LNAT Reading Comprehension 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage states: 'Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable, yet courts continue to treat it as compelling evidence.' What rhetorical technique does this sentence use?
- Circular reasoning — using the conclusion as its own premise.
- Juxtaposition — contrasting known unreliability with continued trust to highlight an inconsistency. (Correct answer)
- Appeal to authority — deferring to expert opinion on memory science.
- Slippery slope — implying unreliable testimony leads to systemic injustice.
Correct answer: Juxtaposition — contrasting known unreliability with continued trust to highlight an inconsistency.
The sentence sets two contradictory facts side by side (known unreliability vs. continuing trust) to expose an apparent inconsistency in legal practice.
Question 2: In a passage on criminal rehabilitation, the author distinguishes between 'reform-oriented' and 'punitive' approaches to imprisonment. The author's primary purpose in making this distinction is most likely to:
- Prove that punitive approaches have never been effective in any jurisdiction.
- Clarify the conceptual framework before arguing that one approach is preferable. (Correct answer)
- Show that both approaches are equally valid depending on the type of crime.
- Argue that the distinction is artificial and the two approaches overlap significantly.
Correct answer: Clarify the conceptual framework before arguing that one approach is preferable.
Authors typically introduce distinctions to set up evaluative comparisons, establishing clear categories before making a normative case for one over the other.
Question 3: A passage reads: 'The precautionary principle holds that where an action risks harm to the public or environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause-and-effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.' Which scenario best illustrates the correct application of this principle?
- A government bans a pesticide after conclusive studies prove it causes cancer in humans.
- A company delays launching a new drug until it completes all required clinical trials.
- Regulators restrict use of a new industrial chemical pending further research on its long-term health effects. (Correct answer)
- A court awards damages to a plaintiff who proves beyond reasonable doubt that a product caused their injury.
Correct answer: Regulators restrict use of a new industrial chemical pending further research on its long-term health effects.
The precautionary principle applies when harm is possible but causation is not yet fully established — restricting a chemical pending further research fits this exactly.
Question 4: An author concludes a passage by writing: 'We must therefore choose between security and liberty.' A critic argues this is a false dilemma. What does the critic most likely mean?
- Security and liberty are both impossible to achieve in the modern world.
- The author has failed to consider that security and liberty might be compatible or that more than two options exist. (Correct answer)
- The author's definition of 'liberty' is inconsistent with accepted philosophical usage.
- The critic believes security is always more important than liberty.
Correct answer: The author has failed to consider that security and liberty might be compatible or that more than two options exist.
A false dilemma presents only two options when others exist; the critic is pointing out that security and liberty need not be mutually exclusive.
Question 5: A passage on defamation law explains: 'A statement is defamatory only if it would lower the claimant in the estimation of right-thinking members of society.' According to this definition, which of the following statements is most clearly defamatory?
- A report stating that a politician voted against a popular healthcare bill, which is factually accurate.
- A satirical cartoon depicting a judge as a donkey, clearly labeled as satire.
- A newspaper article falsely claiming a respected surgeon botched routine operations, leaving patients disabled. (Correct answer)
- A social media post expressing a personal opinion that a CEO's business strategy is misguided.
Correct answer: A newspaper article falsely claiming a respected surgeon botched routine operations, leaving patients disabled.
Falsely claiming a surgeon caused patient harm would lower their reputation in the eyes of right-thinking people and meets the definition of defamatory.
Question 6: A passage describes how some philosophers argue that animals have rights because they are 'sentient beings capable of suffering.' What is the underlying logical principle of this argument?
- Only humans can hold rights because rights require the capacity to bear corresponding duties.
- The capacity to suffer is a morally relevant characteristic that generates claims to protection. (Correct answer)
- Animal rights must be codified in law before they can be considered philosophically legitimate.
- Rights arise from contractual relationships between rational agents.
Correct answer: The capacity to suffer is a morally relevant characteristic that generates claims to protection.
The argument's foundation is that suffering matters morally and that beings capable of it deserve protection — a key premise in utilitarian and rights-based ethics.
Question 7: A legal passage states: 'Intention is an essential element of murder but not of manslaughter.' Which of the following scenarios most clearly illustrates the legal distinction the passage describes?
- A driver kills a pedestrian while running a red light, without intending to harm anyone.
- A person plans and executes a killing after weeks of preparation.
- Two people engage in a fight; one accidentally kills the other during the struggle.
- Both A and C, since neither involves premeditated intent to kill. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Both A and C, since neither involves premeditated intent to kill.
Both the negligent driver and the participant in a fatal fight lack the intention to kill, making both examples of manslaughter rather than murder under this distinction.
LNAT Reading Comprehension 3
A passage states: 'Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable, yet courts continue to treat it as compelling evidence.' What rhetorical technique does this sentence use?