Woody Allen

Answer choices

1. A

   Too Strong4% picked this

   Most people who consider themselves to be artists are merely documenting their personal suffering and fobbing

   Too Strong: most Wrong Point of View This answer sounds like Woody Allen's point of view (or that of some of his protagonists). But this question stem is asking about the author. The author was just reporting on Allen's view, not necessarily sharing it. We have no idea if our author thinks more than 50% of artists are just trying to pawn off their personal suffering as art.

   4%
2. B

   Correct86% picked this

   The continuing presence of a topic in an artist's work suggests that the topic is likely an issue

   Why this is right

   The author's voice comes through strongly at the end of the 2nd paragraph, to editorialize a little bit ... this is where she's kind of psychoanalyzing Woody Allen. It'd be like a critic saying, "There are so many evil mothers in Pam's films that it's pretty fair to assume that Pam has a troubled relationship with her mom, and she's working through these issues in her films". (End of 2nd Paragraph) Indeed, the possibility that artists are merely X'ing appears sufficiently often in Allen's films to seem an unresolved personal issue. The internal logic of that sentence suggests that the author thinks that "if something appears sufficiently in Allen's work, then it's probably a personal issue Allen deals with". This answer choice matches that sentiment.

   Skill tested: Author Opinion · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

   86%
3. C

   Too Strong: unique7% picked this

   Allen's film career is unique in that he regularly features unhappy, narcissistic

   We know that our author thinks Allen's film career has a definite theme: featuring unhappy, narcissistic artists as protagonists. But just because this typifies Allen's career doesn't mean it's unique to him, that no one else ever did this before or since.

   7%
4. D

   Too Strong: must use / truly artistic1% picked this

   An artist must use his or her own experiences as the source of inspiration for a work in order for that work

   This author thinks (at the end of the 2nd paragraph) that Woody uses his own personal issues as part of a recurring theme, but the author never said anything so extreme or dramatic as "an artist has to use their own experience, or else they are not truly artistic".

   1%
5. E

   Out of Scope: accurately reflect1% picked this

   Allen's films accurately reflect real life in depicting inartistic individuals as

   This is similar to (A), in that it's accusing our author of having had her own take on whether or not artistic people suck, or whether inartistic people are happier. She reported on these themes in Woody Allen's films. His films depict inartistic individuals as happier. But we have no idea if the author thinks this is true in real life.

   1%