventions primarily through repeated exposure to such images.

With those Q and As in mind, I considered the rest of Para 3, where the author of the passage was clearly criticizing Bordwell's view, and seemed to suggest (which is probably validated by the correct answer of #11) that the conventions are learned through exposure. But, if that is true, and also, the correct answer to #13 is C, then a premise that viewers experience the films in the same way regardless of previous exposure, would weaken both Bordwell and the author's positions. And while normally I wouldn't think twice about that, I felt the authors critiquing of Bordwell's position was so obvious that it made me think I didn't have a good handle on those first two sentences of Para 3. Thus, I did not choose answer C for #13, and instead went for what I felt would be the answer if I had been slightly misinterpreting the Bordwell's position.

Does this explanation of my confusion make any sense? I'm not sure if I'm misunderstanding something from the passage, or if I understand it clearly and it just shouldn't factor into my answer choice selection.

Thank you for any help!

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi Chicken Tacos,

Questions 11 and 13 have completely different scopes. Question 11 is dealing with the passage as a whole, and the author's view. Question 13 is about attacking Bordwell's specific position on the relationship between musical theater and musical movies.

Focusing on that narrow subject, we want to weaken Bordwell's position that audiences can accept the musical digressions in musical movies because they are already familiar with that style from their experience with musical theater. Our answer choice needs to break that connection between musical theater and musical movies. The only two answer choices that even address musical theater are answer choices (C) and (E). Answer choice (E) is focused on how musical theater is the same as musical movies. Answer choice (C) is the only answer choice that drives a wedge between musical theater and musical movies. By saying that the population of viewers is different, we weaken the familiarity the movie viewers would have with the genre.

Hope that helps!