Nokea
The next four questions are based on the following passage.
It could be argued that all American war movies take as their governing paradigm that of the Western, and that we, as viewers, don't think critically enough about this fact. The virtuous hero in the white hat, the evil villain in the black hat, the community threatened by violence; these are the obvious elements of the paradigm. In addition, the hero is highly skilled at warfare, though reluctant to use it, the community is made up of morally upstanding citizens, and there is no place for violence in the community: the hero himself must leave the community he has saved once the battle is complete. This way of seeing the world has soaked into our storytelling of battle and conflict. It's hard to find a U.S.-made war movie that, for example, presents the enemy as complex and potentially fighting a legitimate cause, or that presents the hero (usually the U.S.) as anything other than supremely morally worthy. It is important to step back and think about the assumptions and frameworks that shape the stories we're exposed to; if we're careless and unquestioning, we absorb biases and world views with which we may not agree.
Which of the following is not an example given by the author of an element of the Western paradigm?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The author did not mention everyone riding horses as an element of the Western paradigm in the provided passage. The passage discusses the virtuous hero in the white hat, the evil villain in the black hat, and the community made up of upstanding citizens as elements of the Western paradigm. The hero being highly skilled at warfare and the community having morally upstanding citizens were also mentioned. Therefore, option C is the correct answer. Options A, B, and D are incorrect because they were all examples given by the author in the passage.