Reading Comprehension

PT123 · S4 · P3 · Q15 Web Intellectual 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

Start practicing free

The World Wide Web, a network of electronically produced and interconnected (or “linked”) sites, called pages, that are accessible via personal computer, raises legal issues about the rights of owners of intellectual property, notably those who create documents for inclusion on Web pages.

Central Topic

Intellectual property rights vs. Openness on the Internet

Purpose

To present and weigh in on a debate

Main Point

Linking to sites that display someone else's intellectual property is not a form of copyright infringement, especially given that the owner of the site can restrict access if they want to.

Passage Map

P1 - Framing the debate P2 - Zooming in on the origins of the debate P3 - Author resolves the central question from P2 and offers final thoughts

Other Commentry

This is from 2007, but it sounds like people in the 90's trying to figure out what "the interwebs" are. Also, they give a nicely anachronistic metaphor of "an answering machine".

Okay, cultural anachronisms aside, in terms of solving the big picture of this passage, we have a few key moments. By the end of the 1st paragraph, we can tell there's a debate because we had consecutive sentences saying, "Some of these owners claim" and "Web users, however".

The 2nd paragraph's topic sentence even refers to it as a debate and gives great guidance about the function of that paragraph. The 2nd paragraph ends with a question. Any time you see an LSAT author ask a question, it is almost sure to be integral to the main point/purpose of the passage.

The 3rd paragraph starts with a clear functional foreshadowing, letting us know that the 3rd paragraph will answer this question. We get "therefore" and "hence" telegraphing her conclusions. The last four sentences put the author's overall stamp on the debate, and we learn that she sides more with the "Web users" who want keep the web as open as possible.

15.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

Correct
Since distribution of a document
Why this is right
On a first pass, this answer would seem True but Too Narrow to me. However, it ends up being our best option. P1 establishes there's a debate. P2 establishes that the debate arises from the question at the end of P2. And P3 answers that question. This answer choice embodies the answer to that question. While it frustratingly doesn't encompass the broader takeaways the author has in the last couple sentences, it still wraps its arms around the vast majority of the passage.
Skill tested: Main Point · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
31% picked this
Changes in copyright law in
Out of Scope
This answer starts out very tempting, as it closely (perhaps suspiciously closely) follows the language of the last sentence of the passage. Unfortunately, it contains some unsupportable ideas. The author never said changes are ill-advised unless they amplify free exchange. The author doesn't want to impinge on the free exchange if we don't have to, but she never insists that any new law increases the free exchange. And then of course there's that ol' "what's necessary in democracy" part, which comes out of nowhere.
26% picked this
People who are concerned about
Too Narrow Too Strong: without inhibiting
This is mostly, but this misses too much of the passage. In the passage, this idea is prefaced by "Moreover", which is always a rhetorical signpost that tells us "what you're about to hear is NOT the most important thing". This answer doesn't have anything to do with P2 or most of P3, since those sections were all about the question of whether linking to a page constitutes copyright infringement. It's also too strong to say that this wouldn't inhibit the rights of others to exchange ideas freely when the author said "it would compromise openness somewhat".
14% picked this
Problems concerning intellectual property rights
Out of Scope: "basic commonsense principles"
This passage is specifically about links on webpages, whereas this answer makes it seem like the passage is broadly about new forms of media. Also, the other never stresses the idea that "the new problems that crop up will be solvable as long as we employ common sense".
5% picked this
Maintaining a free exchange of
Too Strong: "far" / "small" / "radical"
This has the right gist but the details are too extreme or inaccurate. No one has called for a "radical" alteration of copyright laws. The alteration that is proposed is aimed at protecting intellectual property rights. It might have the consequence of "restricting free exchange of ideas", but it's definitely not aimed at restricting the growth of the Web.
25% 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