Critical Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real LNAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Critical Analysis flashcards as text
A newspaper editorial states: 'Nine out of ten dentists recommend this toothpaste, so it must be the best.' What is the weakest point of this argument?
Answer: The sample of dentists and the criteria for 'best' are not specified
Without knowing how dentists were selected or what 'best' means, the claim cannot be properly evaluated.
Which of the following most accurately distinguishes between 'deductive' and 'inductive' reasoning?
Answer: Deductive reasoning guarantees a true conclusion if premises are true; inductive reasoning only makes the conclusion probable
In valid deductive reasoning, true premises guarantee a true conclusion, while inductive reasoning yields only probable conclusions based on evidence.
A court decision states: 'Because this defendant confessed, and confessions are reliable, he is guilty.' What assumption is the court relying on?
Answer: All confessions are always true and never coerced
The argument assumes confessions are inherently reliable, ignoring the possibility of false or coerced confessions.
A commentator writes: 'Professor Smith supports rent control. But Smith was once arrested for tax evasion, so his economic views cannot be trusted.' This argument commits which fallacy?
Answer: Ad hominem
Attacking the professor's past conduct rather than addressing the merits of his economic argument is an ad hominem fallacy.
Which of the following would most weaken the argument: 'Higher minimum wages cause unemployment because businesses cannot afford more labor costs'?
Answer: Some businesses have large profit margins and can absorb higher wages without cutting jobs
If many businesses have sufficient margins to absorb higher wages, the premise that they cannot afford higher costs—and must cut jobs—is undermined.
A passage concludes that a proposed policy is wrong because it was championed by a discredited politician. What type of fallacy is present?
Answer: Genetic fallacy
The genetic fallacy dismisses an idea based on its origin or who supports it, rather than evaluating the idea on its own merits.
An LNAT passage presents an argument with premises P1 and P2 leading to conclusion C. A student wants to show the argument is unsound. Which strategy is most effective?
Answer: Show that at least one premise is false or that C does not follow from P1 and P2
Demonstrating that a premise is false or that the reasoning is invalid directly undermines the soundness of the argument.