Critical Reasoning

Theater Critic: The play La Finestrina, now at Central Theater was written in Italy in the eighteenth century. The director claims that this production is as similar to the original production as is possible in modern theater. Although the actor who plays Harlequin the clown gives a performance very reminiscent of the 20th-centruy american comedian Groucho Marx, Marx's comic style was very much within the comic acting tradition that had begun in the sixteenth-century Italy.

The considerations given best serve as a part of the argument that:

A) modern audiences would find it hard to tolerate certain characteristics of a historically accurate performance of the eighteenth-century play.
B) Groucho Marx once performed the part of the character Harlequin in La Finestrina.
C) in the US the training of actors in the 20th centuryis based on principles that do not differ radically from those that underlay the training of actors in the 18th century.
D) the performance of actor who plays Harlequin in the play does not serve as evidence against the director's claim
E) the director of the play must have advised the actor who plays Harlequin to model his performance on comic performances of Groucho marx.


Kindly help me with this question. I am not able to understand what the question specifically asks of me. A bit simplified solution is what might help me to understand and approach such questions.

Thanks in advance.

Theater Critic: The play La Finestrina, now at Central Theater, was written in Italy in the eighteenth century. The director claims that this production is as similar to the original production as is possible in a modern theater. Although the actor who plays Harlequin the clown gives a performance very reminiscent of the twentieth-century American comedian Groucho Marx, Marx's comic style was very much within the comic acting tradition that had begun in sixteenth-century Italy.

The considerations given best serve as part of an argument that
(A) modern audiences would find it hard to tolerate certain characteristics of a historically accurate performance of an eighteenth-century play
(B) Groucho Marx once performed the part of the character Harlequin in La Finestrina
(C) in the United States the training of actors in the twentieth century is based on principles that do not differ radically from those that underlay the training of actors in eighteenth-century Italy
(D) the performance of the actor who plays Harlequin in La Finestrina does not serve as evidence against the director's claim
(E) the director of La Finestrina must have advised the actor who plays Harlequin to model his performance on comic performances of Groucho Marx

The director links the MODERN production of La Finestrina to the ORIGINAL production in the 18th century.
He establishes this LINK by offering the following evidence:
The actor who plays Harlequin the clown gives a performance very reminiscent of the twentieth-century American comedian Groucho Marx -- a comic style that WAS very much within the comic acting tradition that HAD BEGUN in sixteenth-century Italy.
Note the VERBS: the tradition HAD BEGUN in the 16th century and WAS still in use in the 20th century.
These verbs imply that the comic tradition remained just that -- a TRADITION -- during the intervening years.

Since these intervening years include the 18th century -- the time of the original production of La Finestrina -- the performance of the actor STRENGTHENS THE LINK between the MODERN production and the ORIGINAL production.
Thus, the actor's performance could not serve as evidence AGAINST the director's claim that the two productions are similar:
D: The performance of the actor who plays Harlequin in La Finestrina does not serve as evidence against the director's claim.

The correct answer is D.

Many thanks GMATGuruNY. Your explanation was very well formulated.

Hi Verbal Experts (Dave/Mitch/others) - a quick question on why option C is wrong.

It states about the ACTORS in GENERAL, but the ARGUMENT talks only about the actor who plays Harlequin -- so what is TRUE for one ACTOR can't be considered TRUE for the ACTORS in GENERAL.

Is this reason correct to eliminate C ?

P.S: Moreover,even if we argue that option C could be TRUE, we can't say that it's MUST BE TRUE as the CONCLUSION (because it's an INFERENCE Qs in which an OA MUST BE TRUE). Right ?

RBBmba@2014 wrote:Hi Verbal Experts (Dave/Mitch/others) - a quick question on why option C is wrong.

It states about the ACTORS in GENERAL, but the ARGUMENT talks only about the actor who plays Harlequin -- so what is TRUE for one ACTOR can't be considered TRUE for the ACTORS in GENERAL.

Is this reason correct to eliminate C ?

Yes.

P.S: Moreover,even if we argue that option C could be TRUE, we can't say that it's MUST BE TRUE as the CONCLUSION (because it's an INFERENCE Qs in which an OA MUST BE TRUE). Right ?

This line of reasoning is valid.

The director links the MODERN production of La Finestrina to the ORIGINAL production in the 18th century.
He establishes this LINK by offering the following evidence:
The actor who plays Harlequin the clown gives a performance very reminiscent of the twentieth-century American comedian Groucho Marx -- a comic style that WAS very much within the comic acting tradition that HAD BEGUN in sixteenth-century Italy.
Note the VERBS: the tradition HAD BEGUN in the 16th century and WAS still in use in the 20th century.
These verbs imply that the comic tradition remained just that -- a TRADITION -- during the intervening years.

Since these intervening years include the 18th century -- the time of the original production of La Finestrina -- the performance of the actor STRENGTHENS THE LINK between the MODERN production and the ORIGINAL production.
Thus, the actor's performance could not serve as evidence AGAINST the director's claim that the two productions are similar:
D: The performance of the actor who plays Harlequin in La Finestrina does not serve as evidence against the director's claim.

The correct answer is D.

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Hi GMATGuruNY ,

Can you please explain why optionE is wrong?

Many thanks in advance.

Kavin