Answer: D
(A) is incorrect because it violates Rule 2.
(B) is incorrect because we know that either the pair of seniors J L or I K must be selected, but we don't know which.
(C) is incorrect because we know that either the pair of seniors J L or I K must be selected, but we don't know which.
(D) Since r is selected, H can't be (Rule 2). We deduced that if there are three seniors chosen, H must be chosen along with one of the other pairs (J L or I K). Since H isn't chosen, there must be three teachers. Rule 2 says that you can't have r and t, so the three teachers must be q, r, and s. Thus s must be chosen, making Choice (D) correct.
(E) is incorrect because it violates Rule 2.
Read below for a more in depth explanation of this logic game.
When you first looked at the game, you should have read the opening paragraphs and the rules. From that you saw that you're going to be selecting five of nine people - a grouping game of selection. You will choose the five people from five seniors - H, I, J, K, and L - and four teachers - q, r, s, and t (you can use CAPS for the seniors and lower case letters for the teachers to keep the groups separate). The
Key Issues
will involve typical grouping concerns:
- What people are selected to write speeches?
- What seniors can, must, or cannot be selected?
- What teachers can, must, or cannot be selected?
The Initial Setup
Keep this very simple. You're selecting five people, so just draw five dashes across the page. Remember to list the seniors and teachers:
| Seniors |
Teachers |
| H, I, J, K, L |
Q, R, S, T |
The Rules
- Whenever possible build a rule directly into the master sketch. Two of the five people must be seniors and two must be teachers. The final slot can be filled with either a senior or a teacher. Make a note of this in the sketch.
- Here we get two rules for the price of one. No need to try to keep the information together. Separate it into two distinct rules. R and H can't both be selected, and r and t can't both be selected. "No r H" and "No r t" is a good way to symbolize it. Don't make the mistake of inferring a relationship between H and t. You can't deduce that H and t can't be together; likewise, it's incorrect to assume that H and t must always be together.
- J and L must always be selected together. "Always J L" should do it.
- This is just like Rule 3 only with different entities. This time it's I and K that must always be selected together. Write "Always I K."
Key Deductions
The numbers aspect is always important in Logic Games, but especially so in grouping games. In this game, you know for a fact that you need at least two seniors and at least two teachers (thanks to Rule 1). There's only one spot left, so there are only two possibilities for the final group of five. Either three seniors and two teachers will be selected or three teachers and two seniors. That's it. Anything else (like four seniors and one teacher) in a no-no.
With this new information in mind, take a look back at the rules. J and L in Rule 3 are both seniors. I and K in Rule 4 are also both seniors. That's four seniors, and we just deduced that the "senior maximum" is three. Therefore, these groups of two can't be selected together. Also note that H is the only senior that's not in one of these two groups. So if there are three seniors, it's going to be one of the groups of two and H; the only options if there are three seniors are H, J, L and H, I, K. If there are only two seniors the only options are J L and I K. You must always take the time to think before you hit the questions. Even in a game like this one without major Key Deductions, there are still important consequences that need to be considered. The "three senior maximum" we deduced above is one example. This extra thinking helps cement your understanding of the game and lets you quickly cut through quite a few of the questions.
You could go further in working out numerous possibilities, but it's really not worth it. We've gone as far as we need to get a good, solid grasp on the game's workings. That is enough.
The Master Sketch
| Seniors |
Teachers |
| H, I, J, K, L |
Q, R, S, T |
| ____ |
____ |
____ |
____ |
____ |
| senior |
senior |
teacher |
teacher |
|
The Big Picture
- Always pay special attention to the numbers aspect in every game you do. Many questions are answered just by asking, "What entities are left? Where can (or must) they go?"
- If you don't fully grasp a game's action, go through a couple of "what ifs?" to cement the game's goings-on. Take an entity and ask "What if it goes here? What does that mean for the other entities?" If you don't need this extra help, great, but it's time well spent if it helps you better understand a game.
- The best way to deal with any rule is to build it directly into the master sketch. See if you can to this with each and every rule in all four games on your LSAT. If you can't, then shorthand the rule in your own words directly on the page. As a last resort, circle a rule.
