Woody Allen

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct72% picked this

   The theme of the neurotic and narcissistic nature of artists is, though most intensely presented in Deconstructing Harry, one that Woody Allen

   Why this is right

   It's a little weird to me that Deconstructing is making it into the Main Point sentence, since that movie is one of a handful of examples, but it's not part of the main clause. The main clause is "The theme of neurotic/narcisstic artists is one that Allen has explored throughout his career". That's a great match for the last two sentences of the first paragraph.

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

   72%
2. B

   Wrong Emphasis18% picked this

   Woody Allen's films suggest, by means of their depictions of artists, that the pursuit of an artistic life leads to unhappiness and that happiness

   This answer is making it seem like the author's focus was in spreading the message of Woody Allen's films. The message this answer portrays is mostly accurate -- though it's a little too strong to say "pursuit of an artistic life leads to unhappiness." Woody Allen hates a life that's "dedicated to and obsessed with art" and he hates pretentious / narcissistic artists. But it's not clear that he thinks that anyone pursuing an artistic life falls into those trappings. More importantly, the author's Big Picture goal is explicitly identifying a common motif that runs through Woody's films. It's less clear in the phrasing of this answer than in the correct answer that this depiction of artists is a "concentrated reprise of a theme present throughout his career".

   18%
3. C

   Wrong Tone1% picked this

   Deconstructing Harry, like many of Woody Allen's films, shows that the creation of art requires sacrifice, though many would-be artists are unable or unwilling

   According to this answer, Woody Allen's message is that great artists are heroic -- the great ones are willing to put in the sacrifice needed to create enduring works. Meanwhile, the actual message is that obsessive art / art lovers are narcissists and annoying.

   1%
4. D

   Woody Allen Trap Too Strong: most7% picked this

   Woody Allen's career indicates that, like most artists, he uses his own experiences and neuroses to create the works for which he

   Woody Allen, the actor, is most frequently described as "neurotic" in the real world, so this answer is trying to rope people into using their outside knowledge that Woody himself is probably pretty similar to the characters that are negatively profiled in these movies. But this author / this passage doesn't give us any way to support the idea that Woody Allen is modeling this after himself (other than one tiny reference in the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph). Even if we thought the passage was saying that Woody uses his own experiences for his most acclaimed works, we can't find the passage saying "most artists" have the same experience.

   7%
5. E

   Too Strong: unavoidably Wrong Tone1% picked this

   Woody Allen's films show that artists are unavoidably narcissistic and neurotic and that they are, because of this, able to produce works

   The fact that this answer makes it seem like one of Woody's points is that artists can produce works of great beauty in power seems totally unjustified. In all the examples of negative portrayals of artists, was there any point where we heard that the films were emphasizing the great beauty and power of the works of these narcissists? Also, "unavoidably" is not supportable.

   1%