#23 - No nonfiction book published by Carriage Books has

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi Mazen,

I would diagram answer choice (D) a bit differently.

Like in the stimulus, we start with a fact: J has never done business with W.

We then have a conditional.

W maintains business files individual W has done business with

Then, the conclusion is that W doesn't have a business file on J.

The key is that there is a rule (the W business files conditional) and an application of that rule (J has never done business with W, therefore doesn't have a business file on J).

The problem with answer choice (D) is that it doesn't have two discreet groups discussed, such as fiction/nonfiction books or marketing employees/systems analysts.

Hope that helps!

[mab9178]

Thank You Rachael!

[lsatstudent99966]

I have a trivial question.

I see many people paralleling the "fiction/non-fiction" distinction in the stimulus with the "market division employee/system analyst" division in answer choice (C)

But I think a more appropriate parallel should be between "fiction/non-fiction" and "marketing division/not marketing division."

I don't think the relationship between "market division employee" and "system analyst" is mutually exclusive like that of "fiction/non-fiction" in the stimulus. And the argument in (C) doesn't deem "market division employee" and "system analyst" as mutually exclusive, it only uses the contrapositive of the premise to conclude that "no system analyst was employed in the market division last year".

And I think the structure of both arguments also shows that the parallel distinction is between "fiction/non-fiction" and "marketing division/ not marketing division.":

Premise 1: nonfiction ~profit
(Premise 1: market division ~bonus)

Premise 2: last year profit
(Premise 2: last year bonus)

Contrapositive of Premise 1: profit ~non fiction
(Contrapositive of Premise 1: bonus ~market division)

Conclusion: ~nonfiction
Conclusion: ~market division

[Jeff Wren]

Hi lsatstudent,

First, it's worth noting that the argument in the stimulus never mentions fiction books. The conclusion only mentions that the books published last year were not non-fiction. Admittedly, fiction books may be implied as the only logical alternative to nonfiction books (unless there are other categories of books besides fiction and non-fiction). The idea of fiction books vs. non-fiction books needn't be used to understand the reasoning.

You're correct that systems analysts and marketing division employees are not inherently mutually exclusive in Answer C.

Neither the argument in the stimulus nor in Answer C relies on two things that are mutually exclusive by their very nature.

Your diagrams look pretty good for the most part, but it's important to capture certain details regarding the terms in the argument (whether in your diagram itself or just remembering or returning to the text.) For example, your diagram doesn't specify that it was the system analysts who received the bonuses last year, not everyone outside the marketing division, so just be sure to track the terms in whatever way works best for you.

Using the Test of Abstraction may also be a helpful approach:

Everything/everyone in Group A (nonfiction books, marketing division employees, etc.) lacks a certain characteristic (earning a profit, earning a bonus, etc.). Everything/everyone in Group B (books published last year, system analysts last year, etc.) has that certain characteristic. Therefore, no As are Bs.

[lsatstudent99966]

Hi lsatstudent,

First, it's worth noting that the argument in the stimulus never mentions fiction books. The conclusion only mentions that the books published last year were not non-fiction. Admittedly, fiction books may be implied as the only logical alternative to nonfiction books (unless there are other categories of books besides fiction and non-fiction). The idea of fiction books vs. non-fiction books needn't be used to understand the reasoning.

You're correct that systems analysts and marketing division employees are not inherently mutually exclusive in Answer C.

Neither the argument in the stimulus nor in Answer C relies on two things that are mutually exclusive by their very nature.

Your diagrams look pretty good for the most part, but it's important to capture certain details regarding the terms in the argument (whether in your diagram itself or just remembering or returning to the text.) For example, your diagram doesn't specify that it was the system analysts who received the bonuses last year, not everyone outside the marketing division, so just be sure to track the terms in whatever way works best for you.

Using the Test of Abstraction may also be a helpful approach:

Everything/everyone in Group A (nonfiction books, marketing division employees, etc.) lacks a certain characteristic (earning a profit, earning a bonus, etc.). Everything/everyone in Group B (books published last year, system analysts last year, etc.) has that certain characteristic. Therefore, no As are Bs.

Thank you very much Jeff! This is super clear!