LNAT Technical Skills & Application 5

Question 1

A legal essay argues: 'The right to silence should be abolished because guilty defendants exploit it.' Which critical flaw is most significant?

Accepted Answer

It ignores the risk that abolition would harm innocent defendants who are inarticulate or anxious

Answer

Focusing only on guilty defendants exploiting the right ignores the protective function it serves for innocent but vulnerable people.

Question 2

In statistical analysis, a result is described as 'statistically significant at p < 0.05.' This means:

Accepted Answer

There is less than a 5% probability of observing this result if the null hypothesis were true

Answer

A p-value below 0.05 means there is less than a 5% chance of obtaining the observed result under the null hypothesis, not that the effect is definitely real.

Question 3

A barrister argues by analogy: 'In case X, the court held that silence in response to an accusation could constitute acceptance. My client similarly said nothing when accused of breach. Therefore he accepted the allegation.' For this analogy to hold, what must be true?

Accepted Answer

The legally relevant features of case X must be sufficiently similar to the present case

Answer

Legal analogy requires that the facts materially relevant to the legal rule are similar enough to justify applying the same outcome.

Question 4

A passage claims that 'democracy is failing because voter turnout has declined.' Which additional piece of evidence would most undermine this argument?

Accepted Answer

Low-turnout elections have produced stable, representative governments with high public approval

Answer

If low turnout still produces stable and representative outcomes, it undermines the link between declining turnout and democratic failure.

Question 5

The principle of expressio unius est exclusio alterius ('expression of one excludes the other') means that in a statute listing specific items:

Accepted Answer

Items not listed are presumed to be excluded from the statute's scope

Answer

Expressio unius holds that the deliberate listing of specific items implies that unlisted items are intentionally excluded.

LNAT Practice Test

LNAT Practice Test

LNAT Technical Skills & Application 5