Setup and Rule Diagrams

[Dave Killoran]

Setup and Rule Diagram Explanation

This is a Grouping/Linear Combination, Numerical Distribution, Identify the Templates game.

This is the most difficult game on this test. While the five numbered habitats are fairly innocuous, the game quickly ramps up the difficulty by overloading the habitats with seven reptiles divided into two types, and then adding a male/female component to each reptile. Simply put, there is a lot of information to track in this game.

The initial scenario for the game appears as follows:

D98_Game_#2_setup_diagram 1.png

Normally, when variables such as the lizards and snakes have an additional characteristic—in this case, the male/female designation—this would be shown with an extra stack for the additional characteristic. This game presents problems, however, because of the Overloaded aspect: there are seven reptiles for the five habitats, meaning some habitats will house more than one reptile, and it is also possible that a habitat may house no reptiles. Thus, instead of separating the reptiles and their corresponding sexes into different stacks, we will combine them. For example, a male lizard will be designated as ML, and a female snake will be designated as FS.

In further examining the relationship between the snakes and lizards, and the males and females, the Overlap Principle comes into play:

• Because there are only two males, the maximum number of male snakes (MS) is two. Yet, there are four snakes total, so, at a minimum, there must be at least two female snakes (FS).
  
  The same reasoning can be applied to the relationship of the males and the lizards. Because there are only two males, the maximum number of male lizards (ML) is two. Yet, there are three lizards total, so, at a minimum, there must be at least one female lizard (FL).

The inference that there are at least two FS and at least one FL can be used to identify the three possible male/female and snake/lizard combinations for the seven reptiles:

• Possibility #1: FS, FS, FL FS, FS, ML, ML
  
  Possibility #2: FS, FS, FL FL, FL, MS, MS
  
  Possibility #3: FS, FS, FL FS, FL, MS, ML

When the first rule is considered, along with the fact that no minimum number of reptiles for each habitat is established in the game, two possible Numerical Distributions of reptiles-to-habitats result:

• Distribution #1: 2-2-1-1-1
  
  Distribution #2: 2-2-2-1-0

More on these distributions in a moment.

The second rule establishes that snakes and lizards cannot be housed in the same habitat:

D98_Game_#2_setup_diagram 2.png

This rule can be combined with the distributions to determine how the reptiles are distributed in the habitats (this does not account for the sex of the reptiles):

• 2-2-1-1-1 Distribution, Possibility #1:
  
  Under this scenario, the two habitats housing two reptiles contain two snakes each:
  
  
  2 2 1 1 1
  S S L L L
  S S
  
  
  2-2-1-1-1 Distribution, Possibility #2:
  
  Under this scenario, the two habitats housing two reptiles contain two snakes and two lizards:
  
  2 2 1 1 1
  S L S S L
  S L
  
  
  2-2-2-1-0 Distribution:
  
  There is only one distribution of reptiles under this scenario:
  
  2 2 1 1 0
  S S L L
  S S L

The astonishing thing is that we’ve reached this level of inference-making from just two rules.

The third and final rule establishes that a female snake cannot be housed next to a male lizard:

D98_Game_#2_setup_diagram 3.png

Combined, the information results in the following diagram:

D98_Game_#2_setup_diagram 1.png

D98_Game_#2_setup_diagram 4.png

Male/Female Reptile Possibility #1: FS, FS, FL FS, FS, ML, ML

Male/Female Reptile Possibility #2: FS, FS, FL FL, FL, MS, MS

Male/Female Reptile Possibility #3: FS, FS, FL FS, FL, MS, ML


Even with all of the information above (and perhaps because of it), this remains a very difficult game.

[allisonellen7]

I was just wondering how you would best diagram this game? Based on the diagramming method from the Logic Games Bible I wanted to create a stack for gender and another stack for the type of reptile and have the row of habitats as the base, but because there can be more than one reptile in each habitat I was having trouble diagramming it this way. Thanks so much!

[Ron Gore]

Hi Ellen,

This is one of the most difficult games in the history of the LSAT. The key to it is to remember that it is a grouping/linear combination game. In grouping/linear combination games, you should always deal with the grouping first, and then handle the linear portion. Also, the numbers involved make this a numerical distribution game, and templates are possible.

This is such a great game that I want to give you a chance to work it out again with those clues. Focus on organizing the grouping information first, and see what inference you can get from the numbers involved (and the fact that you can't have both a lizard and a snake together).

Let me know if you can make any progress with those hints. If not, let us know and we'll flesh it out some more.

Good luck!

Ron

[allisonellen7]

Thanks so much! That's good to know that it is a tougher game by nature! I'll work on that

[srcline@noctrl.edu]

Hello Ron,

I could not get very far in this game. My set up was:

----- --
in out

B/c of the consecutive nature of this game.

Also the rules were not must help; I only understood the last rule which states that essentially a female snakes habitat cant be next (not consecutive) to a male lizards.

Thankyou
Sarah

[David Boyle]

Hello Ron,

I could not get very far in this game. My set up was:

----- --
in out

B/c of the consecutive nature of this game.

Also the rules were not must help; I only understood the last rule which states that essentially a female snakes habitat cant be next (not consecutive) to a male lizards.

Thankyou
Sarah

Hello,

I would look at this game again very slowly and carefully. For example, your basic setup above seems to indicate that you think there's an in-group of 5 and an out-group of 2; but all seven reptiles must be housed. (Some habitats may house more than one reptile)
So, try it again, and look at the coursebook setup if you can (if you have that book). Good luck,

David

[srcline@noctrl.edu]

Hello,

So this is a grouping/linear game. And I set this up as follows:

Snakes - - - - -

Lizards - - -

So 7 total

Not Block SL

Not Block FSML

If someone can please explain this game, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thankyou
Sarah

[Emily Haney-Caron]

Hi Sarah,

The first thing you want to figure out is the possible groups of reptiles you'll have. 5 houses, at most 2 in one house, four snakes and three lizards, and snakes and lizards can't be together. That gives us the following possibilities:
Two houses with 2 snakes, 3 houses with 1 lizard
Two houses with 2 snakes, 1 house with 2 lizards, 1 house with 1 lizard
One house with 2 snakes, 1 house with 2 lizards, 1 house with 1 lizard, and 2 houses with 1 snake

So, we know the possibilities, but we don't know the order they will be in.

For the base, you want to make sure the linear aspect is represented - so you'll want to label lines 1 through 5. You'll need a stack of one set of lines on top of another, because you could have up to two reptiles in each house. On each line you'll need to think about both gender and reptile type.

Start with that and see where you get! It's an extremely tricky one, so take your time working it through.

[lsatjourneygirl]

Hello,

For game two, I ultimately realized it is possible to have an empty slot. But for a game like this to have a variable in each slot, it would at some point have to explicitly say that at least one variable is in each slot or that there is a slot for each variable, right? Or have the rules lead to that kind of deduction. The language in the first intro sentence makes it seem as though the slots must accompany of each variable. Hopefully this isn't too confusing.


Thank you!

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi lsatjourneygirl,

Whether the game is Linear or Grouping, test-makers almost always clarify - in the scenario - whether each group (or base slot) requires a certain minimum number of variables. Because they didn't say that each habitat must contain at least one reptile, you should assume that the minimum number of variables per group is zero.

Occasionally, the numerical information I mentioned above will be clarified in the rule set, which is why it is imperative to read through the rules carefully before setting up your game.

Hope this helps! Let me know.

Thanks,