#11 - Global. Justify

[Jon Denning]

The final question in Game 2 is, like the last question in the first game, somewhat unique. We call #11 a Justify question, where you are asked what occurrence would be so powerful, so impactful, as to completely fill in every single position with absolute certainty.

In a way then this is a lot like Must Be True, as the correct answer will be the only one that's fixed—in this case completely fixed in terms of its results, where all seven positions will be known for sure.

So you can do one of two things here (or both, potentially).

First, if you've noticed something in the game that creates a completed setup you can quickly scan the answers for it. This is hit or miss though, since there may be multiple triggers that fill in all the spots. (I dropped a hint as to what this one is in the setup post, if you're interested)

Second, and a bit more reliably, you can start to churn through the answers, aggressively seeking one that's so profound in its implications that the chain reaction it starts will run to completion, with all the pieces slotting into place.

Let's try that approach!

Answer choice (A), as we have seen in questions like #10, still leaves a lot of uncertainty, not least of which is where S goes: it could go in 2 (if O is in 6), or in 5 (if O is in 2), and so on. Any uncertainty whatsoever immediately rules an answer out in a Justify question, so (A) is gone.

Answer choice (B), as we have also seen, tells us where T and P go (6 and 7, respectively), but not the exact order of L, N, O, and S. So it's out.

Answer choice (C) is closer, since it gives us the MTP in 5-7 placement (the other option won't work, as L would have to go in 2 and then there's no place for O). But we still don't know exactly what happens earlier than the N 4, as the L/O __ O/L block order isn't set. So (C) gets us down to two options (below), but not a single outcome. It's gone.

L S O N M T P
O S L N M T P

Answer choice (D) is another that is close, but not perfect. With O in 3 we know the MTP block is 5-7, and L must be in 1. But we don't know what happens with N and S in 2 and 4! Like (C), we're down to two options...but that's not good enough:

L N O S M T P
L S O N M T P

Answer choice (E), however, tells you everything. If S is first, we know straight away the MTP block are in 5-7 (P must be in 7 if something else takes 1). That leaves L, N, and O for 2, 3, and 4. The L/O __ O/L block has to fill spots 2 and 4, and to keep L ahead of N, L must be in 2. That puts N in 3, O in 4, and everyone has a fixed placement:

S L N O M T P

Tough question to end the game, but nothing you can't handle

[yusrak]

During the test, would you have written out mini diagrams for choices A, C, D, and E? Or would you have assessed each question by using the templates we created in the initial set up? I wouldn't have diagrammed B since it is apparent in the template in which P =7, M =5 there are several empty spaces. But I wanted to move so quickly that I did it in my head by referring to the templates. I got this question wrong every time. When I slowed down to complete the question and writing mini diagrams for each choice it took me 3 minutes! I just want to know, what would a pro do to move quickly through this question? I know I can get justify questions right if I put in the time, I just don't know if they are worth the time.

[Adam Tyson]

I would start by referencing the templates, plus any local diagrams I created along the way in this game, to see which answers I could quickly eliminate and which ones I might want to diagram. Answer B was obviously not going to do the job because that template had a lot of flexibility, as you said, but also answer A, because it tells us which template we must be in but not which way the L...O block would "swing" (O could be at 2 or at 6). Referencing the templates to determine which answers are not worth spending time on, so that you can then diagram one of the few that might be worth considering, is the way to move quickly through this question.

[Kelly R]

Hi PS,

Two questions, if that's okay.

1). In my set-up, rather than adding all of the individual not-laws to each template, I recognized that 3 templates could be created and immediately began to fill those in. Since the set-up elucidated in the forum was primarily reserved to a discussion of not-law placement, I just want to be sure my templates are valid (and if this seems like a fair way to go about this game).

2 Templates when P is in 1:

P L/O M O/L (N S T)

P S M (L/O_O/L, N T) (with an understanding that L must precede N)

1 Template when P is in 7:

(L/O_O/L, N S) M T P (again with an understanding that L must precede N).

2). My second question concerns Justify questions generally. When we're presented with a Justify question in a game that revolves around templates, must the correct answer completely determine the order of each of the templates, or of at least one of the templates? I suspect that the order of only 1 template must be justified, but just want to double-check. Thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

Your templates are good, Kelly! As to a Justify question, it should not matter which template you are in - the correct answer will allow only a single solution, no exceptions. Not "a single solution in this case" but "a single solution - period." If the answer allows more than one solution, then it does not justify the solution. Here, if an answer said L is Second, that would solve the game (justify it) in the template where M is 5th and P is 7th (SLNOMTP), but not in the other template (where it could be PLMONTS, or PLMOTSN, etc.). That would not be a correct answer, because even though it would solve the game in one template it would not guarantee just one solution to the game.