Reading Comprehension

PT121 · S3 · P3 · Q14 Canadian Courts and Cultural Property

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Reading Comprehension question.

Save & drill this skill — build targeted practice sets from questions like this one
Video walkthroughs — watch every question solved step by step
81 official LSATs — as questions, timed sections & full-length tests

Although the rights of native peoples of Canada have yet to be comprehensively defined in Canadian law, most native Canadians assert that their rights include the right not only to govern themselves and their land, but also to exercise ownership rights over movable cultural property—artifacts ranging from domestic implements to ceremonial costumes.

Topic

Native Canadian rights to cultural property and the tension between collective and private ownership concepts in Canadian law

Framework

Challenge Position

Main Point

Canadian law has traditionally supported museums' claims to native cultural property based on private property concepts, but the author argues that the courts should recognize native Canadians' collective ownership rights instead. (Most Valuable Sentence: Last sentence of the last paragraph—author’s forward-looking statement about what the courts should do.)

P1: Introduction to the Dispute

The paragraph explains that although the legal rights of native Canadians are not well-defined, many believe their rights include self-governance as well as ownership of cultural artifacts. The law has typically favored museums, but native Canadians are now challenging this in court.

P2: Contrasting Ownership Concepts

This paragraph lays out the difference between the private-property approach of Canadian courts (favoring individual or group ownership with transferable rights) and the collective-ownership philosophy of native Canadians (where the community, not individuals, owns property, and rights can't be sold or inherited as personal possessions).

P3: Legal Hurdles and Future Recognition

This paragraph highlights the practical difficulty: native Canadians typically lack paperwork (required under private property law) to prove their ownership, so museums win claims. However, the author says that as courts realize that private property rules don’t always fit, they’ll start honoring native Canadians’ collective ownership claims to their cultural property.

14.

According to the concept of private property as presented in the passage, which one of the following most completely describes the meaning of the term "property owner"?

one who possesses a bill
Outside Support Window
The first two sentences of the 2nd paragraph define property owner, in the private property concept, as "an individual or a group functioning legally as an individual that can use the property as they see fit without outside interference". There's nothing in those two lines about possessing proof of prior possession.This idea does come up in P3: "Museums, which are likely to possess bills of sale or proof of prior possession to substantiate their claims of ownership..." But this is not part of the definition of property ownership that we're given. It's just cited as a reason courts have historically sided with museums in ownership disputes.
19% picked this
one who possesses proof of
Outside Support Window
The first two sentences of the 2nd paragraph define property owner, in the private property concept, as "an individual or a group functioning legally as an individual that can use the property as they see fit without outside interference". There's nothing in those two lines about possessing proof of prior possession. Like for answer A, this idea does come up in P3: "Museums, which are likely to possess bills of sale or proof of prior possession to substantiate their claims of ownership..." But this is not part of the definition of property ownership that we're given. It's just cited as a reason courts have historically sided with museums in ownership disputes.
9% picked this
Correct
one who is allowed to
Why this is right
The first two sentences of the 2nd paragraph define property owner, in the private property concept, as "an individual or a group functioning legally as an individual that can use the property as they see fit without outside interference". "Make use in whatever manner he or she wishes" is a pretty good match for "use as they see fit without outside interference".
Skill tested: Meaning in Context · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
63% picked this
one who is allowed to
Outside Support Window
The first two sentences of the 2nd paragraph define property owner, in the private property concept, as "an individual or a group functioning legally as an individual that can use the property as they see fit without outside interference". There's nothing in those two lines about being allowed to transfer ownership rights. This does come up at the end of P2 when the author speaks on the different definition of communal property: "nor does it pass to their heirs when they die." It's reasonable to infer from that contrast indicator "nor" that the private property definition of ownership DOES imply the transfer of ownership to heirs. Nonetheless, this is not the most complete definition, and that's what the question stem is asking for.
2% picked this
one who is allowed to
Wrong POV: Communal Property
This is offering a definition that sounds more like communal property ownership, not ownership in the private property concept.
7% picked this

Continue the review in LSAT Lab

Save this question, watch the video walkthrough, and drill similar questions in your LSAT Lab account.

Save and practice this skill

LSAT Lab

Turn this review into a targeted study plan.

Save this question, drill more like it, watch the video walkthrough, and track your progress in your LSAT Lab account.

Start practicing free