LNAT Passage Comprehension and Deduction 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage argues: 'Mandatory sentencing removes judicial discretion, yet discretion is the mechanism by which justice is individualized. Without individualization, law becomes a blunt instrument.' What is the passage's central claim?
- Judges should have unlimited sentencing power
- Mandatory sentencing undermines individualized justice (Correct answer)
- Discretion leads to inconsistent outcomes
- Sentencing reform is politically impossible
Correct answer: Mandatory sentencing undermines individualized justice
The passage equates judicial discretion with individualized justice and concludes that removing it makes law blunt and less just.
Question 2: A text states: 'All contracts require offer, acceptance, and consideration. This agreement has offer and acceptance but no consideration.' What follows necessarily?
- The agreement is a valid contract
- The agreement is not a valid contract (Correct answer)
- Consideration can be implied from context
- The parties should renegotiate
Correct answer: The agreement is not a valid contract
If all three elements are required and one is missing, the agreement fails to meet the definition of a contract.
Question 3: A passage reads: 'Free speech protections are strongest when speech is most offensive, because inoffensive speech needs no protection.' Which logical principle does this invoke?
- The principle of proportionality
- The principle that rights matter most at their limits (Correct answer)
- The harm principle
- Majority rule
Correct answer: The principle that rights matter most at their limits
The passage argues that protection is most necessary precisely where it is most challenged — at the edge case of offensive speech.
Question 4: Read: 'The statute prohibits vehicles in the park. A bicycle is a vehicle. Therefore bicycles are prohibited.' Which counter-argument most directly challenges the deduction?
- Bicycles are not harmful to park users
- The statute's purpose was to reduce noise and danger from motorized transport (Correct answer)
- Parks should be accessible to all
- The legislature should have been clearer
Correct answer: The statute's purpose was to reduce noise and danger from motorized transport
Challenging the deduction requires questioning whether 'bicycle' falls under the legislative intent of 'vehicle,' not just its literal classification.
Question 5: A passage claims: 'If rehabilitation were the true aim of imprisonment, recidivism rates would be falling. They are not. Therefore rehabilitation is not the true aim.' What type of argument is this?
- Argument from authority
- Modus tollens (denying the consequent) (Correct answer)
- Circular reasoning
- False dilemma
Correct answer: Modus tollens (denying the consequent)
The structure is: if P then Q; not Q; therefore not P — which is modus tollens, a valid deductive form.
Question 6: A text reads: 'Civil disobedience is justified when three conditions are met: the law is unjust, legal channels are exhausted, and harm to others is minimized.' A protester blocks a hospital entrance. Which condition is most clearly unmet?
- The law they protest may not be unjust
- Harm to others is not minimized (Correct answer)
- Legal channels have not been exhausted
- The protest is not public enough
Correct answer: Harm to others is not minimized
Blocking a hospital entrance directly risks harm to patients needing urgent care, violating the 'minimize harm' condition.
Question 7: A passage states: 'Rights without remedies are merely aspirational. If a right cannot be enforced, it provides no real protection.' A person has a legal right to privacy but no court will hear their case. What does the author conclude?
- Their privacy is still protected morally
- Their legal right provides no real protection in practice (Correct answer)
- Courts should be reformed immediately
- Aspirational rights are still valuable
Correct answer: Their legal right provides no real protection in practice
The author's premise directly implies that an unenforced right provides no real protection, which applies to this person's situation.
LNAT Passage Comprehension and Deduction 2
A passage argues: 'Mandatory sentencing removes judicial discretion, yet discretion is the mechanism by which justice is individualized.
Without individualization, law becomes a blunt instrument.' What is the passage's central claim?