Passage A
There are two principles that are fundamental to
a theory of justice regarding property. The principle
of justice in acquisition specifies the conditions under
which someone can legitimately come to own
(5) something that was previously not owned by anyone.
The principle of justice in transfer specifies the
conditions under which the transfer of property from
one person to another is justified.
Given such principles, if the world were wholly
(10) just, the following definition would exhaustively cover
the subject of justice regarding property:
1. A person who acquires property in accordance
with the principle of justice in acquisition is entitled
to that property.
(15) 2. A person who acquires property in accordance
with the principle of justice in transfer, from someone
else who is entitled to the property, is entitled to the
property.
3. No one is entitled to any property except by
(20) (repeated) applications of 1 and 2.
However, not all actual situations are generated in
accordance with the principles of justice in acquisition
and justice in transfer. Some people steal from others
or defraud them, for example. The existence of past
(25) injustice raises the issue of the rectification of
injustice. If past injustice has shaped present ownership in
various ways, what, if anything, ought to be done to
rectify that injustice? A principle of rectification
would use historical information about previous situations
(30) and injustices done in them, and information
about the actual course of events that flowed from
these injustices, to produce a description of the
property ownership that should have resulted.
Actual ownership of property must then be brought
(35) into conformity with this description.
Passage B
In 1790, the United States Congress passed the
Indian Nonintercourse Act, which requires that all
transfers of lands from Native Americans to others be
approved by the federal government. The law has not
(40) been changed in any relevant respect, and it remains
in effect today. Its purpose is clear. It was meant to
guarantee security to Native Americans against
fraudulent acquisition by others of the Native
Americans’ land holdings. Several suits have been
(45) initiated by Native American tribes for recovery of
lands held by them when the Nonintercourse Act
took effect.
One natural (one might almost say obvious) way
of reasoning about Native American claims to land in
(50) North America is this: Native Americans were the first
human occupants of this land. Before the European
invasion of North America, the land belonged to them.
In the course of that invasion and its aftermath, the
land was illicitly taken from them. The current owners
(55) lack a well-founded right to the land, which now lies
illicitly in their hands. Ideally, the land should be
restored to its rightful owners. This may be impractical;
compromises might have to be made. But the original
wrong can most easily be righted by returning the land
(60) to them—or by returning it wherever that is feasible.
1. Which one of the following most accurately describes the main purpose for which passage A was written and the main purpose for which passage B was written?(A) Passage A: to propose a solution to a moral problem Passage B: to criticize a proposed solution to a moral problem
(B) Passage A: to sketch a general outline of a branch of moral theory Passage B: to give a particular moral analysis of a real case
(C) Passage A: to spell out the details of two fundamental principles Passage B: to examine a case that exemplifies a moral ideal
(D) Passage A: to argue for a particular moral ideal Passage B: to question the assumptions of a moral theory
(E) Passage A: to advocate the use of certain moral principles Passage B: to provide a counterexample to some widely held moral principles
2. Both passages explicitly mention which one of the following?(A) transfer of property from one owner to another
(B) a legal basis for recovery of property
(C) entitlement to property in a wholly just world
(D) practicability of rectification of past injustice
(E) injustice committed as part of an invasion
3. Which one of the following is true of the relationship between passage A and the second paragraph of passage B?(A) The second paragraph of passage B attempts to develop a broader version of the theory presented in passage A.
(B) The second paragraph of passage B purports to state facts that bolster the argument made in passage A.
(C) The argument in the second paragraph of passage B is structurally parallel to the argument in passage A, but the subject matter of the two is different.
(D) Passage A presents a theory that tends to support the argument presented in the second paragraph of passage B.
(E) The second paragraph of passage B attempts to undermine the theory presented in passage A.
4. Based on what can be inferred from their titles, the relationship between which one of the following pairs of documents is most analogous to the relationship between passage A and passage B?(A) “Card Counting for Everyone: A Can’t-Lose System for Beating the Dealer” “The Evils of Gambling”
(B) “Mayor McConnell Is Unfit to Serve” “Why Mayor McConnell Should be Reelected”
(C) “Pruning Fruit Trees: A Guide for the Novice” “Easy Recipes for Beginning Cooks”
(D) “Notable Failures of the STORM Weather Forecasting Model” “Meteorologists’ Best Tool Yet: The STORM Forecasting Model”
(E) “Fundamentals of Building Construction and Repair” “Engineering Report: The Repairs Needed by the Thales Building”
5. The author of passage A would be most likely to characterize the purpose of the Indian Nonintercourse Act as which one of the following?(A) legitimization of actual property holdings during the eighteenth century
(B) clarification of existing laws regarding transfer of property
(C) assurance of conformity to the principle of justice in acquisition
(D) prevention of violations of the principle of justice in transfer
(E) implementation of a principle of rectification
6. Which one of the following most accurately describes the difference in approach taken by passage A as compared to passage B?(A) Passage A espouses a general view without providing details, while passage B sketches an argument that it does not necessarily endorse.
(B) Passage A argues for the superiority of one view over competing views, while passage B considers only a single view.
(C) Passage A invokes commonly held principles to support a policy recommendation, while passage B relies on the views of established authorities to support its claims.
(D) Passage A briefly states a view and then provides an argument for it, while passage B provides a detailed statement of a view but no argument.
(E) Passage A provides an argument in support of a view, while passage B attempts to undermine a view.