- Fri Jan 15, 2016 12:08 am
#21805
Hi ready,
First of all, lol at your name. I understand. Keep working hard though - your hard work now is separating you from your peers and will make your test scores, and your application, stand out.
Now - grouping game inferences... I will offer some general observations, kind of a quick list of the things I look for in a grouping game that I haven't seen before in order to find inferences. Here they are:
-Remember that, with grouping games, the rules often employ conditional reasoning. Because of this, certain common inferences can be made. For instance, if a rule says that if Abby goes on the field trip, then Billy doesn't, then we can fill in a blank in the circle representing those who do not go on the field trip with A/B, because we know for certain that at least on of Abby or Billy must stay home. Similarly, if we are told that, if Abby doesn't go on the field trip, Billy does, we can make the same inference (a blank on our main diagram filled in with A/B), but this time it will go in the group representing those students who do make the trip.
This type of inference is common in grouping games - keep an eye out for it.
-Also remember that it is important to keep track of any variables that are left out in any grouping game. For instance, if the game said six of Mrs. Smith's ten eighth grade students are going on a field trip, we should make sure that there is a place in our diagram for those who do not make the trip (it would probably look, in this case, like four blanks outside of a circle). It is important to keep track of what we know about who is not going, because doing so will often lead us to inferences about the students who are going; the best way to track this information is to build your diagram so that any variables left out are in fact represented visually and treated basically as another group.
-Finally, make sure to watch for situations in which you can employ concepts like numerical distribution and limited solution set to your advantage. Many grouping games exhibit one or both of these patterns and can be attacked on that basis; pay attention to the number of different possibilities for how the game could work out, for whether including or excluding a particular variable can tell you a lot about what happens afterward, etc. I would recommend reviewing the chapter that focuses on these two concepts (and especially its practice games) to sharpen your skills.
I hope this helps. Keep working hard - you will be finished soon and glad you did.
