Setup and Rule Diagrams

[rileeh]

why is the contrapositive of rule 2 not : no F1 and no T1 ---> no F and no T

[Paul Marsh]

Hi rileeh! What you wrote is the correct contrapositive of rule 2; you're right on the money! If the first slot is not occupied by F or T, then the newspaper does not contain F or T features. Nice job.

[ddddd8888899999]

Hello,

Is it theoretically possible to have one feature M spanning the first two slots, a second feature M on the third slot, feature I on 4, and then feature M on 5.

In short, can we have two different features of the same letter consecutively ? It seems that the rules do not preclude this, but then it would be difficult to know if, in the example above, the first three slots are occupied by one 3 slotted feature M, or two features M, one of 2 slots and the second of 1 slot.


Thanks

[Adam Tyson]

It is indeed possible, ddddd8888899999, and see my explanation earlier in this thread for a similar arrangement. As to telling apart a single variable that is stretched across multiple spaces vs multiple of the same type in consecutive spaces, I chose to do things like this:

( _M_ ) M I M

See how the first M is spanning across two blank spaces? Putting it in parentheses helps me further to see that it's just one variable covering those two spaces.

If I want to show two consecutive Ms that are not the same feature, I would do it without the parentheses and with a letter in each slot, like so:

M M M I M

[Adam354]

"One in 2,3, or 4 must occur, so even if we take the wrong interpretation, it doesn't matter, we still get it right."

The rule states that if a feature occupies more than one slot, it must occupy consecutive slots.

Oh, I see it now. It was a trick. Say there are 3 M's.

The rule must be fulfilled. How many M's do we need to fill that rule? 2.

Once 2 M's are used, the rule is fulfilled, because it is now occupying consecutive slots.

It does not state that ALL M's must be in consecutive slots.

I would say it is unreasonably misleading, however, there is an answer that fulfills BOTH conditions.

One in 2,3, or 4 must occur, so even if we take the wrong interpretation, it doesn't matter, we still get it right, and perhaps the potentially misleading interpretation, was only given as a possible answer in order to distract the test taker. Worst case scenario, you had to quickly scroll back through the previous two questions to make sure this did not affect the other questions.

[Adam Tyson]

What about this game did you find unreasonably misleading, Adam? It's confusing and challenging, certainly, but in my view everything about it is reasonable and fair (and whatever else we may think of LSAC and the pains they inflict upon us, I think the test content is consistently reasonable and fair). This game repeatedly tests our understanding of what the rules require and also of what they do not require. In other words, it tests whether students have made unwarranted inferences about how the variables may be placed in the base. In that regard it reminds me a lot of the Zones/Subzones game from PT 67, which I highly recommend everyone study to get the importance of careful reading and of not making assumptions.