How Section A works
You will see 12 passages of roughly 600 words each. Each passage is followed by 3-4 multiple-choice questions. You have 95 minutes for the whole thing, roughly seven minutes per passage. The questions test five recurring skills: identifying the main argument, identifying tone, identifying what is assumed, identifying what is implied, and identifying what is logically supported.
The single biggest improvement for most students is learning to read for argument structure rather than content. You are not being tested on the topic; you are being tested on how the author moves from premise to conclusion.
Practice question 1
The argument that universities should ban political speakers fundamentally misunderstands the purpose of higher education. A university is not a sanctuary; it is a forum. Students who graduate having heard only views they already hold are graduates in nothing more than self-affirmation. Those who object that some views are too dangerous to be aired ignore that the alternative, entrusting a small committee to decide which views are safe, has historically produced the most dangerous censorship of all.
Which of the following best captures the author's main argument?
- Universities are too cautious about whom they invite to speak.
- Censorship by committee is more harmful than the speech it would suppress.
- Students should attend lectures regardless of their personal views.
- Universities should not exist if they cannot debate freely.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. The passage's pivot, 'the alternative … has historically produced the most dangerous censorship of all', is the load-bearing premise. Option B captures that explicitly. A and C are partially supported but secondary; D overstates.
Practice question 2
Critics of the new digital services regulation argue that it imposes disproportionate compliance costs on small platforms. That criticism would carry more weight if the smaller platforms in question were not, in many cases, owned by holding companies whose total revenues comfortably exceed those of the regulated entities themselves. The discourse of 'protecting the little guy' has been imported wholesale from a debate that ended a decade ago.
The author's tone toward the criticism of digital services regulation is best described as:
- Sympathetic and supportive.
- Neutral and informational.
- Sceptical and dismissive.
- Anxious and uncertain.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Phrases like 'would carry more weight if' and 'imported wholesale from a debate that ended a decade ago' establish a sceptical and dismissive tone. The author is rejecting the criticism, not engaging with it neutrally.
Practice question 3
The minister's promise to halve carbon emissions by 2035 was greeted with applause. But the policy levers required to achieve that target, a meaningful carbon price, a moratorium on new oil and gas licences, and a serious retrofit programme for the housing stock, were notable mainly by their absence from the speech. The discrepancy will eventually have to be reconciled. The question is whether it will be reconciled by the policy catching up with the rhetoric, or the rhetoric quietly retreating to meet the policy.
Which of the following is implied but not stated?
- The minister is dishonest.
- There is a real risk the emissions target will be quietly abandoned.
- Carbon pricing is the only effective decarbonisation tool.
- The minister's speech was well received.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. The final clause raises the possibility that 'the rhetoric quietly retreating to meet the policy', i.e. the target being abandoned in practice. It is implied, not stated outright. A is too strong (the author does not accuse dishonesty), C is unsupported, and D is stated, not implied.
Drill more Section A inside the assistant
Paste any opinion piece and ask the assistant to generate LNAT-format questions on it. You get an endless supply of fresh, varied practice.
Open the assistant