LNAT Structuring a Coherent Essay 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which approach to the essay body best supports a nuanced LNAT argument?
- Present only evidence that supports your thesis and ignore complications
- Develop each paragraph around a single, distinct point that advances the thesis (Correct answer)
- Write lengthy paragraphs covering multiple unrelated ideas to show breadth
- Begin each paragraph with a quotation rather than a topic sentence
Correct answer: Develop each paragraph around a single, distinct point that advances the thesis
One clear point per paragraph, each advancing the thesis, creates a logically progressive and coherent argument.
Question 2: A student's essay shifts from arguing that capital punishment deters crime to arguing that it is morally wrong, without linking these threads. This is an example of:
- Effective use of multiple argumentative perspectives
- Structural incoherence caused by unconnected argumentative strands (Correct answer)
- A legitimate concession-rebuttal pattern
- Appropriate broadening of the essay's scope
Correct answer: Structural incoherence caused by unconnected argumentative strands
Switching between unlinked arguments without integrating them creates a disjointed essay that lacks a unified thesis.
Question 3: In the POINT-EVIDENCE-EXPLAIN (PEE) paragraph structure, what is the role of the 'explain' component?
- To restate the point using different words
- To introduce the next paragraph's topic
- To analyze how the evidence supports the point and advances the thesis (Correct answer)
- To provide a second piece of evidence reinforcing the first
Correct answer: To analyze how the evidence supports the point and advances the thesis
The explanation step shows the reader why the evidence matters and how it connects to the broader argument.
Question 4: Why should an LNAT essay avoid ending with phrases like 'In conclusion, as I have shown above'?
- Such phrases are too formal for an exam context
- They waste words by announcing what the reader already knows rather than adding insight (Correct answer)
- They are grammatically incorrect constructions
- They signal to the examiner that the essay is too short
Correct answer: They waste words by announcing what the reader already knows rather than adding insight
Hollow formulaic phrases consume word count without contributing argumentative value; a strong conclusion synthesizes rather than merely announces.
Question 5: A well-structured LNAT essay should have its thesis:
- Revealed only in the final paragraph as a surprise conclusion
- Stated clearly in the introduction and reinforced throughout the essay (Correct answer)
- Changed midway through to reflect new evidence encountered while writing
- Omitted entirely to allow the reader to infer the argument
Correct answer: Stated clearly in the introduction and reinforced throughout the essay
A clear thesis stated at the outset gives the essay direction and allows every paragraph to be evaluated for how well it advances that central claim.
Question 6: When two body paragraphs present conflicting evidence, the most coherent approach is to:
- Delete whichever paragraph presents weaker evidence
- Present both sides and use analysis to show how they relate to your thesis (Correct answer)
- Place the conflicting paragraph in an appendix
- Convert one paragraph into a footnote to reduce apparent contradiction
Correct answer: Present both sides and use analysis to show how they relate to your thesis
Acknowledging conflicting evidence and explaining its relationship to your thesis demonstrates analytical depth and strengthens rather than undermines coherence.
Question 7: Which of the following openings is most effective for an LNAT essay on the question 'Is privacy a right or a privilege?'
- 'Privacy is defined in the dictionary as…'
- 'This essay will discuss privacy and its importance in modern society.'
- 'Whether privacy constitutes a right or a privilege hinges on how we understand the basis of legal entitlements—a distinction with profound consequences.' (Correct answer)
- 'I personally believe that privacy is very important and everyone deserves it.'
Correct answer: 'Whether privacy constitutes a right or a privilege hinges on how we understand the basis of legal entitlements—a distinction with profound consequences.'
This opening immediately engages with the conceptual tension in the question and signals a focused, analytical argument.
LNAT Structuring a Coherent Essay 3
Which approach to the essay body best supports a nuanced LNAT argument?