In nineteenth-century Parisian theatres, the 'claque' functioned as a highly organized, hired group of professional applauders. Directors routinely employed these individuals to stimulate positive audience reactions during performances. The chefs de claque studied the play beforehand, identifying specific moments to initiate applause, laughter, or even tears. When the claque executed these cues, the genuine, paying audience—believing the enthusiasm to be spontaneous—was swept up in the collective emotion and joined in. This artificial enforcement of success became an indispensable tool for securing a production's longevity in a volatile market. Although contemporary critics denounced the practice as manipulative, playwrights and actors relied on the claque to guarantee favorable receptions.
Based on the passage, the relationship between the claque and the genuine theatre audience is most analogous to which of the following?
- AA concert venue hiring local musicians to perform opening sets for a headlining act, thereby guaranteeing that the crowd arrives early and stays longer.
- BA corporate brand distributing free samples of a new beverage in a public square to encourage consumers to write positive online reviews.
- A restaurant owner hiring actors to stand in a long queue outside a new diner, prompting passing pedestrians to join the line under the assumption that the food is highly desirable.Answer
- DA literary magazine publishing controversial critiques of a popular play to spark public debates that drive ticket sales.