LNAT - Law National Aptitude Evaluating Argument Strengths Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A local council member argues: 'If we approve the construction of this skate park, it will attract loiterers. This will inevitably lead to an increase in petty crime, like graffiti and vandalism. Before we know it, our peaceful town will become a hotspot for more serious criminal activity, and property values will plummet. Therefore, we must reject the skate park proposal to protect our community.' Which of the following describes the primary flaw in the council member's reasoning?
- It presents only two options: build the park and face ruin, or reject it and remain safe.
- It attacks the character of skateboarders rather than the merits of the proposal.
- It assumes that the initial action will inevitably lead to a series of increasingly negative consequences without sufficient evidence. (Correct answer)
- It relies on the emotional response of fear rather than on logical evidence.
Correct answer: It assumes that the initial action will inevitably lead to a series of increasingly negative consequences without sufficient evidence.
The correct answer identifies the slippery slope fallacy. The argument posits that a relatively minor first step (building a skate park) will trigger an inevitable chain of increasingly negative events without providing any evidence to prove that this sequence of events is unavoidable or even likely.
Question 2: A company spokesperson, defending their new brand of 'Vita-Boost' orange juice, states: 'Claims that our product is unhealthy are unfounded. Last year, our company donated over £1 million to children's health charities, demonstrating our deep and unwavering commitment to public wellbeing. A company this dedicated to health would not produce an unhealthy product.' What is the most significant weakness in the spokesperson's argument?
- The spokesperson is biased as they are employed by the company.
- The evidence provided (charitable donations) is irrelevant to the product's actual health qualities. (Correct answer)
- The argument does not specify which charities received the donations.
- The argument fails to provide specific nutritional information about the juice.
Correct answer: The evidence provided (charitable donations) is irrelevant to the product's actual health qualities.
The core of the argument rests on the company's charitable actions. However, donating to health charities is entirely separate from the nutritional content or health impact of their orange juice. The evidence presented is not logically relevant to the conclusion being made about the product itself, which is the most significant flaw in the reasoning.
Question 3: A study of a large city found a strong positive correlation between the number of ice cream shops and the number of reported burglaries. The study's author concludes: 'The proliferation of ice cream shops is contributing to a rise in the city's crime rate, likely because they create late-night gathering spots for criminals.' Which of the following statements, if true, would most seriously weaken the author's conclusion?
- The study did not differentiate between residential and commercial burglaries.
- Many of the city's ice cream shops close before 9 p.m.
- Both ice cream sales and burglary rates are known to increase significantly during warmer summer months. (Correct answer)
- The study was only conducted over a single calendar year.
Correct answer: Both ice cream sales and burglary rates are known to increase significantly during warmer summer months.
This option weakens the argument by introducing a plausible third variable (warm weather) that could be the cause of both the increase in ice cream sales and the increase in burglaries (e.g., more people are out, windows are left open). This undermines the author's causal conclusion that one causes the other by showing they may both be effects of a common cause, highlighting the classic 'correlation does not equal causation' flaw.
Question 4: An opponent of a proposed law requiring mandatory bicycle helmets argues: 'Forcing cyclists to wear helmets is like forcing restaurant patrons to wear bibs. While a bib might prevent a small stain on a shirt, it's an intrusive overreach that treats adults like children. Both measures impose a requirement to mitigate a minor, personal risk, and neither is the proper role of government.' Which of the following points out the most significant flaw in the argument's use of analogy?
- The analogy compares the minor consequence of a food stain with the potentially severe consequence of a head injury. (Correct answer)
- The analogy fails to consider that some people enjoy wearing bibs when eating certain foods.
- The analogy overstates the government's role in regulating restaurant policies.
- The analogy ignores that bibs are provided by restaurants, whereas cyclists must buy their own helmets.
Correct answer: The analogy compares the minor consequence of a food stain with the potentially severe consequence of a head injury.
A strong analogy relies on the two situations being compared being similar in relevant ways. This argument is flawed because it equates a food stain (a minor, easily remedied inconvenience) with a traumatic head injury (a potentially life-altering or fatal event). The vast disparity in the severity of the potential consequences makes the analogy weak and misleading.
Question 5: A marketing director argues: 'To increase our company's profits this year, we must significantly increase our advertising budget. A larger budget will allow us to run more commercials on prime-time television, reaching a wider audience and boosting our sales.' Which of the following is a necessary assumption underlying the marketing director's argument?
- Prime-time television is the only effective form of advertising available to the company.
- The company's products are of a higher quality than those of its competitors.
- The company's competitors are not also increasing their advertising budgets.
- The cost of the increased advertising will not be greater than the additional profit generated from increased sales. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The cost of the increased advertising will not be greater than the additional profit generated from increased sales.
The argument's ultimate goal is to increase *profits*. Profit is calculated as revenue minus costs. The argument focuses only on increasing revenue (through boosted sales) but ignores the cost side of the equation (the increased advertising budget). For the conclusion (increased profits) to hold true, it must be assumed that the financial gain from the new sales will outweigh the expense of the new advertising.
Question 6: A legal principle states: 'A person shall not be held liable for damages caused by an unforeseeable 'act of God,' which is a natural event of extraordinary force whose effects could not be prevented by the exercise of reasonable care and foresight.' In which of the following scenarios would a defendant most likely be successful in using the 'act of God' defense, according to the principle?
- A construction company's crane is toppled by a hurricane in Florida during hurricane season, damaging adjacent property.
- A farmer's dam, which was known to be in poor repair, bursts during a period of heavy but not unprecedented rainfall, flooding a neighboring farm.
- A restaurant owner fails to clear a patch of ice from their walkway during a normal winter freeze, and a patron slips and is injured.
- A shipping company's vessel, built to withstand typical North Atlantic gales, is sunk by a tsunami in the Mediterranean Sea, an area with no recorded history of tsunamis. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: A shipping company's vessel, built to withstand typical North Atlantic gales, is sunk by a tsunami in the Mediterranean Sea, an area with no recorded history of tsunamis.
This scenario best fits both elements of the principle. A tsunami is a natural event of extraordinary force, and its occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea, an area with no recorded history of such events, makes it unforeseeable. Therefore, exercising 'reasonable care and foresight' would not have included building a ship to withstand such an event in that specific location. The other options involve foreseeable events (an icy walkway in winter, a hurricane in Florida during its season) or a failure of reasonable care (a poorly maintained dam).
LNAT - Law National Aptitude Evaluating Argument Strengths Questions and Answers
A local council member argues: 'If we approve the construction of this skate park, it will attract loiterers.
This will inevitably lead to an increase in petty crime, like graffiti and vandalism.
Before we know it, our peaceful town will become a hotspot for more serious criminal activity, and property values will plummet.
Therefore, we must reject the skate park proposal to protect our community.' Which of the following describes the primary flaw in the council member's reasoning?