1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main point of the passage? (A) The overly conservative rulings of Canada's provincial courts have been a barrier to constitutional reforms intended to protect aboriginal rights.
(B) The overwhelming burden placed on provincial courts of interpreting constitutional language in Canada has halted efforts by aboriginal peoples to gain full ownership of land.
(C) Constitutional language aimed at protecting aboriginal rights in Canada has so far left the protection of these rights uncertain due to the difficult task of interpreting this language.
(D) Constitutional reforms meant to protect aboriginal rights in Canada have in fact been used by some provincial courts to limit these rights.
(E) Efforts by aboriginal rights advocates to uphold constitutional reforms in Canada may be more successful if heard by the Supreme Court rather than by the provincial courts.
2. Which one of the following most accurately describes the author's main purpose in lines 11–14 of the passage?(A) to demonstrate that the decisions of the provincial courts rarely conform to the goals of the constitutional reforms
(B) to locate the source of a systemic problem in protecting aboriginal rights in Canada
(C) to identify the specific source of problems in enacting constitutional reforms in Canada
(D) to describe one aspect of the process by which constitutional reforms are enacted in Canada
(E) to criticize the use of general language in the Canadian constitution
3. The passage explicitly states that which one of the following was intended as a consequence of the constitutional protection of aboriginal rights?(A) definition of the type of property rights that apply to aboriginal societies
(B) establishment of the Supreme Court of Canada as the arbiter of aboriginal rights
(C) recognition of traditional customs but not those of recent origin
(D) clarification of which groups comprise the aboriginal population in Canada
(E) creation of local governments for aboriginal communities
4. The passage provides the most evidence for the claim that the author has a negative attitude toward which one of the following?(A) the 1982 constitutional reforms’ burdening the provincial courts with the task of interpretation
(B) the difficulties in interpreting such terms as “indigenous” and “ownership”
(C) the criterion used to determine which customs are too recent to merit constitutional protection
(D) the requirement that aboriginal peoples provide documentation for traditional customs
(E) the definition of ownership imposed by the provincial court in 1984
5. The passage provides evidence to suggest that the author would be most likely to assent to which one of the following proposals?(A) Aboriginal peoples in Canada should not be answerable to the federal laws of Canada.
(B) Oral tradition should sometimes be considered legal documentation of certain indigenous customs.
(C) Aboriginal communities should be granted full protection of all of their customs.
(D) Provincial courts should be given no authority to decide cases involving questions of aboriginal rights.
(E) The language of the Canadian constitution should more carefully delineate the instances to which reforms apply.
6. Which one of the following, if true, would lend the most credence to the author's statement in lines 56–58?(A) Other Ontario courts had previously interpreted “use” to include sale of the land or its resources.
(B) The ruling created thousands of jobs by opening the land in question to logging by a timber corporation.
(C) Previous court decisions in Ontario have distinguished the right to use land from the right to sell it.
(D) The ruling prompted aboriginal groups in other provinces to pursue land claims in those courts.
(E) Prior to the decision in question, the provincial court had not heard a case concerning the constitutional reforms.
7. Based on the information in the passage, the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about the 1984 case in Ontario?(A) The court's ruling directly contravened the language of the constitutional reforms protecting aboriginal land ownership rights in the full modern sense.
(B) The Supreme Court remains the best hope for the recognition of full aboriginal property rights because provincial courts are not authorized to rule on the definition of property rights.
(C) If there had been clear documentary evidence that the group had occupied the land before the establishment of British sovereignty, the court would probably have upheld the aboriginal claims.
(D) The unsatisfactory ruling in the case was the result of pressure from conservative politicians and other conservative interests.
(E) The court correctly understood the intent of the constitutional reforms, but it failed to apply them correctly because it misconstrued their relation to existing law.
8. The passage as a whole can most accurately be described as(A) an argument stressing the need for advocates of certain rights to adopt certain strategies
(B) a comprehensive study of efforts to guarantee the protection of certain rights
(C) an examination of problems associated with efforts to protect certain rights
(D) an argument favoring the need for revising the definition of certain rights
(E) an attempt to correct misunderstandings regarding the protection of certain rights