LNAT Basic 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage argues that capital punishment deters crime by citing a drop in murder rates after executions are publicised. The most significant methodological flaw in this evidence is:
- The argument relies on the opinions of convicted criminals.
- Correlation between execution publicity and murder rates does not establish causation. (Correct answer)
- Capital punishment has been abolished in too many countries to study effectively.
- The passage does not define what counts as 'murder' in each jurisdiction studied.
Correct answer: Correlation between execution publicity and murder rates does not establish causation.
Without controlling for other variables that affect murder rates, a correlation between publicised executions and reduced homicide cannot establish that executions caused the change.
Question 2: Which of the following best illustrates an argument 'by analogy'?
- 'Since torturing animals is wrong, and factory farming involves similar suffering, factory farming is also wrong.' (Correct answer)
- 'Studies show 72% of consumers prefer ethically sourced products.'
- 'Philosophers have debated animal rights for centuries without consensus.'
- 'The law currently treats animals as property rather than as rights-holders.'
Correct answer: 'Since torturing animals is wrong, and factory farming involves similar suffering, factory farming is also wrong.'
Analogical argument draws on the similarities between two cases to transfer a moral or logical judgment from one to the other.
Question 3: When an LNAT question asks for the 'main conclusion' of a passage, you should select the statement that:
- Appears in the first sentence of the passage.
- All the other key points in the passage are designed to support. (Correct answer)
- Is the most controversial claim made in the text.
- Summarises background information provided by the author.
Correct answer: All the other key points in the passage are designed to support.
The main conclusion is the claim that the entire argument is structured to establish; the supporting points (premises) all point toward it.
Question 4: A passage defends affirmative action in university admissions. Which argument would be most effective in rebutting the defence?
- Affirmative action policies vary significantly across different countries.
- Selecting applicants on group membership rather than individual merit may disadvantage equally qualified candidates from non-targeted groups. (Correct answer)
- Universities have discretion over their own admissions criteria.
- Many legal scholars support race-conscious admissions policies.
Correct answer: Selecting applicants on group membership rather than individual merit may disadvantage equally qualified candidates from non-targeted groups.
The strongest rebuttal targets the tension between group-based selection and the principle of individual merit, raising a fairness concern that directly challenges the policy's justification.
Question 5: What does it mean for an argument to be 'valid' in formal logic?
- The premises are true and widely accepted by experts.
- If all the premises are true, the conclusion must necessarily follow. (Correct answer)
- The argument has been peer-reviewed and published.
- The conclusion is morally correct and socially beneficial.
Correct answer: If all the premises are true, the conclusion must necessarily follow.
Validity is a structural property: a valid argument guarantees the conclusion follows from the premises, regardless of whether the premises are actually true.
Question 6: A passage claims that because a proposed law would be difficult to enforce, it should not be enacted. This argument rests on which underlying assumption?
- Laws that are difficult to enforce are necessarily unjust.
- Unenforced laws undermine the rule of law and should therefore not be created. (Correct answer)
- Enforcement costs are always the most important factor in evaluating legislation.
- The legislature has no obligation to pass laws that courts cannot administer.
Correct answer: Unenforced laws undermine the rule of law and should therefore not be created.
The argument assumes that practical enforceability is a sufficient reason to reject legislation because unenforceable laws erode legal authority and compliance norms.
Question 7: In an LNAT essay response, which of the following strategies best demonstrates sophisticated legal reasoning?
- Listing as many relevant facts and statistics as possible to show breadth of knowledge.
- Stating a clear position, acknowledging the strongest opposing argument, and explaining why your view nonetheless prevails. (Correct answer)
- Adopting a neutral stance and presenting both sides without reaching a conclusion.
- Opening with a dictionary definition and building the essay around that definition.
Correct answer: Stating a clear position, acknowledging the strongest opposing argument, and explaining why your view nonetheless prevails.
Strong LNAT essays take a clear position, engage seriously with counterarguments, and explain why those counterarguments do not defeat the thesis—demonstrating genuine analytical depth.
LNAT Basic 5
A passage argues that capital punishment deters crime by citing a drop in murder rates after executions are publicised.
The most significant methodological flaw in this evidence is: