Which statement best describes differences in how Indigenous and European peoples viewed land?

• A. Indigenous people believed land could be owned by individuals, while Europeans saw it as shared
• B. Indigenous land was viewed as a shared resource while Europeans saw it as property to own
• C. Indigenous people did not use the land for any purpose
• D. Europeans believed all land should be communally governed

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is how land is understood as a social relationship rather than just a physical space. Indigenous communities typically viewed land as a shared resource tied to the group or nation, with access and use governed by customs, stewardship, and obligations to the land and community. Europeans, on the other hand, framed land as property that individuals or families could own, buy, sell, and control. This is why the statement describing Indigenous land as a shared resource and European land as property to own is the best description.

The other options misstate this dynamic: one reverses who held private ownership versus communal access; another falsely claims Indigenous people didn’t use the land; and the last wrongly portrays European thought as favoring communal governance of land.