Setup and Rule Diagrams

[Administrator]

Setup and Rule Diagram Explanation

This is a Basic Linear game.

This game setup is discussed in our podcast recap of PT92 Logic Games at https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/podcast/111/

This setup is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[lhperfectlsat]

Hi!

Asking on behalf of everyone studying for the January 2023 LSAT: when can we expect to see the set up and explanation for this game?

Thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

I can't speak to when we will have our official explanation with all the great pictures, but I can give you a quick description!

The first two rules create a classic sequencing chain of L - K - F.

The third rule creates another classic, a block: MJ.

Obviously, no connection can yet be made between the chain and the block because they have no variables in common.

The last two rules are conditional:

H1 L4

F6 J3

Your base should be 6 blank spaces numbered 1 through 6. You could add a number of Not-Laws, like that L cannot be 5th or 6th, K cannot be 1st or 6th, F cannot be 1st or 2nd, M cannot be 6th, and J cannot be 1st.

Then what? One option is playing out the two conditional rules. First, what happens when H is first? L is 4th, which forces the chain to go in 456, leaving only the 2nd and 3rd spaces for the MJ block. Thus, if H is first, the solution is HMJLKF.

Next, put F 6th, which forces J to go 3rd. That means M must be 2nd - this is starting to look a lot like what happened when H went first, isn't it? Except this time, H doesn't have to go first, because L could. You could show that dual option with L/H in the 1 spot, or you could leave it blank. In the 5 spot you have a similar situation - it has to be H or K, so you could put H/K in that spot or just leave it blank.

If you take this approach, remember that those two conditionals are not templates, because they don't cover ALL possible solutions to the game. They are just some hypothetical situations based on those rules that may or may not occur in the game.

One other option here (my preference) is to do templates based on the placement of the MJ block. You would have 5 of them, which may sound a little extreme, but it would allow you to see every possible outcome of the game and you would go through the questions very quickly. To get you started, consider these:

1. The MJ block goes in the first two spaces. This would mean that F cannot go 6th (the contrapositive of the last rule - J isn't 3rd, so F isn't 6th). That leaves only H to go 6th, and the solution must be MJLKFH.

2. MJ in 2 and 3 looks like the two conditionals. H/L in the first spot, F/H in the last spot, leave 4 and 5 blank.

3. MJ in 3 and 4. Again, this means that F cannot go 6th, and it also means H cannot go first (the contrapositive of the other conditional rule is triggered), so L must be first and H must be last, and the game is fully solved: LKMJFH.

Try doing the remaining two templates on your own and see what you get.! I think you'll like the results.

[lhperfectlsat]

Hi Adam,

I wanted you to know that I appreciated you taking the time to write this out! Your explanation was really helpful.

I had asked for an explanation/description because I wanted to know if I was missing something in the setup, but this is the same setup that I made for my game! I have found that it can be difficult to move on from a setup and to the questions without worrying that I missed something essential. It's helpful to know that I thought about it the correct way! Now to just work on speeding up.

I can't speak to when we will have our official explanation with all the great pictures, but I can give you a quick description!

The first two rules create a classic sequencing chain of L - K - F.

The third rule creates another classic, a block: MJ.

Obviously, no connection can yet be made between the chain and the block because they have no variables in common.

The last two rules are conditional:

H1 L4

F6 J3

Your base should be 6 blank spaces numbered 1 through 6. You could add a number of Not-Laws, like that L cannot be 5th or 6th, K cannot be 1st or 6th, F cannot be 1st or 2nd, M cannot be 6th, and J cannot be 1st.

Then what? One option is playing out the two conditional rules. First, what happens when H is first? L is 4th, which forces the chain to go in 456, leaving only the 2nd and 3rd spaces for the MJ block. Thus, if H is first, the solution is HMJLKF.

Next, put F 6th, which forces J to go 3rd. That means M must be 2nd - this is starting to look a lot like what happened when H went first, isn't it? Except this time, H doesn't have to go first, because L could. You could show that dual option with L/H in the 1 spot, or you could leave it blank. In the 5 spot you have a similar situation - it has to be H or K, so you could put H/K in that spot or just leave it blank.

If you take this approach, remember that those two conditionals are not templates, because they don't cover ALL possible solutions to the game. They are just some hypothetical situations based on those rules that may or may not occur in the game.

One other option here (my preference) is to do templates based on the placement of the MJ block. You would have 5 of them, which may sound a little extreme, but it would allow you to see every possible outcome of the game and you would go through the questions very quickly. To get you started, consider these:

1. The MJ block goes in the first two spaces. This would mean that F cannot go 6th (the contrapositive of the last rule - J isn't 3rd, so F isn't 6th). That leaves only H to go 6th, and the solution must be MJLKFH.

2. MJ in 2 and 3 looks like the two conditionals. H/L in the first spot, F/H in the last spot, leave 4 and 5 blank.

3. MJ in 3 and 4. Again, this means that F cannot go 6th, and it also means H cannot go first (the contrapositive of the other conditional rule is triggered), so L must be first and H must be last, and the game is fully solved: LKMJFH.

Try doing the remaining two templates on your own and see what you get.! I think you'll like the results.