#23 - Inventor: All highly successful entrepreneurs have as

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi Kra211,

I'd really start here by focusing on what you got right, not wrong. There's more right than wrong in your reasoning, and you want to expand on that good work you've already done. You are correct that HSE see solution, implement solution. The trick is that it's a biconditional. You didn't write anything that was inaccurate. That's the main error with conditional reasoning that will come to bite you on the test. Inaccurate will be more dangerous than incomplete, every time. So think of your work here as incomplete, not inaccurate. You got part of the way to where you needed to be, just not all the way.

As for how to get all the way there on your own, this is an unusual stimulus. I noted the biconditional by the use of the term unique. The HSE's are unique in this way. That means, if someone sees a solution, and implements it every time, that person has to be an HSE. By saying that something is unique to a group of people, that means if you see the unique thing, it's required to apply to that group of people.

Let's look at some more familiar examples.

The Earth is unique the solar system for having just one moon.
Just one moon Earth.

Tom Brady is unique among quarterbacks for having seven Superbowl rings.
7 rings Brady

Another way to think about it is by thinking of the meaning of the word "unique." If you are unique, you are the only one. Only is one of our necessary indicators. Unique represents the same idea here as only.

Ultimately though, conditional diagramming comes down to practice, practice, practice. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Practicing hard questions, like this one, builds your conditional reasoning skills.

Hope that helps!

[cleocleozuo]

Hi, thanks for the explanation! Is there a list of words that signal bi-conditionality or hidden conditionality that I could memorize? I know "all that is necessary" and "the only thing required" can signal bi-conditionality, are there any other common ones? Many thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

I don't know if we have such a list, cleocleozuo, and even if we do it is likely not comprehensive because the authors are clever enough to come up with new ways to make this test challenging, but I can give you a few, some of which you have seen before:

"If and only if"

"If but only if"

"If this, then that, and vice versa"

"If this, then that; otherwise not."

"Invariably the only ones"

Be on the lookout for any others that combine sufficient and necessary terms when referring to a single variable or group, and ask yourself if it's a two-way street. If my second cousins are invariably the only ones who dress up for our family reunion, then if someone dresses up for the reunion they must be my second cousin, and if my second cousin is at the reunion they must, invariably, be dressed up. If one, then the other: a biconditional!

[g_lawyered]

Hi P.S.
After fully reading all explanations, I have a couple remaining questions. My approach to this question was different because although I wrote out the conditional statements, I didn't recognize the bi-conditional statement because I thought the only indicators were "if and only if" "if but only if" and "vice versa". I Didn't think "unique" translated into "only" ( a necessary condition). I throughly reviewed @James explanation and want to make sure I understand how sentence 2 is a bi-conditional statement.

Is sentence 2 word indicator "unique" is translated into "only" and "whenever' is translated into "if". I don't see how "implement idea" is the sufficient condition. I believe "whenever they see a solution to problem" is the sufficient condition.
So, would it be written as: Solution to problem H.S.E.
What word indicator makes it connect to translate into: Implement idea H.S.E. ??

My original approach was:
S= Sentence

S1: H.S.E. Mark

S2: H,S.E. solution to prob H.S.E. implements (does the solution)
Contrapositive P2: H.S.E DOESN'T implement solution H.S.E. DOESN'T see solution to prob

I wasn't able to make a chain link with these statements because I didn't see a common indicator. And the last sentence didn't have conditional reasoning. I was able to answer the question correctly by process of elimination.
I was between A and C and eliminated A based on "Most people don't want to leave mark" isn't supported the only mention about leaving mark is IF they are H.S.E. (See my translation of P1 above).
I wasn't 100% sure about answer choice C by I picked it because the rest of the answers weren't supported.

Can someone clarify whether I translated the statements correctly?
And how is it that (from James explanation) we chain: Implement idea H.S.E. Mark ? And that makes answer choice C correct?

Thanks in advance!

[Robert Carroll]

GGIBA003,

The entire phrase "whenever they see a solution, they implement the idea" is one of the conditions of the biconditional. The other is "highly successful entrepreneur". Because it's a biconditional, it doesn't matter what order those two things go in. I could say:

highly successful entrepreneur implements solution as soon as they see it

From the first sentence:

highly successful entrepreneur mark on world

Biconditionals are reversible, so the combination of these leads to:

implements solution as soon as they see it highly successful entrepreneur mark on world

That's just what answer choice (C) says.

Robert Carroll

[g_lawyered]

This question indicates that "unique" is translated into a word indicatory meaning "necessary" condition. Are there other word indicators besides "if, and only if" "if, but only if", and "vice versa" that indicate bi-conditional statement??

I also had a hard time realizing that "Whenever they see a solution to a problem, they implement that idea" indicates part of the bi-conditional statement. Instead of just the part I translated: "If see solution to problem".
Which is why I couldn't connect premise 2 as bi-conditional statement correctly. I reviewed Bi-Conditional Statements notes from Lesson Book and only found the word indicators I mentioned above. Can someone recommend other resources to improve on this?

I want to make sure I'm understanding how answer choice C is a combination of what premise 1 & 2 combined states. And is the correct answer choice to a MBT question. Since MBT question answer choices are the interpretation of the statements.
Is this how answer choice C is translated: "The main desire of all people who implement solutions whenever they detect them" is the 1st part of the bi-conditional of premise 2: "Implement solution to problem when see it".

THEN, "Implement solution to problem when see it" triggers the 2nd part of bi-conditional premise 2[/b]: "Highly successful entrepreneurs are unique (indicating necessary condition).

In which it becomes: Implement solution to problem when see it H.S.E.

Answer choice C states "To leave mark on the world comes from premise 1 (H.S.E. Mark on world).
And answer choice C becomes: Implement solution to problem when see it H.S.E. Mark on world.

Can you please confirm this?

Thanks in advance

[Beth Hayden]

Hi GGIBA,

On your first question, I want to refer you to Adam's earlier answer. There isn't a clear list of words to look for, and it could never be exhaustive. Here, the word "unique" implies that this is something that only happens with highly successful entrepreneurs, so that is effectively the same as "if and only if" in this situation. Remember that a biconditional is essentially two statements combined: A B and B A, so we can conclude that A B.

Here, you are right that "whenever" indicates just part of the conditional. Whenever HSEs see a solution they implement it. AND they are unique, which means we can also reverse the arrow to know that if you see someone who implements ideas to solutions, they must be a HSE. Those two pieces together create a biconditional. So there's not one word that signals you have a double arrow, one word here signals the , and another word signals the .

You are spot on with your explanation of (C). Because of that "unique" word, we know that all people who implement solutions are HSEs, and there is also a premise that says that the main desire of HSEs is to leave their mark on the world. Combine those together and you get (C).

Hope that helps!
Beth

[g_lawyered]

Yes, that makes sense. Bi-Conditional statements are tricky. Thank you for clarifying that!

[Henry Z]

Let's look at some more familiar examples.

The Earth is unique the solar system for having just one moon.
Just one moon Earth.

Tom Brady is unique among quarterbacks for having seven Superbowl rings.
7 rings Brady

I've read through the thread but I'm still confused why these two examples are not biconditional? They look just like the biconditional in the stimulus: "Highly successful entrepreneurs are unique in that whenever they see a solution to a problem, they implement that idea."

[Henry Z]

Let's look at some more familiar examples.

The Earth is unique the solar system for having just one moon.
Just one moon Earth.

Tom Brady is unique among quarterbacks for having seven Superbowl rings.
7 rings Brady

I've read through the thread but I'm still confused why these two examples are not biconditional? They look just like the biconditional in the stimulus: "Highly successful entrepreneurs are unique in that whenever they see a solution to a problem, they implement that idea."

And a follow-up question. Some said above that "unique" means "only", thus an indicator of necessary condition. But I feel what "unique" means is largely based on the context. For instances, if I'm not mistaken, the two below indicate sufficient and necessary, respectively.

The animal is unique to the island.
=animal island

The girl is unique at school for playing the guitar.
=guitar girl (Actually I feel this could also be bi-conditional?)

Can we get more on how to understand "unique"?