LNAT (Legal Aptitude I) 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A statute states: 'No vehicles are permitted in the park.' A man enters the park pushing a motorized wheelchair. Which interpretive approach best supports the argument that this is NOT a violation?
- Literal rule — the text says 'vehicles' and wheelchairs are vehicles
- Golden rule — applying the literal meaning produces an absurd result that injures a protected person
- Mischief rule — the Act was passed to prevent recreational motor traffic, not assistive devices (Correct answer)
- Ejusdem generis — wheelchairs are excluded because they are not of the same genus as recreational vehicles
Correct answer: Mischief rule — the Act was passed to prevent recreational motor traffic, not assistive devices
The mischief rule asks what harm the Act was designed to remedy; preventing dangerous recreational traffic, not restricting mobility aids, was the legislature's target.
Question 2: During an LNAT reading passage, the author argues that mandatory minimum sentences 'undermine judicial discretion without reducing recidivism.' What type of claim is this?
- A purely empirical claim about crime statistics
- A normative claim about what the law ought to do
- A hybrid claim combining an empirical assertion with a normative implication (Correct answer)
- A definitional claim about the meaning of 'judicial discretion'
Correct answer: A hybrid claim combining an empirical assertion with a normative implication
The statement combines a factual assertion (no recidivism reduction) with a value judgment (undermining discretion is bad), making it a hybrid claim.
Question 3: In a passage arguing for stronger corporate liability laws, the author states: 'If companies cannot be held criminally responsible, they will inevitably exploit workers.' This reasoning relies on which logical structure?
- A false dilemma
- A slippery slope (Correct answer)
- An argument from analogy
- A conditional modus ponens
Correct answer: A slippery slope
The author assumes that removing one safeguard will inevitably lead to a chain of bad outcomes, which is characteristic of slippery-slope reasoning.
Question 4: Which of the following best illustrates the principle of stare decisis in the common law system?
- A judge applies a statute even though she disagrees with its policy outcome
- A judge follows a House of Lords ruling from 1985 even though she finds it unjust in the current case (Correct answer)
- Parliament enacts a new law to overturn an unpopular court decision
- A court applies EU regulations because they have direct effect
Correct answer: A judge follows a House of Lords ruling from 1985 even though she finds it unjust in the current case
Stare decisis requires courts to follow binding precedent from higher courts, even when the sitting judge personally disagrees with the outcome.
Question 5: A legal passage argues that freedom of expression must be balanced against the right to reputation. The author concludes that online platforms should be treated as publishers. Which assumption is necessary for this conclusion?
- Publishers bear no liability for third-party content they host
- Treating platforms as publishers would reduce harmful speech more than current frameworks (Correct answer)
- Online platforms currently enjoy the same liability as broadcasters
- Freedom of expression is an absolute right that cannot be limited
Correct answer: Treating platforms as publishers would reduce harmful speech more than current frameworks
For the publisher-status conclusion to follow from the balance-of-rights premise, one must assume that the proposed change would actually produce the desired reduction in harm.
Question 6: Two witnesses give contradictory accounts of the same event in a civil trial. The judge must determine the facts. Which standard of proof applies?
- Beyond reasonable doubt
- Beyond all doubt
- On the balance of probabilities (Correct answer)
- Prima facie evidence only
Correct answer: On the balance of probabilities
Civil proceedings in common law systems use the balance of probabilities standard, meaning the judge finds for whichever account is more likely than not to be true.
Question 7: A passage claims: 'Restorative justice is more effective than retributive justice because victims report higher satisfaction.' What is the primary weakness of this argument?
- It uses a circular definition of justice
- It conflates victim satisfaction with the broader goals of justice, such as deterrence and public protection (Correct answer)
- It relies on anecdotal evidence rather than legal precedent
- It incorrectly assumes retributive justice ignores victims entirely
Correct answer: It conflates victim satisfaction with the broader goals of justice, such as deterrence and public protection
Effectiveness of a justice system must be measured against all its goals, not victim satisfaction alone, so equating the two commits a scope error.
LNAT (Legal Aptitude I) 2
A statute states: 'No vehicles are permitted in the park.' A man enters the park pushing a motorized wheelchair.
Which interpretive approach best supports the argument that this is NOT a violation?