How should you approach the argument based LNAT multiple-choice questions?

The first step to tackling the multiple choice questions is identifying what type of question you are trying to answer. Generally, the LNAT questions fall into three categories; Argument question (they test your ability to understand how the argument is being made by the author), stylistic questions (they test whether you can understand the context in which particular language is being used), and application question (these test your assumption skills regarding what might have preceded/ will follow the passage or identifying an assumption that the passage might be based upon).

Argument questions: Although they present themselves in many ways essentially these questions ask “what is the author arguing?”

1. Argument identification: These questions are only concerned with what is and isn’t being argued in the question. They are usually phrased like “the author takes the view that/ doesn’t believe that…” The best way to tackle these questions is to look at the claims being made in the answers. All the answers will contain either strong or weak claims. Start with the strong claims and determine whether the essence of the passage really covers that much scope or if the argument is narrower, then make your way down to the weaker claims until you find the one that you believe most appropriately fits the essence of the text.
2. Argument application: These questions tend to test your ability to apply the conclusion of the argument to novel situations (you are not going to be asked to extend beyond the parameters of the argument in the passage) I personally always found these questions the trickiest, but the most important thing to focus on is to clearly understand the argument being made in the passage. Once you have identified the argument try to determine whether its scope covers the answer option you are looking at.
3. Argument characterisation: These test if you can translate the core argument into different language whilst not losing the meaning of the passage. These questions can often be worded similarly to “which of the below options comes closest to X”. First, establish whether the argument you have identified from the authors passage as being one that is strong or weak. Then try to relate this to the various options, an argument that is either much weaker or much stronger than the authors could not be the answer. Remember that you aren’t being asked for a direct synonym so pick the answer that best translates what you think the authors opinion is.