LNAT Inference Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A study finds that cities with more public parks have lower rates of depression. A researcher concludes that building parks reduces depression. Which inference is most justified?
- Parks directly cause lower depression rates
- There is an association between parks and lower depression, but causation is unproven (Correct answer)
- Depression causes people to move to cities without parks
- The study proves parks are the best mental health intervention
Correct answer: There is an association between parks and lower depression, but causation is unproven
Correlation between parks and lower depression does not establish that parks are the cause of lower depression.
Question 2: All contracts signed under duress are voidable. Leon signed a contract while being threatened. What can be inferred?
- Leon's contract is automatically void
- Leon's contract may be voidable at his option (Correct answer)
- Leon must void the contract immediately
- The contract is valid because it was signed
Correct answer: Leon's contract may be voidable at his option
A voidable contract can be affirmed or voided at the innocent party's choice, not automatically invalidated.
Question 3: Passage: 'Every law student at Greenfield passed the bar exam. Maya is a law student at Greenfield.' What follows necessarily?
- Maya is the best student at Greenfield
- Maya passed the bar exam (Correct answer)
- Maya studied harder than others
- Maya will become a lawyer
Correct answer: Maya passed the bar exam
If every Greenfield law student passed and Maya is one, it follows necessarily that Maya passed.
Question 4: A politician argues: 'We must raise taxes or cut services. We cannot cut services. Therefore, we must raise taxes.' This reasoning is:
- Invalid because a third option may exist
- Valid as a disjunctive syllogism (Correct answer)
- Circular because it assumes the conclusion
- Invalid because the premises are false
Correct answer: Valid as a disjunctive syllogism
This is a valid disjunctive syllogism: given A or B, and not B, therefore A.
Question 5: A newspaper reports that crime fell 20% in a city after hiring more police. A skeptic says the drop could be due to demographic changes. The skeptic is:
- Committing a false dilemma fallacy
- Raising a legitimate alternative explanation that undermines the causal claim (Correct answer)
- Ignoring the statistical evidence entirely
- Arguing that crime did not actually fall
Correct answer: Raising a legitimate alternative explanation that undermines the causal claim
Identifying an alternative explanation is a valid way to challenge a causal inference drawn from correlational data.
Question 6: If it is raining, the ground is wet. The ground is wet. What can be inferred?
- It is definitely raining
- It may or may not be raining (Correct answer)
- It is not raining
- The conditional statement is false
Correct answer: It may or may not be raining
Wet ground is consistent with rain but could have other causes; affirming the consequent does not confirm the antecedent.
Question 7: A company's profits rose every year a particular CEO served. A board member concludes the CEO caused the profits. Which additional information would most strengthen this inference?
- The CEO was popular with employees
- Rival companies' profits fell during the same period (Correct answer)
- The CEO received a large bonus each year
- The company hired more staff every year
Correct answer: Rival companies' profits fell during the same period
If rivals declined while this company grew, it suggests the CEO's leadership, not market-wide trends, drove the profits.
LNAT Inference Skills 2
A study finds that cities with more public parks have lower rates of depression.
A researcher concludes that building parks reduces depression.
Which inference is most justified?