“How lifelike are they?” Many computer animators prioritize this question as they strive to create ever more realistic
environments and lighting. Generally, while characters in computer-animated ﬁlms appear highly exaggerated, environments
and lighting are carefully engineered to mimic reality. But some animators, such as Pixar’s Sanjay Patel, are focused on a
different question. Rather than asking ﬁrst whether the environments and lighting they’re creating are convincingly lifelike,
Patel and others are asking whether these elements reﬂect their ﬁlms’ unique stories.
It reﬂects a primary goal that many computer animators have for certain components of the animations they produce.
It represents a concern of computer animators who are more interested in creating unique backgrounds and lighting
effects than realistic ones.
It conveys the uncertainty among many computer animators about how to create realistic animations using current
technology.
It illustrates a reaction that audiences typically have to the appearance of characters created by computer animators.
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the underlined question in the text as a
whole. The text begins with the underlined question, “How lifelike are they?” The text then explains that many computer
animators pose this question about the environments and lighting that they create for animated ﬁlms, striving for realistic
animation of those components even if the characters themselves aren’t portrayed in realistic terms. The focus of the text
then shifts to describe how some animators strive to create environments and lighting that reﬂect the ﬁlm’s unique stories
rather than making them appear realistic. Therefore, the function of the underlined question is to reﬂect a primary goal that
many computer animators have for certain components of the animations they produce.
Choice B is incorrect because, as the text makes clear, the underlined question is one posed by computer animators who
wish to create realistic backgrounds and lighting effects, not by those who, instead, wish to create effects that reﬂect ﬁlms’
unique stories and aren’t necessarily realistic; this latter group of animators is discussed later in the text. Choice C is
incorrect. As the text explains, many computer animators strive for realistic environments and lighting, while others do not;
this difference of approach relates to whether these components should be realistic, not to how realism can be achieved
using current technology, and the text never suggests that animators are uncertain how to achieve it. Choice D is incorrect
because the underlined question pertains to the perspective of computer animators, not the audience, and the text never
considers audience’s reactions to characters in animated ﬁlms.