#14 - Local, Must Be True

[Dave Killoran]

Complete Question Explanation
(The complete setup for this game can be found here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=1845)

The correct answer choice is (B)

If Y is interviewed at some time after X, then Z must be interviewed on Friday or Saturday. Thus, the hostile witnesses must be interviewed on either Monday-Tuesday or Tuesday-Wednesday. Accordingly, answer choice (B) is correct.

[is478]

Complete Question Explanation
(The complete setup for this game can be found here: https://forum.powerscore.com/lsat/viewtopic.php?t=1845)

The correct answer choice is (B)

If Y is interviewed at some time after X, then Z must be interviewed on Friday or Saturday. Thus, the hostile witnesses must be interviewed on either Monday-Tuesday or Tuesday-Wednesday. Accordingly, answer choice (B) is correct.

Hi!

I'm having trouble identifying how (B) is the right answer. This is the only Q I got wrong in the game.

In the frame with Tues and Wed reserved for hostile witnesses, we only have two slots of Monday left. Thurs a.m. is established for X. Keeping the U--(Q,R)--Y--X--Z constraints in mind, if Y is before X, then we need three slots for U, (Q,R), and Y. But we only have two slots available on Monday, then U invariably falls outside the frame. This is why I eliminated the frame with Tues and Wed reserved for hostile witnesses while answering this Q. Can you tell me where I'm going wrong?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Iti

[Paul Marsh]

Hi is478!

if Y is before X

That's where you went wrong. The question tells us that Y goes after X, not before. I've definitely made that mistake before - just make sure to read carefully! Now that you know Y goes after X, try this one again and see how it goes.

[mollylynch]

Hi, I understand why M + T are the consecutive days for hostile witnesses. However, how do you choose Tuesday as the right answer? Doesn't Tuesday imply that either pairing with M and W would work? When we know that T and W cannot be consecutive days. Why is Monday not the right answer? Then we know that it has to be M and T.

[Adam Tyson]

You may have overlooked something in Dave's explanation at the top of this thread, Molly:

Thus, the hostile witnesses must be interviewed on either Monday-Tuesday or Tuesday-Wednesday

We don't know that the hostile witnesses are interviewed on Monday and Tuesday. We know that they are interviewed EITHER Monday and Tuesday OR Tuesday and Wednesday. That's why "Monday" is not the correct answer: although they could be interviewed that day, they don't have to be. But regardless of which pair of days they fill, Tuesday must be one of those days.

Also, you said that Tuesday and Wednesday are not consecutive days, but of course they are, unless you have a very odd calendar! As far as I know, Wednesday is always the very next day after Tuesday (although some weeks feel like there may be an extra day or two stuffed in there somewhere).

[boehmejayne@gmail.com]

Wouldn't Q&R have to still be before X which is on Thursday morning? Likewise, U is supposed to be before Q&R. Thus, Wednesday will have to have non-hostile witnesses scheduled during it.
OR
This question eliminates the rule that Y has to be before X by saying in the prompt that it goes after X. Does this elimination of a rule then eliminate all of the rules?

[boehmejayne@gmail.com]

Wouldn't Q&R have to still be before X which is on Thursday morning? Likewise, U is supposed to be before Q&R. Thus, Wednesday will have to have non-hostile witnesses scheduled during it.
OR
This question eliminates the rule that Y has to be before X by saying in the prompt that it goes after X. Does this elimination of a rule then eliminate all of the rules?

Ooops, I see now the problem. I had Y --- X, but it should have been Y----Z. I wrote the rules down correctly but then messed it up in the transfer to a comprehensive map of who was before whom.

[Hanin Abu Amara]

Hi Boehmejayne,

Exactly. It should look like

Y ---- Z
X ----Z

Which means we don't know exactly where the hostiles would go but it does help us narrow it down since X is fixed. HH can go either MT, TW, or FS.

Good job catching your own mistake. Re-reading the rules before moving on from the diagram is a great step to add that doesn't take too long and gives you the confidence that you didn't miss anything.

Hope that helps