This is very similar to question 22. I thought I had to brute force it. But then I remembered the four special configurations:
- ST
- SU
- TM
- WM
Answers C and D reverse one of these configurations. Reversing a special configuration makes it harder to obey the rules.
I drew C first, but it was possible:
D doesn’t work, so it’s CORRECT. If you draw UT first, then there’s no way to do ST or SU:
I’ll repeat the rationale for trying C and D first. We need ST or SU. So taking two of those letters and putting them out of order (UT) greatly restricts our options for placing ST or SU.
These diagrams prove that A, B and E are possible:
A
B
E
Note that A and B use SU and TM. Those are two of the four special configurations. So these answers make it easier to satisfy the rules. They were poor candidates.
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Jesús says
How does answer choice D reverse one of the four special configurations?
Kristin says
Can’t we just look at D) and see that if U and T are 1st and 2nd, then S cannot be immediately before either of them, violating rule 1? What am I missing?
Memberdbelfiglio@gmail.com says
Did you consider using a split scenario for this one? I split it on the [TM] or [WM] rule. Took a while to draw the main diagram, but then the questions were very quick. In fact, I answered them all easily without any local diagrams. Here’s what I ended up with, as best I can type it:
(1)
{[STM], U-R } xor {[TM], SU-R }
-W -W
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
(2)
{[ST, U-R } xor {T, SU-R }
-[WM] -[WM]
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
I realize as I’m copying my diagram that I really did four scenarios in disguise, and I know you said in the seminar not to do four scenarios, so I’m wondering if this is a rare exception, if my approach was actually a bad idea (though it really made the questions go quick) or if I should consider four scenarios more often. Curious what you think either way.
Memberdbelfiglio@gmail.com says
The site collapsed my spacing on the second lines of my scenarios. Should show that U leads to both R and W in every case, including when these are part of blocks.
TutorLucas (LSAT Hacks) says
Choosing whether or not to draw templates and/or draw out 3+ gameboards at the end of day is a matter of personal preference and how well your short term memory operates under stress. As a default measure for most students, I suggest looking for a way to split the game into two larger scenarios, but not drawing out more than 2-3 boards — that way you’re using a combination of drawing and memorization (because you’ll often have to memorize one rule whether than draw out 4-5 boards.) But there’s no hard and fast rule here, you have to figure out what works for you based on practice.
It’s great to see that drawing out 4 scenarios on this game worked for you to answer the questions quickly. This is something you should test with other games and see what works for you — maybe on some games you’ll feel able to quickly draw out 4 boards, and on others you’ll feel comfortable enough to just draw out 2 and memorize rules.