LNAT Argument Evaluation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A newspaper editorial argues: 'Either we ban all handguns or violent crime will continue to rise.' Which fallacy does this commit?
- Slippery slope
- False dilemma (Correct answer)
- Begging the question
- Appeal to fear
Correct answer: False dilemma
Presenting only two options when others exist is a false dilemma (false dichotomy).
Question 2: Which of the following most weakens the argument that raising the minimum wage causes unemployment?
- Workers prefer higher wages
- Employers have raised prices after minimum wage increases in the past
- Studies of cities that raised minimum wage show no significant increase in unemployment (Correct answer)
- Inflation erodes real wage gains over time
Correct answer: Studies of cities that raised minimum wage show no significant increase in unemployment
Empirical data showing no unemployment rise after minimum wage increases directly contradicts the causal claim.
Question 3: An author writes: 'This diet must be effective because thousands of customers have left five-star reviews.' This reasoning is flawed because:
- The sample size is too small
- It relies on anecdotal appeal and ignores confirmation bias in self-reported reviews (Correct answer)
- Diets are scientifically unproven
- Customer reviews are legally unreliable
Correct answer: It relies on anecdotal appeal and ignores confirmation bias in self-reported reviews
Self-selected positive reviews reflect confirmation bias and are not controlled evidence of effectiveness.
Question 4: If an argument is 'begging the question,' this means:
- The argument raises an important question worth debating
- The conclusion is used as a premise to support itself (Correct answer)
- The argument ignores the main question at issue
- The argument asks a rhetorical question
Correct answer: The conclusion is used as a premise to support itself
Begging the question (petitio principii) occurs when the conclusion is assumed within the premises.
Question 5: Which of the following represents an appeal to authority that is logically legitimate rather than fallacious?
- A celebrity endorses a pharmaceutical drug
- A Nobel Prize-winning economist testifies on monetary policy within their research field (Correct answer)
- A retired general comments on economic inequality
- A famous author gives dietary advice
Correct answer: A Nobel Prize-winning economist testifies on monetary policy within their research field
Appealing to a genuine expert within their area of expertise is a legitimate use of authority.
Question 6: A researcher notes that ice cream sales and drowning rates both rise in summer and concludes ice cream causes drowning. The actual explanation is:
- The researcher committed a straw man fallacy
- A confounding variable (hot weather) explains both trends (Correct answer)
- The sample size was too small to draw conclusions
- The argument commits a false dilemma
Correct answer: A confounding variable (hot weather) explains both trends
A third variable (heat driving both swimming and ice cream consumption) explains the correlation without causation.
Question 7: Which technique best identifies the main conclusion of a complex passage?
- Locate the longest sentence in the passage
- Find the claim that all other statements are designed to support (Correct answer)
- Choose the first sentence of each paragraph
- Identify the most emotionally charged statement
Correct answer: Find the claim that all other statements are designed to support
The main conclusion is the claim that the premises and evidence collectively work to establish.
LNAT Argument Evaluation 3
A newspaper editorial argues: 'Either we ban all handguns or violent crime will continue to rise.' Which fallacy does this commit?