Film Industry Practices

The alignment of producers of VHS-format VCR's with producers of prerecorded videotapes is most similar to which of the following?

Directions: This question is based on the following reading passage. Choose the best answer to the  question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.

Traditionally, the first firm to commercialize a new technology has benefited from the unique opportunity to shape product definitions, forcing followers to adapt to a standard or invest in an unproven alternative. Today, however, the largest payoffs may go to companies that lead in developing integrated approaches for successful mass production and distribution.
Producers of the Beta format for videocassette recorders (VCR's), for example, were first to develop the VCR commercially in 1975, but producers of the rival VHS (Video Home System) format proved to be more successful at forming strategic alliances with other producers and distributors to manufacture and market their VCR format. Seeking to maintain exclusive control over VCR distribution, Beta producers were reluctant to form such alliances and eventually lost ground to VHS in the competition for the global VCR market.
Despite Beta's substantial technological head start and the fact that VHS was neither technically better nor cheaper than Beta, developers of VHS quickly turned a slight early lead in sales into a dominant position. Strategic alignments with producers of prerecorded tapes reinforced the VHS advantage. The perception among consumers that prerecorded tapes were more available in VHS format further expanded VHS's share of the market. By the end of the 1980's, Beta was no longer in production.

All of the following could be characteristic of film noire, EXCEPT:

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

Film Noir is the collective classification given to movies that characterized the cynicism of the world in the immediate aftermath of World War 2. The films delved into the dark emotions of its characters and were often shot in dark locations to augment the dark, brooding nature of the movies. Pessimism, mistrust, insecurity, and even fear were the emotions that the film makers of the era tried to bring forth in their most primeval form. The main protagonists, the anti-heroes of the age were killers, sociopaths, and even the innocent fall-guys. The movies rarely had happy endings, and frequently ended with the anti-hero dying an un-glorious death. In spite of the age of film noir spanning more than two decades from the years of World War 2 to the 1960s, many critics and commentators do not ascribe the tag of a genre to the film noir age. They say that the movies just depict a mood and set the tone for the film.

Which of the following, if true, would create most doubt about film noir not being a legitimate genre?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

Film Noir is the collective classification given to movies that characterized the cynicism of the world in the immediate aftermath of World War 2. The films delved into the dark emotions of its characters and were often shot in dark locations to augment the dark, brooding nature of the movies. Pessimism, mistrust, insecurity, and even fear were the emotions that the film makers of the era tried to bring forth in their most primeval form. The main protagonists, the anti-heroes of the age were killers, sociopaths, and even the innocent fall-guys. The movies rarely had happy endings, and frequently ended with the anti-hero dying an un-glorious death. In spite of the age of film noir spanning more than two decades from the years of World War 2 to the 1960s, many critics and commentators do not ascribe the tag of a genre to the film noir age. They say that the movies just depict a mood and set the tone for the film.

Directions: Analyse the statements given and choose an appropriate answer for the question that follows:

Before the invention of cinema, dance and drama were only appreciated by those who could afford to attend expensive performances. Cinema recordings of dance and drama were significantly less expensive than were tickets to performances. Public demand for cinema recordings of dance and drama, when they first became available, was overwhelmingly greater than demand had been for tickets to performances. This response indicates that there was a dramatic increase in the number of people who watched dance and drama, after dance and drama were first recorded for the cinema.

Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?