Reading comp PrepTest 141 · Section 1 · Question 23
Passage
Questions 22-27 Passage A . There are two principles that are fundamental to . a theory of justice regarding property.
Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic:
Passage A
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
Passage A - Certain principles guide property justice in a just world, and another can be used to address any situations where that ideal is violated.
Passage B - The Indian Nonintercourse Act provides a legal way of addressing land stolen from Native peoples, and Native claims to land would be most easily and naturally addressed by returning the land to them, though compromises may need to be made.
Key Lines:
Passage A:
Lines 1-2 - The structure of much of the passage is laid out
Lines 2-8 - The principles are described
Lines 12-20 - The principles are applied to a fully just world
Lines 28-33 - A new principles is added to address when the world isn't fully just
Passage B:
Lines 36-39 - A law is described
Lines 41-44 - The purpose of the law is presented
Lines 56-60 - A solution to a problem is noted, even if compromises must be reached
Meta-Structure - Relationship Between Passages:
Problem/Solution - While we didn't rely on this when working through the passages, they're arguably about legal solutions to certain problems—the transfer of property, and the taking of Native lands. Passage A presents principles (solutions) to guide transfers of property, and Passage B presents a law and how a given situation might be fixed.
If we take a step back and relate the passages, Passage B is a specific situation to which the principles in Passage A can be applied. Specifically, Passage B talks about land that was improperly taken from Native Americans, and thus the second and principles—the principles of transfer and rectification—would apply. Passage B makes room for compromise, considering the feasibility of such transfers. In speaking in principles, Passage A doesn't leave room for compromise.
Last Thoughts:
Passage A has an interesting and somewhat common structure—it presents an argument in one world ("if the world were wholly just..."), and then also covers the bases for another world ("However, not all . . . "). Thinking about the interplay between these two paragraphs is key to understanding the scope of this passage, and the role of each paragraph within it.
Passage A
Paragraph 1
- Paragraph note
- Principles are listed
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- Property justice has 2 principles
- Justice in acquisition - How someone gets property that was previously unowed
- Justice in transfer - How someone transfers property to new owner
- Paragraph note
- A description of a fully just world
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- In a fully just world, if and only if the principles from Paragraph 1 are followed are people entitled to property
- Paragraph note
- The principles break down in the real world, requiring a new principle
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- It's not a fully just world - people steal and defraud
- Principle of rectification - Look at history to determine where things went wrong and fix ownership to follow earlier principles
Paragraph 1
- Paragraph note
- History and purpose of a law
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- 1790 - Indian Nonintercourse Act - land transfers from Native Americans must be approved by federal government
- Purpose - Prevent fraudulent acquisition of Native lands
- Hasn't changed; several suits have been filed
- Paragraph note
- Examining Native claims to lands and proposing a way forward
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- Natural/ideal approach - Native Americans were here first and had their lands stolen from them, so it should be returned
- Might need to make compromises
- Easiest - Returning all land, or at least where feasible
Passage A - Certain principles guide property justice in a just world, and another can be used to address any situations where that ideal is violated.
Passage B - The Indian Nonintercourse Act provides a legal way of addressing land stolen from Native peoples, and Native claims to land would be most easily and naturally addressed by returning the land to them, though compromises may need to be made.
Key Lines:
Passage A:
Lines 1-2 - The structure of much of the passage is laid out
Lines 2-8 - The principles are described
Lines 12-20 - The principles are applied to a fully just world
Lines 28-33 - A new principles is added to address when the world isn't fully just
Passage B:
Lines 36-39 - A law is described
Lines 41-44 - The purpose of the law is presented
Lines 56-60 - A solution to a problem is noted, even if compromises must be reached
Meta-Structure - Relationship Between Passages:
Problem/Solution - While we didn't rely on this when working through the passages, they're arguably about legal solutions to certain problems—the transfer of property, and the taking of Native lands. Passage A presents principles (solutions) to guide transfers of property, and Passage B presents a law and how a given situation might be fixed.
If we take a step back and relate the passages, Passage B is a specific situation to which the principles in Passage A can be applied. Specifically, Passage B talks about land that was improperly taken from Native Americans, and thus the second and principles—the principles of transfer and rectification—would apply. Passage B makes room for compromise, considering the feasibility of such transfers. In speaking in principles, Passage A doesn't leave room for compromise.
Last Thoughts:
Passage A has an interesting and somewhat common structure—it presents an argument in one world ("if the world were wholly just..."), and then also covers the bases for another world ("However, not all . . . "). Thinking about the interplay between these two paragraphs is key to understanding the scope of this passage, and the role of each paragraph within it.
Question prompt
Both passages explicitly mention
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
Answer choices
-
Atransfer of property from Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A matches the stem
Correct. Question Type:
Must Be True
Strategy Overview:
Use our overall knowledge of the passages to find an answer we believe is correct, then use our notes to find the explicit mention of that topic in the answers
Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
These two passages largely aligned with each other, in that they both discussed how property can be acquired and transferred, and that it should be returned to its rightful owner if that breaks down. As such, there are probably a few ideas that show up in each of them!
As such, anticipating potential answers will be less useful than heading to the answers and using our time to find the correct one in the passage. We'll rely on our overall understanding of the passages to prioritize which answers we check out, and then use our notes and the passage to back up the correct answer with specific lines.
Answer Explanation:
(Lines 7-8; Lines 53-54) This answer reflects a principle from Passage A and the situation described in Passage B, so it's probably correct. Heading back to the passage, we can see that the second principle in Passage A talks about the transfer of property, and Lines 53-54 in Passage B talks about the illicit taking of land from Native Americans. This answer is therefore correct.
Key Takeaway:
When a question stem in RC asks you to find something that's "explicitly" mentioned, we're looking for word-for-word repeats of the correct answer, more or less. If you have to make any jumps between the passage and the answer you're selecting, then it's probably the wrong answer. -
Ba legal basis for Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 39-41; Lines 44-47) Passage B mentions suits brought under the Indian Nonintercourse Act, a law that is still on the books today. However, Passage A speaks only of principles, not laws, so this answer is incorrect. -
Centitlement to property in Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 9-21; Lines 56-57) This answer matches with our note for Paragraph 2 in Passage A, but there's no equivalent discussion of entitlement to property in a wholly just world in Passage B. The closest it gets is talking about what would happen to Native lands illicitly taken in an ideal situation, but that's only a single situation, so it's not broad enough to reflect this answer. -
Dpracticability of rectification of Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 28-35; Lines 57-58) Passage B discusses practicability when it says that a full return of Native lands might be impractical, and compromises might need to be made. Passage A, however, discusses this topic only in principle—what should be done—not the practicality of actually doing it. -
Einjustice committed as part Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 51-52) Passage B's specific situation involved an invasion resulting in land being taken illicitly. The only place where this might be mentioned in A is where it's discussing the principle of rectification, but that mentions only stealing or defrauding to obtain property—but that theft/defrauding isn't explicitly tied to an invasion.
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
No threads yet—be the first to ask a question or share an approach.