Practice: Extracting Arguments from Full Passages

This final lesson brings together every skill from the course — identifying conclusions, premises, intermediate conclusions, assumptions, evidence, and assertions — and applies them to full-length, LNAT-style passages. The goal is to simulate the experience of reading a real Section A passage and systematically extracting every component of the argument. This is the skill you will use 12 times on test day.

---

The Extraction Method

Before we begin the worked examples, here is the systematic method you should follow for any LNAT passage:

Step 1: Read the Passage (Skim or Full Read)

Using the strategy appropriate to the passage difficulty (questions-first, passage-first, or hybrid), read the passage.

Step 2: Identify the Main Conclusion

Ask: "What is the author trying to persuade me of?" Apply the "therefore" test.

Step 3: Identify the Premises

Ask: "What reasons does the author give?" List them. Note whether they are evidence-based or assertions.

Step 4: Identify Intermediate Conclusions

Ask: "Are any claims both supported by evidence AND supportive of the main conclusion?" These are intermediate conclusions.

Step 5: Identify Counter-Arguments and Rebuttals