#7 - Global

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (C).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

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

[AubreyMueller]

I believe this question to be incorrect only on the basis that: primarily, H & J MUST purchase a rucksack given that a.) rule one tells us that J and exactly two other campers MUST buy a rucksack and b.) H can't purchase any of the items that K purchases (those being a stove and a tent) and every camper MUST at least buy one item. Second, J MUST purchase at least one item that H does not purchase implying that J MUST then buy two items and two items only, forcing M to then purchase ALL THREE items, both of the latter due to our 5th rule that states that M purchases more items than J purchases. So, shouldn't we be able to determine the exact items for four of the campers' purchases not three?

Pardon the messy wording, I hope I was able to make myself understood. Am I making incorrect infrences or is there something actually amiss with this particular question? Thanks in advance.

[Adam Tyson]

Your analysis is great, Aubrey, and that would allow us to know exactly what H purchases (R and nothing else), and exactly what M purchases (RST), and exactly what K purchases (S and T). But while we can be certain that J purchases two items (more than H but less than M), and we know that one of those items is R, we cannot be certain whether the other item is S or T. That's why we can't count J in answering this question; we don't know "exactly which" things J buys!

[bilingli@gmail.com]

I had trouble with the wording on this question. I wrote down that we can determine M and H in my notes, but did not count K, because there was no "determining" involved. I missed this question as a result.

[Jeremy Press]

Hi bilingli,

On these questions, even if what you're "determining" comes from the explicit rules, the LSAT will still want you to count that member/variable for purposes of the question. Basically, "determine" just means, "do you know it from everything we've said?" It doesn't necessarily mean there has to be an inference, as opposed to an explicit rule.

But with the variable K, there actually is a bit of inference-making that we have to do. The second rule tells us that K purchases a stove and tent, but that rule does not by itself tell us that K does NOT purchase a rucksack. Rather, we have to infer that from the third rule, as well as the requirement that every camper purchases at least one item. Because if K purchased all three items, then H would not be able to purchase any items, and the game structure doesn't allow that. Thus, we can infer that K ONLY purchases the stove and tent, and does NOT purchase a rucksack.