Chapter 01: Looking at Movies

MULTIPLE CHOICE

	1.	In what ways that extend far beyond the multiplex have movies permeated our lives?
a.	We watch movies on cable and satellite channels, online, on our iPads and cell phones, buy them at video stores, through the mail, and so on.	
b.	Half of Americans’ entertainment budgets go toward purchasing movies.	
c.	Movies have proven their enduring cultural legacy by being the only sector of the entertainment industry unharmed by the digital revolution.	
d.	According to research data, movies influence Americans’ opinions about culture and politics more than any other form of entertainment.	
e.	Movies are the United States’ number-one export.	

ANS:	A	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 2	TOP:	Looking at Movies
MSC:	Remembering		

	2.	For how long were motion pictures popular before they were considered worthy of serious study?
a.	A year or two.	
b.	10 years.	
c.	20 years.	
d.	50 years.	
e.	The serious study of motion pictures made them popular—they weren’t so before.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 2	TOP:	Looking at Movies
MSC:	Remembering		

	3.	Why are movies worthy of serious study, as opposed to being merely an outlet for escape or entertainment?
a.	Seriously studying movies allows people to better make movies on their own.	
b.	Seriously studying movies allows people to break the habit of constantly watching them.	
c.	Seriously studying movies allows people to understand how movies shape the way we view the world.	
d.	Seriously studying movies allows people to gather the plot synopses of movies they now no longer have to pay to watch.	
e.	Seriously studying movies allows people to also understand literature, art, and other cultural areas.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 2	TOP:	Looking at Movies
MSC:	Understanding		

	4.	Because most movies seek to engage viewers’ emotions and transport them inside the world presented onscreen, the visual vocabulary of film is designed to:
a.	play upon those same instincts that we use to navigate and interpret the visual and aural information of our “real life.”	
b.	work against those same instincts that we use to navigate and interpret the visual and aural information of our “real life.”	
c.	refer to something else far outside our usual understanding of “real life.”	
d.	alienate or distance viewers from what they are watching.	
e.	cause disorientation and confusion in viewers.	

ANS:	A	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Pages 2–3	TOP:	Looking at Movies
MSC:	Remembering		

	5.	As opposed to “film” or “cinema,” the term “movies” is applied to:
a.	motion pictures considered by critics and scholars to be serious and challenging.	
b.	groups of films considered to be works of art.	
c.	the physical spaces where people congregate to watch motion pictures.	
d.	motion pictures made during the silent era of filmmaking.	
e.	motion pictures that entertain the masses at the multiplex.	

ANS:	E	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 3	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Remembering		

	6.	Which of the following is NOT typical of a finished movie product?
a.	It is about two hours long.	
b.	It is highly experimental and “difficult” for most viewers.	
c.	It screens initially in theaters.	
d.	It is eventually released to DVD.	
e.	It is created by a team of skilled artists and technicians.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 4	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Remembering		

	7.	Almost all ubiquitous commercial, feature-length movies share the same basic and important     element of:
a.	genre.	d.	sound.	
b.	narrative.	e.	format.	
c.	myth.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 3	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Remembering		

	8.	The manner in which movies from various countries and societies present their narratives is often profoundly affected by:
a.	funding sources.	d.	propaganda purposes.	
b.	media coverage.	e.	Hollywood mimicry.	
c.	cultural tradition.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 4	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Remembering		

	9.	Which of the following is NOT a method by which movies can diverge from the model of most North American and western European films?
a.	By lacking dramatic resolution.	
b.	By directly addressing the audience.	
c.	By presenting characters as social types or props in a political allegory.	
d.	By arranging subject matter in a cause-and-effect sequence of events.	
e.	By filming with handheld video cameras, a small crew, and a cast of nonactors.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 4	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Remembering		

	10.	Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of noncommercial alternative films on the fringes of popular culture?
a.	They are funded by major Hollywood studios.	
b.	They continue to flourish.	
c.	They innovate styles and aesthetics.	
d.	They can be of any length.	
e.	They exploit an array of exhibition options.	

ANS:	A	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 4	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Remembering		

	11.	The essential quality that separates movies from all other two-dimensional pictorial art forms is:
a.	storytelling.	d.	the arrangement of visual elements.	
b.	movement.	e.	the interaction of light and shadow.	
c.	mechanical technology.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 4	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Remembering		

	12.	Unlike photography and painting, films are constructed from individual:
a.	laborers.	d.	shots.	
b.	performances.	e.	lighting setups.	
c.	stories.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 4	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Remembering		

	13.	A shot is best defined as:
a.	an unbroken span of action captured by an uninterrupted run of a motion-picture camera.	
b.	an unbroken span of action captured by an interrupted run of a motion-picture camera.	
c.	a storytelling unit in which action takes place in a single time and location.	
d.	a collection of scenes united by related thematic or structural material.	
e.	a lighting setup, prop, gesture, and the like, repeated throughout a movie.	

ANS:	A	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 4	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Remembering		

	14.	The joining together of discrete shots is called:
a.	mise-en-scène.	d.	mixing.	
b.	lighting.	e.	juxtaposition.	
c.	editing.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 5	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Remembering		

	15.	One of the unique properties of movies that distinguishes it from any other visual medium is its capacity to:
a.	view action from the same angle and relative size.	
b.	prevent the viewer from witnessing events from multiple vantage points.	
c.	confine the viewer to a single wide-angle view of the action.	
d.	see every character at once and continuously.	
e.	isolate details and juxtapose images within and between shots.	

ANS:	E	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 5	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Remembering		

	16.	As opposed to the theater, how is cinema capable of conveying an object’s physical properties as well as its narrative significance and emotional meaning?
a.	It is impossible.	
b.	Only by employing contrived gimmicks that call attention to themselves.	
c.	Only by employing awkward shots that take the viewer out of the story.	
d.	Via many practical options.	
e.	Via limited practical options.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 5	TOP:	What Is a Movie?
MSC:	Applying

	17.	Analysis is defined as:
a.	the act of comparing and contrasting.	
b.	the act of taking something apart to figure out what it is made of and how it fits together.	
c.	the act of creating something from scratch.	
d.	the act of converting one form of information into another.	
e.	the act of learning how to create art.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 6	TOP:	Ways of Looking at Movies
MSC:	Remembering		

	18.	Beyond breaking down a movie to identify the tools and techniques that comprise it, film analysis is also primarily concerned with:
a.	the movie’s box office gross.	
b.	the function and potential effect of its combined tools and techniques.	
c.	how the movie can be neatly categorized in terms of genre or style.	
d.	how marketable or profitable the movie might have been had it used different tools and techniques.	
e.	how the movie compares to a given work of literature or painting.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 6	TOP:	Ways of Looking at Movies
MSC:	Remembering		

	19.	The “invisibility” of meaning in movies is largely due to:
a.	their rapidly and constantly changing images not giving the viewer time to contemplate them.	
b.	their lack of substantive content.	
c.	their difficulty and challenging styles and messages.	
d.	their conflation of real-life action with fictionalized action.	
e.	their inability to move the viewer emotionally or intellectually.	

ANS:	A	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 6	
TOP:	Invisibility and Cinematic Language			MSC:	Remembering

	20.	What does a fade-out/fade-in usually convey when used in a narrative film?
a.	The film’s beginning.	d.	A flashback.	
b.	The film’s end.	e.	A passage of time in between scenes.	
c.	A dream sequence.	

ANS:	E	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Pages 6–8	
TOP:	Invisibility and Cinematic Language			MSC:	Applying

	21.	Techniques such as fade-outs/fade-ins and low-angle shots communicate meaning by:
a.	contriving a film grammar bearing no similarities to how people perceive reality.	
b.	only working in concordance with preceding and succeeding shots.	
c.	solely addressing themselves to seasoned film experts and scholars.	
d.	drawing upon the way we automatically interpret visual information in our real lives.	
e.	constantly confusing and disorienting the viewing audience.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Pages 6–8	
TOP:	Invisibility and Cinematic Language			MSC:	Remembering

	22.	What does a low-angle shot usually convey when used in a narrative film?
a.	The weakness or subjugated position of a character.	
b.	The dominance or empowered position of a character.	
c.	The neutrality of a character.	
d.	The centrality of a character within the story.	
e.	The natural beauty of a character.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 8	
TOP:	Invisibility and Cinematic Language			MSC:	Applying

	23.	In order to exploit cinema’s capacity for transporting audiences into the world of the story, the commercial filmmaking process stresses:
a.	a rough, disruptive style.	
b.	foregrounding and calling attention to transitions between shots and scenes.	
c.	the maximization of any distractions that might remind viewers they are watching a movie.	
d.	elements having nothing to do with the major concerns of the narrative.	
e.	a polished continuity of lighting, performance, costume, makeup, and movement.	

ANS:	E	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 8	
TOP:	Invisibility and Cinematic Language			MSC:	Remembering

	24.	One of the most common editing techniques designed to hide the instantaneous and potentially jarring shift from one camera viewpoint to another is:
a.	montage.	d.	the fade-out/fade-in.	
b.	cutting on action.	e.	the low-angle shot.	
c.	direct address.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 8	
TOP:	Invisibility and Cinematic Language			MSC:	Remembering

	25.	How have motion pictures been recently liberated from the imposed impermanence that helped foster cinematic invisibility?
a.	By decreasing in cultural importance.	
b.	By directly addressing political issues.	
c.	By being available on and through DVD, DVR, and streaming video.	
d.	By increasingly being produced with digital technology.	
e.	By being meticulously archived and catalogued.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 9	
TOP:	Invisibility and Cinematic Language			MSC:	Applying

	26.	In order to entertain and not provoke its customers, the film industry usually favors stories and themes that:
a.	upset and question their most fundamental desires and beliefs.	
b.	bear a superficial relation to their most fundamental desires and beliefs.	
c.	actively avoid addressing their most fundamental desires and beliefs.	
d.	tap into and reinforce their most fundamental desires and beliefs.	
e.	compare their most fundamental desires and beliefs to those of others.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 10	TOP:	Cultural Invisibility
MSC:	Remembering		

	27.	In regard to viewers’ shared belief systems, how can movies deemed “controversial” or “provocative” be popular with audiences?
a.	By tricking them with a misleading advertising campaign.	
b.	By triggering emotional responses from viewers that reinforce yearnings that lie deep within.	
c.	By arousing viewers’ curiosity to see something shocking.	
d.	By addressing taboos only to ultimately defend a traditional or conservative point of view.	
e.	By starring famous actors and actresses—controversial movies without such star power inevitably fail.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 10	TOP:	Cultural Invisibility
MSC:	Applying

	28.	Why is cultural invisibility not always a calculated decision on the part of filmmakers?
a.	Because they don’t know any better.	
b.	Because they aren’t skilled enough in crafting movies.	
c.	Because they misjudge the reactions of their audience.	
d.	Because they often have to make movies according to monetary rather than aesthetic concerns.	
e.	Because they are products of the same society inhabited by their intended audience.	

ANS:	E	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 10	TOP:	Cultural Invisibility
MSC:	Understanding		

	29.	Juno adheres to cultural invisibility by:
a.	championing a protagonist who rejects convention yet ultimately upholds the traditional institutions she seemingly scorns.	
b.	chastising a protagonist who rejects convention yet ultimately upholds the traditional institutions she seemingly scorns.	
c.	championing a protagonist who accepts convention yet ultimately rejects the traditional institutions she seemingly scorns.	
d.	chastising a protagonist who accepts convention yet ultimately rejects the traditional institutions she seemingly scorns.	
e.	failing to resolve its protagonist’s attitude toward convention and traditional institutions.	

ANS:	A	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 11	TOP:	Cultural Invisibility
MSC:	Applying

	30.	Even as Juno seems to call into question some of contemporary America’s attitudes about family, it also:
a.	refuses to take itself seriously by employing low-brow humor.	
b.	calls into question some of contemporary America’s attitudes about politics.	
c.	appeals to an arguably more fundamental American value of robust individualism.	
d.	represents a wide diversity of kinds of family.	
e.	suggests the individual should have less significance within the family.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 11	TOP:	Cultural Invisibility
MSC:	Applying

	31.	Implicit meaning is best defined as ________, while explicit meaning is best defined as ________.
a.	meaning available on the surface of the movie; a deep-level association, connection, or inference	
b.	a deep-level association, connection, or inference; meaning available on the surface of the  movie	
c.	meaning unavailable on the surface of the movie; a deep-level association, connection, or inference	
d.	meaning available on the surface of the movie; a superficial-level association, connection, or inference	
e.	meaning unconnected to the movie; meaning connected to the movie	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 11	
TOP:	Implicit and Explicit Meaning	MSC:	Remembering		

	32.	One way of thinking about implicit meaning is understanding it as a movie’s:
a.	overall message or “point.”	d.	impact on audiences.	
b.	central character.	e.	financial success or failure.	
c.	genre.	

ANS:	A	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 12	
TOP:	Implicit and Explicit Meaning	MSC:	Applying

	33.	In order to possess validity, interpretation of a movie needs to be:
a.	agreed upon by everybody.	
b.	completely original.	
c.	a fantastical reordering of basic story information.	
d.	grounded in the explicitly presented details of the surface story.	
e.	completely unrelated to the surface story.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 12	
TOP:	Implicit and Explicit Meaning	MSC:	Remembering		

	34.	Just as explicit and implicit meanings need not pertain to the movie as a whole, not all implicit meaning is:
a.	relevant.	
b.	valid.	
c.	interesting.	
d.	tied to broad messages or themes.	
e.	tied to small-scale messages or themes.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 12	
TOP:	Implicit and Explicit Meaning	MSC:	Remembering		

	35.	In the scene from Juno where the main character applies lipstick before visiting Mark, the implications of this action are:
a.	explicit.	
b.	implicit.	
c.	unimportant to the overall narrative.	
d.	intended to be the most significant detail in the film.	
e.	accidental.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 12	
TOP:	Implicit and Explicit Meaning	MSC:	Applying

	36.	Because movies are rich in plot detail, a good analysis must begin by:
a.	disregarding such detail.	
b.	sorting through the details and extracting the most important among them.	
c.	immediately mining for implicit meaning.	
d.	comparing the details to those of other movies.	
e.	taking into account the breadth and diversity of what has been explicitly presented.	

ANS:	E	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Pages 12–13	
TOP:	Implicit and Explicit Meaning	MSC:	Applying

	37.	Which of the following does NOT provide an example of how movies relate to viewer expectations?
a.	A movie unsuccessfully exploits a standard structure.	
b.	A movie masterfully surprises or misleads its audience.	
c.	A movie goes over budget and thus fails to make a profit at the box office.	
d.	A movie deliberately confounds its audience’s presumption of continuity and narrative.	
e.	A movie adheres to a winning formula in which a protagonist pursues a goal by confronting obstacles.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 13	TOP:	Viewer Expectations
MSC:	Applying

	38.	Expectations specific to a particular performer or filmmaker can inform an analysis of:
a.	the elements common to the performer or filmmaker’s seemingly schizophrenic body of work.	
b.	how the performer or filmmaker’s artistic choices are random and never thematically linked.	
c.	the personal motives governing the performer or filmmaker’s investment in particular projects.	
d.	the reasons audiences respond to one performer or filmmaker rather than another.	
e.	what a particular performer or filmmaker intends for each shot of a movie.	

ANS:	A	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Pages 13–14	TOP:	Viewer Expectations
MSC:	Applying

	39.	Which of the following would NOT be an appropriate element to comparatively analyze across a director’s body of work?
a.	Production design.	d.	Recurring themes.	
b.	Lighting.	e.	Critical reception.	
c.	Special effects.	

ANS:	E	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 14	TOP:	Viewer Expectations
MSC:	Applying

	40.	Formal analysis is the analytical approach primarily concerned with:
a.	the socioeconomic factors influencing the content of a movie.	
b.	the means by which a subject is expressed.	
c.	the industry dynamics that determine the circumstances of a movie’s production.	
d.	the overall trajectory of a filmmaker’s body of work.	
e.	the history and evolution of a specific film style, genre, or movement.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 14	TOP:	Formal Analysis
MSC:	Remembering		

	41.	Which of the following is NOT a movie meaning expressed through form?
a.	Mood.	d.	Significance.	
b.	Tone.	e.	What a character is thinking or feeling.	
c.	Budgetary cost.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 14	TOP:	Formal Analysis
MSC:	Applying

	42.	Before attempting any interpretation of the formal elements used to communicate intended meaning to the spectator, the analyst should carefully consider:
a.	the popularity of the movie.	
b.	the marketing campaign of the movie.	
c.	the critical reception of the movie.	
d.	the narrative intent of the moment, scene, or sequence in the movie.	
e.	the previous work of the filmmaker(s) who made the movie.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 14	TOP:	Formal Analysis
MSC:	Applying

	43.	The simple awareness that Juno’s opening shot is the first image of the movie informs the analyst of the moment’s:
a.	evocation of setting and time.	
b.	relative unimportance to the rest of the narrative events.	
c.	function as the credit sequence.	
d.	placement at the chronological beginning of the story.	
e.	resonance in context of the director’s other work.	

ANS:	A	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Pages 14–15	TOP:	Formal Analysis
MSC:	Applying

	44.	A formal analysis of the first two shots of Juno reveals:
a.	the way too much meaning can be read into movies.	
b.	the manner in which director Jason Reitman lit and shot the movie’s opening scene.	
c.	the single, simple function and meaning they are meant to impart.	
d.	the multiple functions and meanings they are meant to impart.	
e.	the refusal of audience involvement as intended by the filmmakers.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Pages 14–15	TOP:	Formal Analysis
MSC:	Applying

	45.	The waiting room scene in Juno depends significantly on ________ to function effectively.
a.	shock value	
b.	the dispensation of all mainstream film conventions	
c.	complicated and disorienting point-of-view shots	
d.	an antipathy toward abortion	
e.	editing patterns	

ANS:	E	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Pages 16–19	TOP:	Formal Analysis
MSC:	Applying

	46.	Alternative approaches to film analysis (approaches other than formal analysis) look at movies more as ________ than as traditional works of art.
a.	mysterious phenomena	d.	meaningless entertainment	
b.	political propaganda	e.	stylistic experiments	
c.	cultural artifacts	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 19	
TOP:	Alternative Approaches to Analysis			MSC:	Remembering

	47.	Alternative approaches to film analysis search beneath a movie’s form and content in order to expose:
a.	the movie as ultimately without value.	
b.	the filmmakers as ideologically corrupt.	
c.	moviegoers as manipulated dupes of the movie’s political agenda.	
d.	implicit and hidden meanings that inform our understanding of cinema’s function within popular culture.	
e.	the entire entertainment industry as unsuspectingly subject to outside influences.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 19	
TOP:	Alternative Approaches to Analysis			MSC:	Remembering

	48.	Which of the following would NOT be considered an alternative analysis of Juno?
a.	An exploration of the movie’s treatment of class.	
b.	A detailed explication of the movie’s repeated use of close-ups during its most dramatic moments.	
c.	A feminist perspective on the movie’s depiction of women and childbirth.	
d.	A look at the creative and ideological contributions of the movie’s female screenwriter.	
e.	A linguistic analysis of the historical, cultural, or imaginary origins of the movie’s highly stylized slang.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Pages 19–21	
TOP:	Alternative Approaches to Analysis			MSC:	Applying

	49.	Which of the following would NOT be considered a comparative analysis of Juno?
a.	An analysis of the movie as well as others made by the same director.	
b.	An analysis of the movie as well as others throughout film history that also deal with pregnancy.	
c.	An analysis of the movie’s successful adherence to a three-act screenplay structure.	
d.	An analysis of the movie in the context of several contemporary movies about young women about to become mothers.	
e.	An analysis of the movie in the context of contemporary American comedies tackling controversial topics.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 21	
TOP:	Alternative Approaches to Analysis			MSC:	Applying

	50.	An analysis of the decidedly different characters, settings, and stories among an array of contemporary dramatic comedies dealing with pregnancy might reveal:
a.	the reason certain genres can never successfully depict a certain subject.	
b.	current ideas about women and motherhood.	
c.	the answer to a troubling social problem.	
d.	the most efficacious way to make such a film within the Hollywood system.	
e.	which film audiences will respond to most.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 21	
TOP:	Alternative Approaches to Analysis			MSC:	Applying

	51.	Which of the following would NOT be illuminated by a comparative analysis of a movie?
a.	How certain movies represent a particular era’s cultural attitudes.	
b.	How the relative gender of different films’ creators affects their representation of cultural attitudes.	
c.	The differences between American and European cinematic sensibilities.	
d.	The differences between genres using the same topical premise.	
e.	The repeated use of a color palette in a specific movie.	

ANS:	E	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Pages 21–22	
TOP:	Alternative Approaches to Analysis			MSC:	Applying

	52.	Why would an analysis of the way Juno uses editing techniques similar to those among other contemporary movies be considered a valid one?
a.	Because it automatically implies that Juno is a derivative work of art.	
b.	Because it approaches the movie in strictly formal terms.	
c.	Because it combines formal and comparative analyses.	
d.	Because it separates the film’s editing from all other aspects of its aesthetic.	
e.	Because it divorces the film from its cultural context.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Pages 21–22	
TOP:	Alternative Approaches to Analysis			MSC:	Applying

	53.	Film scholars pay special attention to blockbusters and other popular entertainments in order to:
a.	garner a larger readership.	
b.	compare the quality of such movies with that of art films.	
c.	understand which elements connect such movies with legions of viewers.	
d.	roundly criticize all movies that play to massive audiences.	
e.	figure out the closely guarded secrets of such movies’ special effects.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page Insert 22		
TOP:	Cultural and Formal Analysis in The Hunger Games	MSC:	Remembering

	54.	Which of the following traits could NOT have contributed to the success of the Hunger Games films?
a.	A protagonist who is anti-authoritarian.	
b.	A strong female protagonist.	
c.	Underdog protagonists whose hidden talents lead them to victory.	
d.	Sympathetic antagonists who display the full range of human emotion.	
e.	A story that presents a validating vision of teen empowerment.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page Insert 23		
TOP:	Cultural and Formal Analysis in The Hunger Games	MSC:	Applying

	55.	An analyst studying the appeal of the Hunger Games movies could examine all of the following EXCEPT:
a.	the series from a feminist viewpoint.	
b.	Katniss’s place in a classical storytelling tradition.	
c.	the other films directed by the filmmakers who worked on the series.	
d.	Katniss’s resonance as a Christ figure.	
e.	the films’ central themes and how those ideas reflect the culture that produced and consumed the series.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page Insert 23		
TOP:	Cultural and Formal Analysis in The Hunger Games	MSC:	Applying

	56.	Which of the following characters does NOT follow the Christ archetype?
a.	Katniss from the Hunger Games series.	
b.	Luke Sywalker from Star Wars.	
c.	Neo from The Matrix.	
d.	Juno from Juno.	
e.	Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page Insert 23		
TOP:	Cultural and Formal Analysis in The Hunger Games	MSC:	Remembering

	57.	For a series of movies like The Hunger Games, violence:
a.	contributes a sophisticated visual spectacle to match its sophisticated story and characters.	
b.	contributes a sophisticated visual spectacle to distract viewers from its simplistic story and characters.	
c.	contributes a sophisticated visual spectacle unwanted by movie viewers.	
d.	contributes little in the way of a sophisticated visual spectacle due to the technological crudity of the digital revolution.	
e.	contributes story and character elements missing from the original script.	

ANS:	A	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 23	
TOP:	Cultural and Formal Analysis in The Hunger Games	MSC:	Applying

	58.	Depth of field can be used to:
a.	create seamless transitions between shots.	
b.	adjust the color of a shot.	
c.	control what part of the frame is in focus.	
d.	call attention to the artifice of editing.	
e.	control what part of the shot is in the frame.	

ANS:	C	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 27	
TOP:	Cultural and Formal Analysis in The Hunger Games	MSC:	Remembering

	59.	Which of the following is NOT a technique used to increase the significance of a subject?
a.	Dollying in on the subject.	
b.	Using more elaborate camera movement.	
c.	Compressing the depth of field so that only the subject is in focus.	
d.	Using tighter framing.	
e.	Raising the volume of the subject’s audio.	

ANS:	B	DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Pages 27–29	
TOP:	Cultural and Formal Analysis in The Hunger Games	MSC:	Applying

	60.	Which of the following visual references is NOT used in the Hunger Games series?
a.	The crucifixion of Jesus.	
b.	Photographs from Depression-era America.	
c.	Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin.	
d.	Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period.	
e.	Early twentieth-century fascist architecture.	

ANS:	D	DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page Insert 25		
TOP:	Cultural and Formal Analysis in The Hunger Games	MSC:	Remembering

ESSAY

	1.	For what reasons is it important to study and analyze movies as more than mere “entertainment”?

ANS:	
Movies shape the way we view the world and our place in that world, tell us a great deal about the artist, society, or industry that created them, and contain meanings often concealed behind an imperceptible cinematic language.

DIF:	Medium	REF:	Pages 2–3	TOP:	Looking at Movies	
MSC:	Understanding		

	2.	Explain some reasons popular cinema came to be dominated by movies devoted to telling fictional stories. What are the specific qualities of the cinematic medium and our cultural traditions that brought about such an emphasis on narrative?

ANS:	
The linear quality of movies makes them perfectly suited to develop subject matter in a sequential progression, and when a medium so compatible with narrative is introduced to a culture with an already well-established storytelling tradition, narrative usually becomes central to cinema.

DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 3	TOP:	What Is a Movie?	
MSC:	Remembering		

	3.	Define and explain three characteristics of the cinematic medium that set it apart from all other two-dimensional visual art forms.

ANS:	
Movies are comprised of a series of still images that when viewed in rapid succession appear to be moving; movies are constructed from individual shots that allow visual elements to rearrange themselves and the viewer’s perspective itself to shift within any composition; movies are constructed of multiple individual shots joined to one another in an extended sequence.

DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 4	TOP:	What Is a Movie?	
MSC:	Remembering		

	4.	What is cinematic “invisibility”? What are some of the techniques that allow it to function so proficiently, and how do these work?

ANS:	
Cinematic invisibility is a film grammar (or language) that draws upon the way we automatically interpret visual information in our “real” lives, thus allowing audiences to absorb movie meaning intuitively and instantly. Fade-outs and fade-ins suggest a passage of time by playing on our understanding of passing time by the rising and setting of the sun; low-angle shots make characters look powerful and imposing by playing on the way we look up at revered figures; cutting on action hides the instantaneous and potentially jarring shift from one camera viewpoint to another.

DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Pages 6–8	TOP:	Invisibility and Cinematic Language
MSC:	Applying

	5.	What is “cultural invisibility,” and what are some of the ways filmmakers exploit it for their movies?

ANS:	
Cultural invisibility is the filmmakers’ favoring of stories and themes that reinforce viewers’ shared belief systems. Because the reinforcement of deep yearnings and belief occurs on an unconscious level, the casual viewer may be blind to the implied political, cultural, and ideological messages that help make a movie so appealing. Often filmmakers will wittingly or unwittingly subscribe to cultural invisibility in their films to entertain customers by “giving them what they want.”

DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 10	TOP:	Cultural Invisibility	
MSC:	Applying

	6.	Using Juno as an example, explain the difference between explicit and implicit meaning.

ANS:	
Explicit meaning is a movie’s surface-level information; implicit meaning is comprised of the associations, connections, or inferences underneath that surface-level information. In Juno, Vanessa wears an Alice in Chains shirt while painting her nursery (explicit meaning), which suggests that she no longer values the things she once liked when she was younger and is moving on to the next phase of her life (implicit meaning).

DIF:	Medium	REF:	Pages 11–12	TOP:	Implicit and Explicit Meaning
MSC:	Applying

	7.	Discuss some of the ways viewer expectations are generated by movies.

ANS:	
Viewer expectations can be created by the information people learn about movies beforehand in previews, commercials, reviews, interviews, and word of mouth. For example, after hearing one’s friends rave about Juno, one might be underwhelmed upon actually seeing the film; or one might be disappointed by a slow-moving drama that featured an ad campaign promising a fast-moving action film.

DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 13	TOP:	Viewer Expectations	
MSC:	Applying

	8.	Explain how expectations specific to a particular performer like Michael Cera inform the way viewers perceive his role in Juno.

ANS:	
Fans of Cera’s previous performances as an endearingly awkward adolescent in the film Superbad and television series Arrested Development might watch Juno with a built-in affection for the character he plays in that film, Juno’s sort-of boyfriend. This predetermined fondness does more than help us like the movie; it dramatically changes the way we approach a character type that our expectations might otherwise lead us to distrust.

DIF:	Easy	REF:	Page 13	TOP:	Viewer Expectations	
MSC:	Applying

	9.	Explain some of the several meanings contained in the opening two shots of Juno, especially in regard to how the film conveys basic storytelling information as well as how it evokes the main character’s state of mind.

ANS:	
The opening establishing shot informs the viewer that the setting is contemporary middle-class suburbia at dawn; the composition of the shot—with Juno at the far left of the frame and tiny in relationship to the wide-angle frame—also conveys Juno as overwhelmed and made vulnerable by the prospect of her teenage pregnancy.

DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 15	TOP:	Formal Analysis	
MSC:	Applying

	10.	Explain how certain camera movements, shot selections, and elements of sound design allow viewers to understand what the main character is thinking in the abortion clinic sequence in Juno.

ANS:	
Point-of-view shots show that Juno is focusing her attention on the fingernails of other people in the clinic; several tracking shots enlarge Juno within the frame and evoke the sense that she is having a moment of realization; the abnormally loud volume level of drumming fingernails and other fingernail-related noises evokes the sense that these sounds are impinging on Juno’s consciousness. Altogether these elements allow viewers to understand that Juno is having second thoughts about aborting her pregnancy.

DIF:	Medium	REF:	Pages 16–17	TOP:	Formal Analysis	
MSC:	Applying

	11.	How might an alternative analysis place Juno within the context of director Jason Reitman’s career?

ANS:	
Both Juno and another one of Reitman’s movies, Thank You for Smoking, for instance, take provocative political stances, gradually generate empathy for initially unsympathetic characters, and favor fast-paced expositional montages featuring first-person voice-over narration.

DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 21	TOP:	Alternative Approaches to Analysis
MSC:	Applying

	12.	How might one construct an argument that Juno advocates a pro-life message?

ANS:	
In contrast to the welcoming suburban settings that dominate the rest of the story, the ironically named Women Now abortion clinic is an unattractive structure in an unattractive setting; Juno is confronted by clearly stated and compelling arguments against abortion via Su-Chin; the sole onscreen representative of the pro-choice alternative is a sneering cynic.

DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 21	TOP:	Alternative Approaches to Analysis
MSC:	Applying

	13.	What formal elements are used to emphasize the disparity between the citizens of District 11 and the representatives from the capitol in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire?

ANS:	
The representatives are arranged symmetrically; the workers from District 11 are arranged randomly. The speakers and their armored entourage are veiled in blue shadow close to a flat background. The crowd is rimmed by highlights, which warms their color and adds depth. The Peacekeepers are dehumanized by their face masks and white armored uniforms, and later by having their heads framed out completely.

DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 27	
TOP:	Cultural and Formal Analysis in The Hunger Games	MSC:	Applying

	14.	In what ways does the Hunger Games series adhere to classical storytelling tradition?

ANS:	
Katniss is an ordinary girl suddenly revealed as a sort of chosen one with extraordinary hidden talents and a special destiny; this secret savior is plucked from obscurity, undergoes training, and is tested by a series of increasingly dangerous challenges; in the end, our unlikely heroine defeats a seemingly invincible evil.

DIF:	Medium	REF:	Page 23	
TOP:	Cultural and Formal Analysis in The Hunger Games	MSC:	Applying

	15.	Pick a recent feature film that passes the Bechdel test and explain how it does so.

ANS:	
The Bechdel test is passed when a film has at least two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man. A strong answer will include specific references including the characters' names and what they discuss. An example at the time of this writing would be Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015). Although this film passes the test many times over, one example would be when Furiosa (Charlize Theron) informs the Keeper of the Seeds (Melissa Jaffer) about the death of her mother.

DIF:	Difficult	REF:	Page 23	
TOP:	Cultural and Formal Analysis in The Hunger Games	MSC:	Applying