A recent study of major motion pictures revealed that the vast majority of their plots were simply variations on plot...

Maroun on March 17, 2019

Hi, I would like an explanation too please

ahlam on June 17, 2019

I would also like to see an explanation please. I narrowed it down to A and C but ultimatley chose C, why was this wrong?

jenmariah90 on December 3, 2019

Explanation ??

shunhe on January 1, 2020

Hi everyone,

First, let's note that this question is about resolving the paradox, but it is also an EXCEPT question, which means we are looking for the answer that DOES NOT resolve the paradox. In the stimulus, we're told that major motion pictures recycle their plots, with a few variations sprinkled on top. Despite this, many people still enjoy seeing these new movies. Therein lies the paradox: people still love seeing new movies, even though the plots are reused.

(A) tells us that movies with standard plots more financially successful than those with original plots. This tells us why the plots are recycled by the major film producers, but doesn't tell us why people still like watching them. It is not the case that people like seeing movies with standard plots because they're financially successful, it's the other way around. Movies with standard plots are financially successful because people like seeing them. But we still don't know why people like seeing them, and so (A) does not resolve the paradox and is our answer to this EXCEPT question.

(C), on the other hand, tells us that people aren't very likely to see movies with recycled plots within a long time period. As such, it provides an explanation for why people still enjoy seeing movies. For the most part, they don't notice that the plots are recycled! As such, (C) does help resolve the paradox, and cannot be the correct answer. Hope this helps!

Dro1215 on June 8, 2021

if they're more financially successful, it's because people spend the money to see them, so I would strengthen the argument.... yes it tells us why producers like recycled plots, because of the financial success, but it people didn't like them, they wouldn't be successful. it looks like A is a better choice than C, even after reading this explanation