Which statement best defines positive rights?

• A. Is about protection from harm.
• B. Imposes a duty not to interfere with obtaining something.
• C. Imposes a duty to help someone obtain something.
• D. Is synonymous with liberty rights.

Answer: (C)

Positive rights are about others taking action to ensure you can obtain something. They impose duties on others to provide or help you access certain goods or services. That’s why the statement that imposes a duty to help someone obtain something best captures positive rights — it expresses the obligation to actively assist.

Think of examples like education or healthcare access, where society or the state may be expected to provide or facilitate those services. In contrast, protection from harm describes a negative right: a duty not to interfere or prevent you from being safe, rather than a duty to supply or arrange something for you. A duty not to interfere with obtaining something also fits negative rights, since it centers on non-interference rather than active support. Liberty rights are typically about freedom from interference as well, not about compulsion to provide.

So, the idea that a positive right imposes a duty to help someone obtain something aligns with the core notion of positive rights.