RDA full draft, ALA comments on examples

Form of work (6.3) is required only when needed to differentiate a work from another work with the same title, which is not the case here. It also seems redundant to apply in this case, since the preferred title is "quintets" and the form is "quintet". This is an instance when RDA haphazardly veers between calling for explicit recording of data previously inferred from context and retaining those omissions, presumably in the interest of legacy data.

This example would also be more helpful if it were to include the construction of a preferred access point.

In this example, the form of work is required to distinguish a variant title for the work from the preferred title for another work by the same composer.  The form of work also is needed to distinguish other variant titles for the work from variant titles for another work by the same composer.  The only way to include the qualifier (Quintet) in the variant access points (see the three 400 fields in the MARC example on p. 83-84 that include this qualifier) is to have recorded this qualifier in the Form of work element.  Schubert also wrote a song titled Forelle, and that song is also known by the titles Truite and Trota.

So in this particular case, while form of work is only required when needed to differentiate one work from another work with the same title, it is recorded here (optionally) to distinguish one work from an identical variant title of another work.

9.2.2.5.3 b), examples Li An (p. 12) and Ang Lee (p. 14): There is a director whose name is established as "Lee, Ang, 1954- ." Users of RDA aware of this director will believe the examples misrepresent the instruction. A further note should be added to clarify that the examples are referring to the Chinese author Li An.

This example actually is for the motion picture director.  I do not see how this example misrepresents the instruction.  Ang Lee the director has made Chinese language and English language films. The systematically romanized form of his name is Li An.  The well-known name established in English language reference sources is Ang Lee.  The fact that the authorized heading for him has a date in it, is immaterial to the examples here.