Passage Summary: Some critics say old operas make modern stereotypes about women worse, but the author points out that almost nobody actually watches those operas anymore.

Conclusion: The claim that Bizet and Verdi's operas reinforce modern societal stereotypes about women is likely incorrect or overstated.

Reasoning: Only a very small minority of people in North America are actually exposed to these nineteenth-century European operas.

Analysis: The critic seems to think that if a tree falls in an opera house and only a few people are there to hear it, it doesn't really make a sound in the rest of society. By pointing out the tiny audience for Bizet and Verdi, the author is trying to pull the rug out from under the social critics' feet. The conclusion is the implicit rebuttal of the studies mentioned earlier; the critic provides a premise about low viewership specifically to show that the operas' social influence is negligible. Look for an answer that captures this 'lack of influence' as the main takeaway.