Reading Comprehension

PT155 · S3 · P1 · Q5 Screening Nonfiction Films

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The following passage is adapted from a 2001 article by a film historian.

Topic

Retrospectives for early nonfiction films

Framework

Challenge a Position, Problem / Solution

Main Point

Early nonfiction films shouldn't be shown together in retrospectives since it will not cast them in their best light and grouping them together creates an exhibition that is inauthentic compared to how they were viewed in their day.

Summary

P1 - Background Info Leading into the Problem

This paragraph discusses the goal of art exhibitions to "collect the similar" and explains how in film that manifests as 'a retrospective'. It ends with one of our big 4 Pivot words (but, yet, however, recently) suggesting that notable retrospectives on early nonfiction films will be our primary topic.

P2 - Description of the Problem

The author begins with another big 4 Pivot word, "But", and he even uses the first-person pronoun "I". This first sentence of the 2nd paragraph appears to be our thesis: collecting the similar is not a great idea for early nonfiction films. He explains why doing so will result in a boring event that doesn't resemble the way these films would have been presented in their time.

P3 - Author's Criticizes the Irony of the Problem

This paragraph establishes that the people responsible for the problem are deeply concerned with authenticity when it comes to restoring the films themselves, but should be more concerned with authenticity when it comes to putting on retrospectives that better resemble the carefully curated night of mixed programming, of which these early nonfiction films would have been a part.

5.

The author most likely intends the final sentence of the passage to

  1. call into question the sincerity

    Too Strong

    Calling into question someone's sincerity as an early film aficionado is a pretty sneering tone. "Psssh. Are you even an early film aficionado?" The author is saying, "C'mon, fellow early film aficionados, let's not mess this up. Let's make the exhibition conditions better match how these films were originally shown."

    15% picked this

  2. Correct

    carry an implication regarding the

    Why this is right

    The last sentence is saying that "we should not forsake their insight (which was to show these films as part of a night of mixed programming)". So it's carrying the implication that "the proper way to show these early nonfiction films is as part of a night of mixed programming."

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

    70% picked this

  3. trace the historical basis behind

    Wrong Target

    The second to last sentence did what this answer is describing. The last sentence isn't about historical basis at all. It's imploring fellow early film lovers, currently, to not screw up how we screen early nonfiction.

    3% picked this

  4. suggest that it is incumbent

    Too Strong: earliest

    Nothing in this sentence or passage was saying that "if we enjoy early films, it is incumbent that we find the earliest possible version." The author never expressed any rule like "the earlier the version, the better".

    6% picked this

  5. challenge the notion that early

    Too Strong: never be understood

    This is saying our author's last sentence was saying, "I don't know, everybody -- I don't think that early film will ever be fully understood by contemporary audiences". Our last sentence was, "Hey, fellow early film lovers. Let's not show early nonfiction back to back to back. Let's show it mixed with other stuff."

    6% picked this

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