LSAT 65, Game 4 Setup, TV Programming, LSATHacks

This is an explanation of the fourth logic game from Section II of LSAT Preptest 65, the December 2011 LSAT.

Five television programs will be shown in a three-hour block. One is an hour-long program called Generations (G) and the other four are half-hour programs: Roamin’, Sundown, Terry, and Waterloo (R, S, T, W). Each of the programs will be shown once, one after the other. You must use the rules to determine the possible orders of the programs.

Game Setup

This is a linear game, with a slight twist. The six slots include hours and half hours. You must keep track of which variables can start on the hour, and which ones start on the half hour.

One of the variables, G, is an hour long. I kept track of this by drawing it GG. But, you have to remember that GG = 1 variable. Some questions require you to count the number of variables. 

Here’s my variable list:

Here’s the main diagram:

The first rule says that GG can only start on the hour. There’s no great way to draw this rule. Better just to memorize it. I’ll add it to the main diagram later, which is another way not to forget. But if you do want to draw a way to list the rule, just make something up, like this:

You can do the same for rule 2. I do prefer to memorize it and/or put these rules on the main diagram. But here’s a plausible way to draw the second rule:

Rule 3 says R is before S:

Rule 4 says that either W is directly before T, or T is somewhere before W:

A couple questions require you to remember this rule. Hint: if W is first, then it’s definitely before T.

I like to put rules 1 and 2 directly on the main diagram:

The G’s are labelled G1, as a reminder that it’s just the first G that can’t go on the half hour.

Honestly, it’s probably better just to memorize those two rules. It’s not hard. Just read them a few times each, and remember that there are two rules that deal with hours and half-hours.

I’m keeping the ‘not’ rules under the main diagram for the rest of these explanations. Not everyone reading these will memorize the rules, so that will make the diagrams clearer for them.

But if you’re serious about doing well, I recommend practicing simply memorizing these rules. It’s not hard to memorize 1-2 key rules on each game, and you go so much faster when you do. Your diagrams will also be simpler and quicker to draw.

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