Question 1526 : The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures
the essence of the passage.
John Cleese told Fox News Digital that comedians do not have the freedom to be funny in 2022. “There’s
always been limitations on what they’re allowed to say,” Cleese said. “I think it’s particularly worrying at the
moment because you can only create in an atmosphere of freedom, where you’re not checking everything
you say critically before you move on. What you have to be able to do is to build without knowing where
you’re going because you’ve never been there before. That’s what creativity is — you have to be allowed to
build. And a lot of comedians now are sitting there and when they think of something, they say something
like, ‘Can I get away with it? I don’t think so. So and so got into trouble, and he said that, oh, she said that.’
You see what I mean? And that’s the death of creativity.”
the essence of the passage.
John Cleese told Fox News Digital that comedians do not have the freedom to be funny in 2022. “There’s
always been limitations on what they’re allowed to say,” Cleese said. “I think it’s particularly worrying at the
moment because you can only create in an atmosphere of freedom, where you’re not checking everything
you say critically before you move on. What you have to be able to do is to build without knowing where
you’re going because you’ve never been there before. That’s what creativity is — you have to be allowed to
build. And a lot of comedians now are sitting there and when they think of something, they say something
like, ‘Can I get away with it? I don’t think so. So and so got into trouble, and he said that, oh, she said that.’
You see what I mean? And that’s the death of creativity.”
Video Explanation
Explanatory Answer
Option D best captures the essence of the passage.
John Cleese argues that comedians need freedom to be creative and that fear of offending people or worrying
about the consequences of what they say hinders their ability to be original. He highlights how modern
comedians often second-guess themselves, which stifles their creativity. Option D reflects this idea, which
stresses the importance of freedom and creativity in comedy, while warning against the fear that stifles
innovation.
Option A: While Cleese advocates for freedom in comedy, he doesn't say that comedians "must go where no
one has gone before," which is more of an extreme interpretation than the essence of the passage.
Option B: This option focuses too much on the relationship between creativity and critical thinking. The
passage is more about how fear of offending hinders creativity, not about creativity being incompatible with
critical thinking.
Option C: This focuses on the "death of the art form," but Cleese's main point is about how fear of
repercussions impacts creativity, not about the art form dying as such.