Paraphrasing and Summarising Arguments

Many LNAT questions require you to recognise a paraphrased version of something the author has said, or to identify the best summary of the author's argument. These questions test whether you truly understand the passage or have merely memorised its wording.

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What Is Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing means restating someone's idea in different words while preserving the original meaning. A good paraphrase:

• Uses different vocabulary and sentence structure from the original
• Preserves the same core meaning
• Does not add new information or interpretation
• Does not omit any important element of the original

Example

Original (from a passage):

"The criminal justice system's emphasis on incarceration has demonstrably failed to reduce reoffending rates, despite decades of increasingly punitive sentencing."

Good paraphrase:

"Harsher prison sentences over many years have not succeeded in lowering the rate at which offenders commit further crimes."

Bad paraphrase (changes the meaning):

"Prison sentences are too long." — This is an opinion, not a paraphrase; it adds a value judgement.