I am looking for a way to change the selection tool from rectangular to lasso, as the rectangle sometimes selects unwanted objects. Can it be done?

I am using Inkscape 1.1. On the What's New page it says: Activate the new selection mode for the lasso/rubberband (my emphasis) selection and select every object within the box or touching its boundaries.
but I can't find how/where to do that.

Thanks

https://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/Release_notes/1.1#Selector_Tool

Try to hold down ALT key while moving the mouse. Every object you touch will be selected.

Greeting

Inkscape's naming of the "lasso" tool is false marketing here.

https://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/Release_notes/1.1#Selector_Tool is definitely rectangular selection, not lasso selection that everyone knows from GIMP, Krita and others.

Window-select / Window select with touch would have been a better description.