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 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

Doubt:Can somebody explain the argument i cannot understand what argument is trying to say.

OA D

You are very right to have problems with this question. It is confusing!

Argument says,
La Finestrina was written in 18th century in Italy.
It is now playing at Central Theather.
The director of the play claims the play is re-produced as close as to its original.
The actor who plays one character (the herlequin) perfoms like 20th century, modern actors; but also his style is very much within context of traditional acting.

Which one is highly possible within the context of the argument?

Directos claims-->this play is modernized but still very similar to its original
The actor's performance is the evidence for this claim!

hope this helps!

Nice question.....and a very good explanation