- Thu Aug 06, 2020 12:42 pm
#77782
Hi KG!
Given that you have already found that templates could have be used at the outset for this game, and that you were able to arrive at (E) quickly using that method, I can instead suggest another way that might hopefully also be helpful in getting to the right answer quickly on questions like this. Namely, let's look at the four incorrect answer choices. Since this is a must be true question, the four incorrect answers are going to be ones are aren't necessarily true (this might mean that the could be true, or that they are false).
First, take a look at answer (C): "Herman's audition is scheduled to begin before 6 P.M." This strikes me as the first answer I would ditch. There really aren't any constraints on H, other than that it must come after J. It therefore would make little sense that there would be constraints on H on the rightmost side of the diagram.
Since there is only one rule involving H, there's a good chance it won't be the right answer on a must be true question. Indeed, we can see this in answer (B) as well: "Herman's audition is scheduled to begin after 2 P.M." After eliminating (C), this would be another early answer to eliminate. H does indeed have a constraint on the leftmost side of the diagram, but this is just that it must come after J. That means H can't go first, but there's no apparent reason H can't go second. H could begin at 2 P.M., so this answer choice doesn't have to be true.
I therefore would have started with the answer choices involving H, since it is the least constricted of the variables in the answer choices--this makes it unlikely to be correct for a must be true and thus an easy answer choice to eliminate. For the same reason, if you had encountered an answer choice mentioning F, that would likely be the first answer choice to eliminate; F is a random in this game and not attached to any rules, so it is very unlikely that it would be the correct answer for a must be true question.
This would leave us with the remaining three possibilities:
(A) Gabrieli's audition is scheduled to begin before 5 P.M.
(D) King's audition is scheduled to begin before 6 P.M.
(E) Lauder's audition is scheduled to begin before 5 P.M.
The wrong answer choices can be quickly eliminated. Answer (A), for example, makes a similar mistake as (B). Answer (A) states, "Gabrieli's audition is scheduled to begin before 5 P.M." While there are some constraints on G on the rightmost side of the diagram, all that we know for sure about what must come after G is that K must come after G. There's therefore no reason why G could not begin at 5 p.m. If you were uncertain about this, I'd immediately move to try it--place G into the 5 p.m. slot, then see what this tells you about the other variables; if you found that you couldn't place G in the 5 p.m. slot and make a diagram work, then you'd have the correct answer. Again, however, there is no reason why G couldn't begin right at 5 p.m.
Lastly, answer choice (D) should seem off. All that we know about K is that certain variables must occur before it, including G and L. We therefore could put not-laws for K under the slots for 1:00 and 2:00 P.M. It doesn't appear that there are any not-laws for K on the rightmost side of the diagram, however, so there is no necessary reason that it must occur before 6:00.
There are consequently reasons for eliminating the wrong answer choices--e.g., the variable is not especially constricted, as with H, or the answer choice makes too broad a claim (such as saying that a variable must begin before 5 P.M. but failing to consider that it could begin right at 5 P.M.). Then, if you're left with a single answer choice like E, you can try to falsify it to confirm your answer. Answer (E) states, "Lauder's audition is scheduled to begin before 5 P.M." To falsify this, try placing L to begin exactly at 5:00. This would force G to be at 4:00 and K to be at 6:00 in order to maintain the G/L block and the rule that K must come after G. With L locked in place, we would also know were J must go--it must be separated from L by exactly one variable, meaning J must be at 3:00. The problem, however, is that there would then not be any room for H to come after J. Thus one knows that L must begin at some time before 5 P.M.
H, and with J third, G fourth, L fifth, and K sixth, there is no room for H. Thus, L cannot audition fifth or sixth, and L’s audition must be scheduled to begin before 5. 