What are LNAT inference questions?
LNAT inference questions ask you what can be logically concluded from what the passage says. They are phrased in ways like: “Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?”, “The author implies that…”, or “Which conclusion is best supported by the passage?”
These questions are consistently among the most difficult in the LNAT – not because the logic is complex, but because the correct answer is often the most cautious and limited one available. Students who think broadly and creatively tend to overreach and choose answers that go further than the passage actually supports.
Why LNAT inference questions are so tricky
The trap: plausible but unsupported
The wrong answers in LNAT inference questions are carefully designed to seem reasonable. They describe things that are probably true in the real world, or that follow naturally from the general topic of the passage, but that are not actually supported by what the passage specifically says. Students who use general knowledge or intuition rather than strict attention to the text fall into this trap consistently.
The correct answer is usually the most limited one
In most LNAT inference questions, the correct answer is the most restricted, qualified, and cautious option available. If one answer says “the author suggests that X is sometimes true” and another says “the author suggests that X is always true”, and the passage only gives one example of X, the first answer is almost certainly correct. The LNAT rewards precision over breadth.
The technique for answering inference questions correctly
Step 1: Identify exactly what the question is pointing to
Most inference questions relate to a specific part of the passage rather than the whole text. Before looking at the answer options, re-read the relevant section of the passage carefully. Know exactly what the author said – not what they might have meant, not what is generally true about the topic, but exactly what words they used and what claim they made.
Step 2: Form your own answer before reading the options
Before reading the answer choices, form your own brief answer to the question. What does this passage actually tell you? What is the most limited conclusion that follows directly from these words? Having your own answer in mind before reading the options makes you less susceptible to the attractive wrong answers.
Step 3: Test each answer against the passage
For each answer option, ask: “Can I point to specific words in the passage that directly support this?” If the answer requires you to add information the passage does not provide, make an assumption the passage does not justify, or generalise beyond what the passage actually states, it is wrong.
Step 4: Eliminate answers that go too far
The most common wrong answer type in inference questions is one that takes a true and relevant point from the passage and overstates it. Words like “always”, “never”, “all”, “only”, and “most” are red flags. The passage rarely supports such absolute claims. Qualified answers using words like “sometimes”, “can”, “may”, or “in some cases” are more likely to be correct.
A worked example
Imagine a passage argues that social media has changed how political campaigns reach young voters, and gives three examples of campaigns that used social media platforms successfully in recent elections. An inference question asks: “Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?”
Option A: “Social media is now the most effective political campaign tool.” – This goes beyond the passage. The passage shows social media has been used successfully but does not compare it to all other tools.
Option B: “Political campaigns have found social media useful for reaching young voters.” – This is directly supported by the passage and does not overreach. This is the correct answer.
Option C: “Young voters only pay attention to political campaigns on social media.” – “Only” makes this far too strong. The passage does not support this claim.
Notice that Option B is the most limited and cautious of the three – and that is exactly why it is correct.
Practice is essential
The technique for inference questions becomes reliable only through practice. The more LNAT passages you work through, the better you become at calibrating how much a passage actually supports versus what it merely implies. Our free LNAT practice paper gives you real inference questions to work through, and our full-length LNAT practice tests provide the volume of practice needed to make this technique automatic.
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