Reading comp PrepTest 123 · Section 4 · Question 16
Passage
The World Wide Web, a network of electronically produced and interconnected (or "linked") sites, called pages, that are accessible via
Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Legal Studies
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3.1 (Lines 28-44)
Paragraph 3.1 (Lines 44-55)
Main Point:
Putting a link to a document on another website shouldn't be considered copyright infringement because the copyright owner, by posting it, still controls it and has made it available for distribution.
Key Lines:
Lines 6-9 - One side of a debate
Lines 9-13 - The other side
Lines 23-27 - The central question is posed
Lines 28-30 - A requirement to answer the question
Line 31- An extended analogy is introduced
Lines 40-44 - The Author's answer
Lines 44-46 - Another consideration/support, and an example
Lines 52-55 - Author's opinion on related subject
Meta-Structure:
Question/Answer - The passage focuses on a question posed in Paragraph 2—does linking to a document constitute copyright infringement? Through the use of an extended analogy between phone messages/numbers and the internet (Lines 31-37), the Author concludes that no, it isn't (Lines 40-44). When a passage has a central Question/Answer structure, the Author's answer to the question is the main point of the passage, as we highlighted in our main point above.
Analogy - The Author uses an extended analogy in Lines 31-37 to relate posting a link to a document on another website to giving out someone's phone number. This is all in service of answering the question that's central to the passage.
Add-On - This passage includes an "Add-On" at the end—everything after the "Moreover" in Line 44. This segment of the passage adds to the Author's argument but it doesn't build from the central evidence, instead going off in a bit of a different direction. It reflects her opinion, but not necessarily her main point.
Last Thoughts:
We split up Paragraph 3 for two reasons. First, there are two distinct ideas in there, with the first highlighting an analogy that answers the Author's question, and the second with some additional points she makes relevant to the issue but not the central question. Second, that second half is introduced with "Moreover" (Line 44), which is an interesting structural word. It serves the same purpose as "Besides," in that it's introducing a side consideration that, while relevant, isn't directly speaking to the main point, or, at most, is support for that main point. So while that section of the passage could be asked about, it doesn't have to be reflected in the main point.
Paragraph 1
- Paragraph note
- New technology leads to debate
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- New tech - Internet, linked sites on computers
- IP owners - Without stronger copyright laws, the internet will have a lot of infringement
- Users - Reducing access makes internet less valuable
Paragraph 2
- Paragraph note
- New question/consideration from new tech; current law
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Central issue - website can link to document on another
- Traditional IP protection - Owner can sue distributor for unauthorized copies
- Question - Does linking to a document count as copyright infringement?
Paragraph 3.1 (Lines 28-44)
- Paragraph note
- Analogy leads to answer
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Analogy - Like recording an outgoing message on phone/giving out number
- Author's Answer - No, it doesn't
Paragraph 3.1 (Lines 44-55)
- Paragraph note
- "Moreover"; Technique available to protect doc you put online; recommendation
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Example - Password (somewhat limit open access, but not as much as copyright law changes)
- Author - Copyright law shouldn't be changed, as it would hurt the internet
Main Point:
Putting a link to a document on another website shouldn't be considered copyright infringement because the copyright owner, by posting it, still controls it and has made it available for distribution.
Key Lines:
Lines 6-9 - One side of a debate
Lines 9-13 - The other side
Lines 23-27 - The central question is posed
Lines 28-30 - A requirement to answer the question
Line 31- An extended analogy is introduced
Lines 40-44 - The Author's answer
Lines 44-46 - Another consideration/support, and an example
Lines 52-55 - Author's opinion on related subject
Meta-Structure:
Question/Answer - The passage focuses on a question posed in Paragraph 2—does linking to a document constitute copyright infringement? Through the use of an extended analogy between phone messages/numbers and the internet (Lines 31-37), the Author concludes that no, it isn't (Lines 40-44). When a passage has a central Question/Answer structure, the Author's answer to the question is the main point of the passage, as we highlighted in our main point above.
Analogy - The Author uses an extended analogy in Lines 31-37 to relate posting a link to a document on another website to giving out someone's phone number. This is all in service of answering the question that's central to the passage.
Add-On - This passage includes an "Add-On" at the end—everything after the "Moreover" in Line 44. This segment of the passage adds to the Author's argument but it doesn't build from the central evidence, instead going off in a bit of a different direction. It reflects her opinion, but not necessarily her main point.
Last Thoughts:
We split up Paragraph 3 for two reasons. First, there are two distinct ideas in there, with the first highlighting an analogy that answers the Author's question, and the second with some additional points she makes relevant to the issue but not the central question. Second, that second half is introduced with "Moreover" (Line 44), which is an interesting structural word. It serves the same purpose as "Besides," in that it's introducing a side consideration that, while relevant, isn't directly speaking to the main point, or, at most, is support for that main point. So while that section of the passage could be asked about, it doesn't have to be reflected in the main point.
Question prompt
Which one of the
Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right
Credited answer: A
The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.
Question Type
Legal
Strategy Overview
Review the purpose of the paragraph including Line 8, then use that broader context to help define it in the immediate context in which it's written
Answer Anticipation
Line 8 is in Paragraph 1, where the Author introduced the two sides to a debate — those who feel that the Web is a risk to copyright owners, and the users who think that it should remain open.
Line 8 is where the copyright owners are discussed, and they believe that copyright law needs to be "strengthened" — the word in question. Since they're the ones that think IP needs to be protected from copyright infringement on the web, "strengthened" must mean just that — it must be made stronger so that it protects IP on the internet. Let's find an answer reflecting it.
Answer choices
-
Amade more restrictive
Why choice A matches the stem
Correct. (Lines 6—9) The passage says that IP owners think that the Web will lead to copyright infringement unless copyright laws are strengthened. As such, they want to limit what actions people can take on the web without violating copyrights — in other words, they want to make the law more restrictive. This answer is therefore correct. -
Bmade uniform worldwide
Why choice B is not credited
Incorrect. (Line 1) While the passage does note that the Web is worldwide, there's no indication that the issue copyright owners have is that copyright laws vary from country to country, and people will take advantage of this. Rather, they fear that the Web itself opens up copyrighted materials to being shared too freely, regardless of jurisdiction. -
Cmade to impose harsher Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. The passage doesn't mention the penalties for copyright infringement at all, so this is out of scope. -
Ddutifully enforced
Why choice D is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 8—9) The worry is that IP won't be protected — not that there will be laws protecting it but they're not enforced. -
Emore fully recognized as Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
Incorrect. There's no indication that copyright laws aren't viewed as legitimate — the fear is that they don't cover how material is shared on the Web.
What this tests
Question analytics
Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.
Answer choice distribution
Accounts
Save your place across PrepTests
Bookmark questions, build weak-spot lists, and pick up exactly where you left off—built for serious repeat practice.
No payment yet. We will only email when accounts open.
Already have an account? Log in
Deeper help
Ask follow-ups on any step
Optional AI tutor mode will let you interrogate assumptions, compare answers, and drill weak patterns without leaving the page.
Human-written explanations stay primary; AI is an add-on when you want it.
Discussion
-
Started by FS101
-
Answer Explanation 2 replies
Started by Julie-V
-
Explain 3 replies
Started by irinajugovic1