Setup and Rule Diagrams

[ssangha]

Hey guys, just had a quick question about the last rule on this game. I took it to mean that the site visited 3rd is more recent than either 1st or 4th. Does it actually mean that it is more recent than both 1st and 4th? The way i took it, it could be more recent than 4 but not more recent than 1 because it says "or." What should make this clear to me?

Thank You!!

[Steve Stein]

Hi,

Thanks for your question. In that specific context, it means more recent than both. When "either" is used in such a comparison and follows the word "than," as with "earlier than either," it actually means earlier than both; this is similar to the situation in which you look at two people who are shorter than you are--you are taller than either of them. In other words, if either one is brought for comparison, you will prove to be taller.

I hope that's helpful! Please let me know whether this is clear--thanks!

~Steve

[ssangha]

Thank you Steve!! It helps a lot!

Is there a page in the book that explains the language in this rule in further detail?

Thank You!

[Dave Killoran]

Hi S,

This is actually explained here on the forum, in some detail. It's a very tricky point:

http://forum.powerscore.com/lsat/viewto ... ?f=7&t=864

and http://forum.powerscore.com/lsat/viewto ... f=7&t=2615

Please let me know if those help. Fortunately, this "than either" issue hasn't appeared very often.

Thanks!

[reop6780]

About the 3rd and 4th rules, I described them as

G 10/G (*box)

8 8/O (*box)

However, with this set it was not easy to make further inferences.

On the other hand, the explanation on pg 155 describes the rules without box

G 10

8 O


With these rules, I can spot contra-positives, and I can finally make inferences with "Cent."

My problem is I do not know when is best to use box or not.

In basic linear games, there were many cases when box was helpful and essential to the game such as game #6 in basic linear.

Is there distinction drawn for the stimuli using box?

Once I used box for this problem, it was very difficult to make inferences necessary for questions.

[Adam Tyson]

I'm not sure a distinction is needed here, just a greater awareness of the implications of the box (which is, I think, an excellent way to diagram those rules, since it creates a powerful visual block that makes sense in the diagram). Once you have that block, you can still make the same contrapositive, which would read aloud as something like "If O and 8th Century are not together, then it's not the 8th Century." That may not be as clear right away as "If not O, not 8", but it still has the same result - you can't pair an 8 up with anyone other than O.

Rather than worry about whether to use the box or not, focus instead on what the diagram means - what it allows and what it doesn't allow. Follow through with the contrapositive mechanically and you get 8 /O (box) -> 8, and then ask yourself what that really means. Test out alternatives - what happens when you try to pair up an 8 with anyone other than O? That's the process of drawing inferences - it's all about asking yourself those "what if" questions and seeing what happens.

Hope that helps! Happy New Year and good luck with your continued studies!

[reop6780]

Happy new year to you as well! Thank you !

[GH13]

I actually arrived at the correct answer for question 13 on pg 152 by using the rules, as well as the inference of G not being the first site. I was able to eliminate answer choices A-D. Even though I answered correctly, I still do not understand how E could be the correct answer due to (my understanding/misunderstanding of) the following.

1. If Ferrara is the discoverer of the first site, then the site must not have been discovered in the 8 century (rule 4).

2. Obviously the second site (Oliphant) was discovered in the 9th century (2nd rule), meaning that this could not be the site for the 8th century

3. The third site (Gallagher) could not have been discovered in the 8th century (3rd rule)

4. The fourth and fifth sites could not have been discovered in the 8th century (inferences/2nd rule)

Does this mean that the 8th century is not represented among the archaeological sites in this answer, even though the prompt ("each dates from the eight, ninth, or tenth century") seems to imply that eight century must be represented?

[Steve Stein]

Hi GH13,

Just because each dates from one of the three centuries listed, that does not necessarily mean that all three centuries are represented. For example, if I have a black marble and a white marble, it is still accurate to say that each of the marbles is black, white, or red, even though there are no red marbles present.

Good question--please let me know whether this is clear--thanks!

~Steve

[GH13]

Thank you Steve Stein for such a speedy reply. One more question. Does this understanding of the word "or" (that it does not necessarily mean that an option is represented in the resulting answers) apply to every single question? Do scenarios like this occur frequently? I think your saying this but I'm just making sure.