Web Intellectual Property

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct30% picked this

   Since distribution of a document placed on a Web page is controlled by the author of that page rather than by the person who

   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.

   30%
2. B

   Out of Scope26% picked this

   Changes in copyright law in response to the development of Web pages and links are ill-advised unless such changes amplify rather than restrict the

   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%
3. C

   Too Narrow Too Strong: without inhibiting14% picked this

   People who are concerned about the access others may have to the Web documents they create can easily prevent such access without inhibiting the

   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%
4. D

   Out of Scope: "basic commonsense principles"5% picked this

   Problems concerning intellectual property rights created by new forms of electronic media are not insuperably difficult to resolve if one applies basic

   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%
5. E

   Too Strong: "far" / "small" / "radical"25% picked this

   Maintaining a free exchange of ideas on the Web offers benefits that far outweigh those that might be gained by a small number of

   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%