LSAT^® Reading Comprehension Practice Test

Advocates for cellphone usage in school will describe the benefits that cellphones can offer. Cellphones allow students to quickly access up-to-date information and do research for class. They provide instant access to learning apps and other educational resources. The integration of cellphone usage in the classroom, along with the use of other technology, helps prepare students for the digital world. In addition to this, cellphones can be a vital means of communication in emergency situations. If an emergency happens, they allow students to contact their parents or emergency services. Finally, students can learn to use their cellphones responsibly as part of their digital citizenship education. Allowing students access to cellphones can teach responsibility and help them practice the appropriate use of technology.

On the other hand, opponents of cellphone usage in school repudiate potential benefits, claiming that cellphones serve as a distraction and disruption to instructional activities. Students might use their cellphones for noninstructional purposes during class, such as texting, social media, and gaming, and could even access inappropriate content. The prevalence of cyberbullying also creates risks. Furthermore, unequal access to cellphones can exacerbate inequitable access to technology, while school-provided laptops or tablets can address it.

In the 1970s, the United Nations worked on creating the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, also known as the Moon Treaty. Its purpose was to establish a legal framework to govern the use and exploration of the Moon and other celestial bodies. It was finalized in 1979 and went into force in 1984 after it met the required number of five ratifying states. Currently, 17 states are parties to the treaty, meaning they have ratified or acceded to it. Another four have signed it but have not yet ratified or acceded to it. The treaty lays out provisions to internationalize lunar resources, environmentally protect and preserve outer space, and cooperatively share exploration and research internationally. Currently, none of the ratifying or acceding states include those who engage in self-launched human space flight. Due to a lack of consensus on some provisions and a lack of widespread ratification, this treaty is not universally accepted or enforced and leaves the governance of celestial bodies mostly unregulated.

The three main spacefaring nations (America, Russia, and China), known as the “Big Three,” have not joined the Moon Treaty, leading to the belief that the treaty is a failure as international law. While the United States was an active participant in the development of the treaty, it has resisted ratifying it due to disagreements regarding the interpretation of the treaty. The treaty was not intended to be comprehensive; rather, it was meant to be flexible in interpretation so that new problems can be addressed as they arise. The treaty guarantees free access for all nations to outer space, with the caveat that no nation can claim a celestial body, including the Moon. Various companies have increasingly aimed to mine celestial bodies for resources, including mining water from the lunar surface, and the United States has argued that such actions are not prohibited by the language of the treaty.

The treaty also states that no use of force or hostile act is allowed on the Moon and that the testing of weapons or establishment of military bases is prohibited. Nuclear weapons are prohibited from being placed in orbit or on celestial bodies to prevent the arms race from expanding into a new domain; however, the United States and other nations have found it beneficial to use outer space for weapons communications and surveillance. The non-armament measure has not been violated yet, though.

Placing a responsibility on countries to avoid harmful contamination of celestial bodies, the treaty explains that countries are responsible for the actions of private-sector, commercial entities based within their borders, and can be held liable if those entities do not adhere to the treaty. The United States pushed for this inclusion, and as companies become more ambitious in launching private spacecraft, it is already regulating the actions of these companies through federal legislation consistent with the treaty.

In 2015, the US introduced legislation that allows US industries the commercial exploration and exploitation of resources in space. Similar legislation has since been passed in other nations. While the Moon Treaty’s international framework of laws sought to define the rights and responsibilities of nations’ activities in outer space, opposing ideas and interests have led to a lack of implementation agreement among nations.

Signed in June of 1919, the Treaty of Versailles marked the formal end of World War I and ushered in peace after a little over four years of global conflict. It outlined the terms of peace between the Allied powers and Germany. This controversial armistice treaty laid the groundwork for future political strife and shaped the 20th century in ways not envisioned by its writers. It had profound impacts on not just Germany but also the international community, and it set the stage for future global conflicts.

The Paris Peace Conference, which had taken place five months earlier, aimed to establish the terms of peace after World War I. The representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France, known as the “Big Four,” led the formulation of the Treaty of Versailles. During the war, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom fought together as the Allied powers, and the US joined the war later as an associated power. Although there was a global desire for peace, France and the United Kingdom sought reparation and security against future German aggression, whereas the US advocated for more lenient terms for Germany and the formation of the League of Nations to maintain world peace.

The treaty forced Germany to surrender all its overseas possessions, give up 10 percent of its territory, and reduce its military forces. Germany also had to accept full responsibility for starting the war and pay large reparations to the Allies for their losses. The clause that forced Germany to accept blame for World War I was known as the “War Guilt Clause.” While the clause did not use the word guilt, it did compel Germany to pay reparations to the Allied powers, who saw the clause as necessary to receive funds from Germany.

Germany suffered humiliation as a result of the treaty. It resented the entire blame of the war being placed upon it. The sum of reparations was too great for Germany to pay in full. Economic hardship and political instability followed in Germany, which contributed to the formation of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (the Nazi Party), the rise of Adolf Hitler, and the advent of the Second World War.

The Treaty of Versailles left a mixed legacy. It initially aimed to secure peace at the end of the war; however, German citizens felt betrayed by their government signing it, and radical right-wing partisans gained support, as they promised the citizens they would countermand the humiliation. The treaty inadvertently played a role in the inception of World War II due to its harsh measures against Germany. The impact of the treaty was not foreseen by the writers, but its legacy of both creating and solving problems teaches an important lesson about how to handle future postwar agreements.