#17 - Local, Must Be True

[Dave Killoran]

Complete Question Explanation
(The complete setup for this game can be found here: lsat/viewtopic.php?f=307&t=9348)

The correct answer choice is (D)

If S is inspected on Monday morning, G cannot be inspected on Monday afternoon. Because G cannot be inspected on Wednesday due to the first rule, G must then be inspected on Tuesday. From the second rule, G cannot be inspected on Tuesday afternoon, and thus G must be inspected on Tuesday morning, and J must be inspected on Tuesday afternoon:

G3-Q17-d1.png

Only L, V, and Z remain to be placed, and as L cannot be inspected on Wednesday due to the first rule, L must be inspected on Monday afternoon:

G3-Q17-d2.png

From the contrapositive of the fourth rule, Z must then be inspected on Wednesday afternoon, leaving V to be inspected on Wednesday morning:

G3-Q17-d3.png

Accordingly, answer choice (D) is correct. Note that the correct answer trades on V, which is the very last variable placed.

[maximbasu]

Hi,

The answer choice, D, doesn't work in this question.

V does not have to be inspected on Wednesday morning.

The setup can look like this:

[M,T,W morning] : S G L
[M,T,W afternoon: V J Z

Please advise. If I'm correct, I just discovered a flaw in the LSAT exam.

Rgs,
Maxim

[Adam Tyson]

Sorry, Maxim, but as much fun as it is to catch the test authors in a mistake, they didn't make one this time. Looks like your hypothetical solution violates the first rule of the game, no hotels on Wednesday. L, a hotel, cannot ever be on Wednesday.

With S on Monday morning, the first thing we know is that G is not on Monday, and is therefore on Tuesday (because hotels cannot be Wednesday). V and Z, our remaining restaurants, must be on Wednesday (again, because hotels cannot be that day). G before J puts J on Tuesday afternoon and G in the morning. L is the leftover and has to go Monday afternoon. What determines the order of V and Z on Wednesday? The contrapositive of the last rule - since L is not in the morning, Z cannot be either.

Take another look, and remember to always check your answers against all of the rules. Some not-laws for G, J and L under the Wednesday group might have been helpful here.

Keep plugging away!

[maximbasu]

Thanks Adam; you're the best!

I will find a flaw next time.

Maxim

[MichaelR77]

I am unable to answer this question the way the problem is set up.

The problem set-up has an inspector inspect 6 buildings Monday thru Wednesday. 3 Hotels (G, J, L) and 3 Restaurants (S, V, Z).
Exactly 2 buildings are to be inspected per day one in the AM and one in the PM.
Hotels cannot be inspected on Wednesday.
Hotel L and Restaurant Z must be inspected in the AM.
Hotel G must be inspected before Hotel J.
and Hotel G cannot be inspected on the same day as Restaurant S.

Question 17: adds the additional restraint that Restaurant S is inspected Monday AM.
Therefore, Hotel L has to be inspected on Tuesday AM, since it has to be in the morning and cannot be on Wednesday.
Restaurant Z has to be on Wednesday AM, since it also has to be inspected in the morning.
Restaurant V has to be inspected on Wednesday PM, since neither of the other Hotels can be inspected on Wednesday.
This leaves Hotel J and Hotel G to be inspected on Monday PM and Tuesday PM, neither of which work. If Hotel G is inspected on Monday PM, it will then be inspected on the same day as Restaurant S, which violates one of the rules. If Hotel G is inspected on Tuesday PM, it will have to be inspected after Hotel J, thus violating a separate rule..
The problem set-up has an inspector inspect 6 buildings Monday thru Wednesday. 3 Hotels (G, J, L) and 3 Restaurants (S, V, Z).
Exactly 2 buildings are to be inspected per day one in the AM and one in the PM.
Hotels cannot be inspected on Wednesday.
Hotel L and Restaurant Z must be inspected in the AM.
Hotel G must be inspected before Hotel J.
and Hotel G cannot be inspected on the same day as Restaurant S.

Question 17: adds the additional restraint that Restaurant S is inspected Monday AM.
Therefore, Hotel L has to be inspected on Tuesday AM, since it has to be in the morning and cannot be on Wednesday.
Restaurant Z has to be on Wednesday AM, since it also has to be inspected in the morning.
Restaurant V has to be inspected on Wednesday PM, since neither of the other Hotels can be inspected on Wednesday.
This leaves Hotel J and Hotel G to be inspected on Monday PM and Tuesday PM, neither of which work. If Hotel G is inspected on Monday PM, it will then be inspected on the same day as Restaurant S, which violates one of the rules. If Hotel G is inspected on Tuesday PM, it will have to be inspected after Hotel J, thus violating a separate rule.

Now, either I've missed something, or this problem is simply not workable.

[Robert Carroll]

Michael,

I don't see any reason that L and Z have to be inspected in the morning, and those are some of the first statements you made, so I think your faulty inferences come from that.

My thought process was as follows:

The question puts S on Monday morning. I now need to fit all the hotels on Monday afternoon and Tuesday (both morning and afternoon) - three spaces, three variables. So V and Z are on Wednesday in some order.

Looking further, I can't get G on Monday afternoon, because then it would be on the same day as S, but G also has to be earlier than J. The only way to do this is to put G on Tuesday morning, so it can be before J, which just barely fits on Tuesday afternoon. L is now Monday afternoon, its only available spot.

Now that L is on an afternoon, the last rule forces Z on an afternoon as well - Wednesday. V is left, and one space is left - Wednesday morning. That is what answer choice (D) says, so we're done.

Robert Carroll