#16 - Local, Must Be True

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation
(The complete setup for this game can be found here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=6972)

The correct answer choice is (A)

If W and X originated in Sweden, and W and Y originated in the same country (first rule), then at least three artifacts originated in Sweden:

PT72_Game_#3_#16_diagram 1.png

The remaining two variables—V and Z—must be positioned in such a way as to satisfy the last two rules in the game. To ensure that I > N, neither of these two artifacts could have originated in Norway, which proves answer choice (A) to be correct.

Answer choice (B) can never be true, because at least one artifact must have originated in Iceland (I > N).

Let’s examine why the remaining three answer choices are not necessarily true:

If W, Y, and X originated in Sweden, then it would be impossible for both V and Z to originate in Iceland. This would violate the fourth rule of the game. But, since at least one artifact must have originated in Iceland (I > N), the following solutions are possible:

• 1. If V originated in Iceland, then—according to the fourth rule—Z originated in Sweden:

PT72_Game_#3_#16_diagram 2.png

• This solution proves that answer choices (C) and (D) are not necessarily true.
  
  2. If Z originated in Iceland, then V cannot originate there (contrapositive of the fourth rule). V cannot originate in Norway either, because this would create a 1-1-3 distribution in violation of the third rule. Therefore, V originated in Sweden:

PT72_Game_#3_#16_diagram 3.png

This solution proves that answer choice (E) is not necessarily true.