Reading Comprehension

PT145 · S3 · P1 · Q4 Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, was the first international treaty to expressly affirm universal respect for human rights.

Topic

The origins, drafting, and impact of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Framework

Highlight Noteworthy

Main Point

The passage describes the UDHR as a groundbreaking and influential international document, notable for articulating universal human rights, though limited by its lack of legal enforceability. Most Valuable Sentence: (Last paragraph)

P1: Need for International Human Rights Standard / Creation of UDHR

Before 1948, there wasn't a truly international human rights standard, so the UDHR was created as the first explicit global affirmation of human rights. Some smaller nations and NGOs wanted even stronger language and real obligations for countries to cooperate and act on human rights, but these calls were not fully adopted—instead, the UDHR was drafted.

P2: Drafting Process and Contents of the UDHR

The UN Commission on Human Rights was tasked in 1946 with producing the UDHR, kicking off a complex drafting process with heated debates among diverse delegates. The finally approved declaration highlighted essential rights and freedoms for all people, listing out fundamental human rights like the right to work, leisure, and education.

P3: Limitations and Lasting Importance of the UDHR

The passage acknowledges that, despite its significance, the UDHR is not legally binding. However, it set an important standard and eventually inspired legally binding conventions, earning its place as an international touchstone for human rights principles and aspirational goals.

4.

According to the passage, each of the following is true of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights EXCEPT:

  1. It asserts a right to

    Supported

    A quick CTRL + F or scan for "rest" or "leisure" and we'll see that this is said in the final sentence of the 2nd paragraph:

    2% picked this

  2. It was drafted after the

    Supported

    Here, we have to cobble together a few different ideas. The UN Charter was enacted in 1945, so it must have been drafted prior to that. The UDHR was approved in 1948, and we're told in the latter half of the 1st paragraph that people were upset because they didn't think that the 1945 UN Charter went far enough in guaranteeing basic human rights. People lobbied to strengthen the human rights provisions of the Charter, but this proposal and others like it were not adopted; instead, the UDHR was commissioned and drafted. So since the UDHR was drafted in response to dissatisfaction with the UN Charter, it must have been drafted after the UN Charter.

    4% picked this

  3. The UN Commission on Human

    Supported

    This is stated in the first sentence of the 3rd paragraph.

    5% picked this

  4. Correct

    It has had no practical

    Why this is right

    This is such an extreme and unlikely statement that we could probably guess this is the right answer even without reading the passage. It's rare for something to have zero practical consequences, particularly when it's something done by the UN. Sure, it might not have the practical consequences that the writers intended, but to have zero practical consequences is quite a feat of non-causality. This answer is actually contradicted in the final sentence of the passage.

    Skill tested: Locate Detail · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

    83% picked this

  5. It was the first international

    Supported

    This is said in the first sentence of the passage.

    6% picked this

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