LNAT Reading Comprehension 3

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?

Accepted Answer

Juxtaposition — contrasting known unreliability with continued trust to highlight an inconsistency.

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

Clarify the conceptual framework before arguing that one approach is preferable.

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Regulators restrict use of a new industrial chemical pending further research on its long-term health effects.

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

The author has failed to consider that security and liberty might be compatible or that more than two options exist.

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

A newspaper article falsely claiming a respected surgeon botched routine operations, leaving patients disabled.

Answer

Falsely claiming a surgeon caused patient harm would lower their reputation in the eyes of right-thinking people and meets the definition of defamatory.

LNAT Practice Test

LNAT Practice Test

LNAT Reading Comprehension 3