assumption question

[asdfjkl;]

Stage performances are judged to be realistic to the degree that actors reproduce on stage the behaviors generally associated by audiences with the emotional states of the characters portrayed. Traditional actors imitate those behaviors, whereas Method actors, through recollection of personal experience, actually experience the same emotions that their characters are meant to be experiencing. Audiences will therefore judge the performances of Method actors to be more realistic than the performances of traditional actors.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(B) The behavior that results when a Method actor feels a certain emotion will conform to the behavior that is generally associated by audiences with that emotion.
(D) Traditional actors do not aim to produce performances that are realistic representations of a character's emotional states.

I picked D. I figured that if traditional actors DO in fact aim to produce performances that are realistic representations etc., then audiences won't necessarily judge Method actors performances to be more realistic. (Plus, i thought that the word "realistic" should be in the AC). The answer is B though. ??

[bosco17]

The stimulus says, "Audiences will therefore judge the performances of Method actors to be more realistic than the performances of traditional actors."

D says that traditional actors do not aim to produce performances that are realistic representations... that's not true at all. They could still aim to do so, it's just that Method actors do a more realistic job.

Try the assumption negation technique for B... if the behavior that results when a Method actor feels a certain emotion DOES NOT conform to the behavior that is generally associated, then according to the criteria necessary to judge something realistic stated in the first sentence, then the audience won't associate with the emotional states, thus making it not realistic, thus destroying the whole argument.

I hope that explains it well.

[guyminuslife]

I remember this question. This might not make sense, but...

Traditional = imitation.
Method = experience.

Judgement criterion is conformity. Whichever fulfills conformity requirements to the greatest extent is judged better. So the argument assumes that imitation >>>> experience.

D is incorrect because what the actors intend ("aim") doesn't have any bearing, in the argument, on how they are judged. It may be that traditional actors believe that imitation produces a more realistic performance. It doesn't matter. The argument doesn't depend on what the actors think, it's how the audience perceives them.