Each of the following cannot be false EXCEPT

[lsatstudent14]

Dear PowerScore Staff,

I was wondering if there is a typo on page 121 of the 2013 Logic Games Bible.

Example 3:

Each of the following cannot be false EXCEPT states that the incorrect answers
Must Be True.

I think the incorrect answers should be Not Necessarily True.

Reasoning: Cannot be false = Must be True plus EXCEPT = Not Necessarily True

Please explain the reason why the incorrect answers Must Be True.

In addition, this example has the same answer as Example 1 on the same page.

Thank You

[Ron Gore]

Thanks for your question!

The example you reference is difficult, because it has two tricky components. The first is the idea of false-to-true (FTT) and the second is the implication of the EXCEPT language in the question stem.

You've got the first part nailed. The logical equivalent of "cannot be false" is "must be true." So, congratulations on rocking that portion of it.

The difficulty you're running into is how to deal with the EXCEPT language. Here's an easy and mechanical way to deal with an except question stem. First, the four wrong answer choices will have the logical characteristic of what the question stem actually says, disregarding "except." So, in this case, the four incorrect answer choices will be statements that "cannot be false" or "must be true."

Then, the correct answer choice will be the logical opposite of what the question stem actually says. In this case, the one correct answer choice will be the logical opposite of "must be true," which as you correctly point out is "not necessarily true."

Bottom line, you were very close. The only problem you had was confusing the logical characteristics of the correct and incorrect answer choices.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Thanks!

Ron

[lsatstudent14]

Thank you for the clarification.