Help with one question!

[Blueballoon5%]

Here is the game set:
Seven instructors - J, K, L, M, N, P, and Q - teach adult education courses at a community college. Each instructor teaches during exactly one semester: the fall semester, the spring semester, or the winter semester. The following conditions apply:
K teaches during the winter semester.
L and M teach during the same semester.
Q teaches during either the fall or the spring semester.
Exactly twice as many instructors teach during the winter semester as teach during the fall semester.
N and Q teach during different semesters.
J and P teach during different semesters.

Question:
Which one of the following could be a complete and accurate list of instructors who do not teach during the winter semester.
(A) J, L, Q
(B) J, Q
(C) L, M, Q
(D) N, P, Q
(E) N, Q

Correct answer: D

My Question: I do not understand the "P" in answer D. Can't I arrange the choices as so:
Fall: J, N
Spring: Q
Winter: K, L, P, M
With this arrangement, the correct answer would be E.

[nicolle828]

Hi BlueBalloon5%,

The set up you provided does meet all of the rules, but in your set up you have J and N teaching in the fall and Q in the spring. The question asks for a complete and accurate list of a professors not teaching in the winter and you suggest that according to your set up the correct answer would be E which is N and Q. But what about J? J is teaching in the fall in your set up so would need to be included in the answer for it to be correct and J is not listed in E. On the other hand if, the set up is as follows:


S : N
F: Q P
W :M L J K
Then the rules are met and the complete and accurate list of professors not teaching in the winter is answer choice D. (Q, P, N)

Hope that helps!

Nicolle

[Blueballoon5%]

Hi nicolle828, Thank you for answering my question! I actually misunderstood the question stem. I had assumed that the question was asking for a complete and accurate list of all letters that cannot appear in the winter through various setups (which would mean N, Q). I missed the "could be," which indicates that the question is asking for a complete and accurate list of only one possible setup.

Thank you again! You are amazing

[nicolle828]

Dear BlueBalloon5%,

It is so easy (and frustrating) to miss a word and make an error like that! I have found that the more I practice, the less I make small mistakes and am able to more easily focus on accurately reading the question stems and know my prephrase and therefore get the problem correct. Thank you for the kind words!! I'm so happy to help!!!

Take care!

Nicolle