Setup and Rule Diagrams

[Dave Killoran]

Setup and Rule Diagram Explanation

This is an Advanced Linear Game: Balanced.

June 02_game #2_M12_L4_explanations_game#1_setup_diagram_1.png

The key to this setup is Y. Because Y must arrive before both T and W, and because S must arrive sixth, the latest that Y can arrive is fourth:

June 02_game #2_M12_L4_explanations_game#1_setup_diagram_2.png

In addition, because exactly two red trucks arrive before Y, and these red trucks cannot be consecutive, the earliest Y can arrive is fourth:

June 02_game #2_M12_L4_explanations_game#1_setup_diagram_3.png

Consequently, because Y can arrive no earlier and no later than fourth, Y must arrive fourth.

Because Y arrives fourth, and S arrives sixth, T and W must arrive fifth and seventh, not necessarily in that order:

June 02_game #2_M12_L4_explanations_game#1_setup_diagram_4.png

Because exactly two red trucks arrive before Y, and these red trucks cannot be consecutive, they must arrive first and third. The second and fourth trucks must be green in order to comply with the first rule:

June 02_game #2_M12_L4_explanations_game#1_setup_diagram_5.png

The color of the fifth, sixth, and seventh trucks cannot be determined. The remaining three variables, U, X, and Z, must arrive first, second, and third, not necessarily in that order:

June 02_game #2_M12_L4_explanations_game#1_setup_diagram_6.png

[NghiemB]

Can someone please help me setting up this game. This is one of the few games that i had a hard time on. The set up I have so far is: But It seems like I am missing something

R
G
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

[Dave Killoran]

Yes, there are a ton of inferences in this Advanced Linear game, and the key is connecting the first four rules.

The combination of the second and third rules yields a sequence where two R's are ahead of Y, which is ahead of T and W:

R.T
- - - > Y > - - -
R.W

However, from the first rule, those two Red trucks cannot be consecutive, so the earliest Y could be is fourth.

From the fourth rule we know S is sixth. We also know that T and W are behind Y, so the latest Y could be is fourth. Thus, Y must be the fourth truck, and this allows us to make even more inferences.

So far, this is the truck row setup:


___ ___ ___ Y T/W S W/T

When the fifth rule is added in even more restrictions result on the first and third spaces.

As far as the colors, because Y is fourth then from the first and third rules we can determine that the first and third trucks are red (and thus the second truck is green). Plus, from the first rule we can then determine that the fourth truck is green:

R G R G
1 2 3 4

Thus, when you combine the two rows, you have a considerable amount of information about this game.

That should give you a pretty good start. Make sure you study this game closely, because it is a pretty typical game, and it also trades on connecting multiple rules, a frequent tactic used by the test makers.

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!

[jgray]

I had this question on a practice test today. I thought I had seen it before, but I cannot find it now. Is it in the LBG or work book? I need to know where I went wrong.
thanks

[Dave Killoran]

Hey J,

This is the second game from June 2002, and if I recall correctly, it's the first game in L4 of our Full-length/Live Online course books, it's in our Weekend course, and it's in the LSAT LG Setups Encyclopedia II.

Thanks!

[jgray]

Great, thank you. I found it and my sanity. I knew it looked familiar. The problem was used during one of your free seminars that I watched.
http://www.powerscore.com/lsat/help/

Thank you.

[srcline@noctrl.edu]

Hello Dave

What do you mean when you say combine the two rows. I initially set this game up with just 7 consecutive spaces. I did understand your explanations of the rule, but I'm still a bit confused on the rows part, I just put them underneath the spaces.
Also would you please explain number 7.
Thankyou
Sarah

[Clay Cooper]

Hi Sarah,

Dave may want to weigh in on your questions, but I thought I will take a stab at them.

The diagram should look like this:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ R/G
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ truck

We should track color on its own row of blanks in order to neatly and visually keep track of what we know. When the setup looks like this, we can "combine" the information we know about the ordering of colors of truck and specific trucks to make powerful inferences - for instance, as Dave was discussing, we can combine the information that two red trucks must precede Y (and the further information that those two red trucks must be separated by at least one space) to deduce that the earliest Y could ever appear is in the fourth blank.

With regard to number 7, T and S cannot both be red, since no matter where T ends up - in space 5 or space 7, which are its only two possibilities after we have completed our setup and inferences - it will have to be adjacent to S in spot 6. Since T and S must be adjacent, they cannot both be red under the rules.

Does that help?