Reading Comprehension

PT152 · S3 · P2 · Q10 David Bordwell

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Reading Comprehension question.

  • Save & drill this skill — build targeted practice sets from questions like this one

  • Video walkthroughs — watch every question solved step by step

  • 81 official LSATs — as questions, timed sections & full-length tests

Start practicing free

Film scholar David Bordwell refers to the years 1917–1960 as the classical era of filmmaking in Hollywood.

Topic

Bordwell's definition of Hollywood's "classical period", as it relates to musicals

Framework

Challenge a Position

Main Point

Bordwell's explanation of how musicals fit within the realism of the "classical style" is not fully satisfying.

Summary

P1 - Introduction to Bordwell's "classical era"

This paragraph neutrally introduces Bordwell's characterization of the classical era -- basically, it was a realistic style that was all about telling a conventional story and making you forget that you were watching a movie. Stuff was only done to serve the interest of the narrative, not to call your attention to the fact that you were watching a work of visual art.

P2 - The Curious case of Musicals

It's weird that we don't get our central topic until the beginning of the 2nd paragraph, but the adjective "anomalous" is meant to have the same effect as our typical Purpose Pivot (usually using words like "but, yet, however, recently"). When we start with background and then pivot into something that feels like, "But this thing is different ... ", then we know that this different thing is what the author really wants to focus on.

This paragraph explains how musicals offer quite a challenge to the classical era definition, given that they have wacky musical numbers throughout the movie that are anything but realistic and don't have any purpose in advancing the story. The author innocuously asks whether musicals can be included in under the umbrella of classical era.

P3 - Bordwell's handling of "musicals" and the author's critique of that handling

Bordwell says,

The author ain't happy with this. She thinks it's really dodging the common sense issue that these musical numbers are totally un-realistic, and it also bothers the author that, as a viewer, you can plainly tell that the director is now just having fun as a visual artist, wants you to notice that, and doesn't any longer care about advancing the story.

The author is basically saying that even if an audience member said to themselves ahead of time, , the viewer would still notice the musical numbers as being a total break from reality.

The author concludes by trying to redirect the efforts of people like Bordwell so that they don't come back with crap they're currently selling, sayin' that musicals are realistic when they clearly aren't.

10.

Which one of the following most accurately describes the organization of the passage?

  1. Correct

    The author states a scholar’s

    Why this is right

    The last three ingredients here all come from the last paragraph, making this answer seem a little weird, but everything is accurate. The author state's Bordwell's thesis in the 1st paragraph, counters it in the 2nd paragraph with the example of musicals, summarizes Bordwell's response to the musical 'counterexample' in the beginning of the 3rd, and then the author shoots down the response and recommends an alternate research direction. The "But raising the issue of genre" part of the 3rd paragraph is where the author is pointing out her problem with Bordwell's response, and the final sentence is where the author is implicitly 'criticizing' the scholar's research by saying "what they really should be doing is ____ ".

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

    67% picked this

  2. The author takes issue with

    Multiple Mismatches

    This lacks a match for the first paragraph, so it looks like a good idea to bail early. The passage starts with a paragraph of Bordwell, not with the author taking issue with something. We would also find mismatches in terms of "counterthesis" (this doesn't happen -- it would sound like our author saying, "No, Bordwell, the real definition of the Classical style is ____ "), and thus we also couldn't say that at the end the author wants to replace Bordwell's thesis with a counterthesis.

    1% picked this

  3. The author states a scholar’s

    Example Doesn't Illustrate

    This is super close to being correct (and super close to resembling choice A), but the example of "musical films" is not meant to illustrate the thesis. It's meant to be a challenge to the thesis. The scholar doesn't interpret the example ... the scholar defends his thesis against the challenge.

    25% picked this

  4. The author takes issue with

    First and Last Bad Match

    This lacks a match for the first paragraph, so it looks like a good idea to bail early. The passage starts with a paragraph of Bordwell, not with the author taking issue with something. The last ingredient is also awry. The author doesn't offer a new thesis to replace the scholar's; she just proposes a better direction for future inquiry.

    3% picked this

  5. The author states a scholar’s

    2nd ingredient Mismatch

    We do indeed start with a scholar's thesis, but we don't present the results of any research (and the 2nd paragraph is challenging the thesis, not supporting it). We can stop reading there. It is funny, though, to see "acknowledges the legitimacy of the response", since our author does not think Bordwell's defense of why musical films are included is a legit response.

    3% picked this

Continue the review in LSAT Lab

Save this question, watch the video walkthrough, and drill similar questions in your LSAT Lab account.

Save and practice this skill
LSAT Lab

Turn this review into a targeted study plan.

Save this question, drill more like it, watch the video walkthrough, and track your progress in your LSAT Lab account.

Start practicing free