LNAT Inference and Implied Meaning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A politician states: 'We have no evidence that the proposed tax cut will harm public services.' What can most reasonably be inferred from this statement?
- The tax cut will definitely benefit public services.
- The speaker is confident the tax cut is harmless.
- The absence of evidence does not confirm the tax cut is safe. (Correct answer)
- The speaker opposes the tax cut.
Correct answer: The absence of evidence does not confirm the tax cut is safe.
The statement only claims a lack of evidence against harm, which does not logically establish that no harm will occur.
Question 2: A legal text states: 'A contract is void where one party lacked capacity at the time of signing.' A person signs a contract while intoxicated. What is most strongly implied?
- The contract is automatically void.
- The contract may be voidable depending on the degree of incapacity. (Correct answer)
- Intoxication always constitutes lack of capacity.
- The sober party bears no responsibility.
Correct answer: The contract may be voidable depending on the degree of incapacity.
The text implies voiding requires proven lack of capacity; intoxication must be severe enough to constitute genuine incapacity for the rule to apply.
Question 3: An editorial reads: 'Every government that has introduced this policy has seen economic growth.' What does this most strongly imply?
- The policy causes economic growth.
- There is a correlation between the policy and growth, but causation is not established. (Correct answer)
- The policy should be universally adopted.
- Governments without the policy experience decline.
Correct answer: There is a correlation between the policy and growth, but causation is not established.
Observing that two things co-occur establishes correlation, not that one causes the other.
Question 4: A scientist says: 'My study found no statistically significant link between the drug and side effects in adults.' What is most reasonably implied about children?
- The drug is also safe for children.
- The drug is unsafe for children.
- The study's findings cannot be directly applied to children. (Correct answer)
- Children should take a lower dose.
Correct answer: The study's findings cannot be directly applied to children.
A study conducted only on adults cannot validly extend its conclusions to populations not studied.
Question 5: A passage argues: 'Strict sentencing deters crime only when potential offenders believe they will be caught.' What does this imply about the effectiveness of long sentences alone?
- Long sentences are always effective deterrents.
- Long sentences are ineffective without a high perceived probability of detection. (Correct answer)
- Detection rates are irrelevant to deterrence.
- Short sentences are preferable to long ones.
Correct answer: Long sentences are ineffective without a high perceived probability of detection.
The argument implies severity of punishment is conditional on the belief that punishment will actually follow, so severity alone is insufficient.
Question 6: A judge rules: 'The defendant's silence during questioning cannot be used as evidence of guilt.' What is most strongly implied about the burden of proof?
- Defendants must actively prove innocence.
- The prosecution must establish guilt without relying on the defendant's silence. (Correct answer)
- Silence implies the defendant has something to hide.
- The judge believes the defendant is innocent.
Correct answer: The prosecution must establish guilt without relying on the defendant's silence.
Excluding silence as evidence implies the prosecution must prove its case through other means, consistent with the presumption of innocence.
Question 7: A newspaper reports: 'Crime rates fell sharply in the year following the introduction of community policing.' A reader infers community policing reduced crime. What assumption underlies this inference?
- Crime statistics are always accurate.
- No other significant changes occurred that year that could explain the drop. (Correct answer)
- Community policing is cheaper than traditional policing.
- Crime rates were already falling before the program began.
Correct answer: No other significant changes occurred that year that could explain the drop.
Attributing the fall to community policing assumes no other concurrent factors could explain the trend.
LNAT Inference and Implied Meaning 2
A politician states: 'We have no evidence that the proposed tax cut will harm public services.' What can most reasonably be inferred from this statement?