#9 - Global, Except

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (C).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[Bruin96]

Can you please translate what #9 is asking?

I took to mean, "who purchase some of the same" that being said I don't think that's correct because then answer choices C & D are both correct. I also tried to use the word "all" but ran into the same issue.

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi Bruin,

This question is saying that each of the pairs (except one) can purchase completely different sets of items. So for example, H and L would bring completely different items to the camp. H would bring R, and L could only bring T or S. We would eliminate that answer choice because they are bringing completely different items to camp. Our answer that is correct is a pair who must bring at least one of the same item. That means they can't have completely different packing lists. They have at least one item in common.

Hope that helps!

[mab9178]

Hi,

Please help, I am taking the LSAT in less than a week, and I am counting on getting 100% on the LG.

Question 9 asks the following: "Each of the following could be a pair of campers who purchase none of the same sorts of items as each other EXCEPT:"

I interpreted the question as seeking an answer of two campers that MUST (as opposed to COULD) share at least one of the same sort of items. But I picked up on this interpretation between MUST and COULD only after I checked answer-choice D concerning G and L. G and L could share at least one items but they do not have to, so then what would make it the wrong answer?

Three questions please:

First, is answer-choice D -- interpreted as G and L can share at least of the items, but they do not have since G can purchase only one of S or T while L can purchase only one of the flip side (T or S) -- the wrong answer because it COULD be true, whereas the question in D is asking about what MUST be true?

Second, the correct answer for a "could be true...except-" question, is one that cannot be true or must be false. Okay, but they threw a "none" in this mix. Is the incorporation of the word "none" what turned the question 180 degrees from a cannot be true to a a must be true?

My third and final question is more general than question 9 and it is: when a question asks for what COULD be true, and the five answer-choices feature one that Must be true, we should pick the MUST be true answer-choice, knowing that under such circumstance that the other four answer-choices have to be "CANNOT be true" or "MUST be false"; correct?

My thinking regarding my final question is that a must be true answer is an answer that could be true whereas a could be true answer does not necessarily have to be true. Accordingly, it does not make sense for the LSAT writers to ask for a could be true answer, and then give us five answer-choices one of which must be true and another could be true!

Thank you
Mazen

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi Mazen,

Another way to think of this question is "which of the following pairs MUST purchase at least one of the same type item as each other?" That means that 4 of the answer choices are pairs that are not required to purchase any of the same item types as the other.

Answer choice (D) is incorrect for the exact reason you stated. While G and L could purchase the same item type(s), they do not have to.

This question could either be thought of as a cannot be true or a must be true depending on how you read it. It either could be read as saying "it cannot be true that which pair of the following campers purchase none of the same items as the other" or "which of the following pairs of campers must purchase at least one of the same type of item as each other." Either read will point to the correct answer choice. It's whichever read is more clear and more obvious for you.

In general, a question that asks for what "could" be true can have a correct answer that either could be true or must be true. The four incorrect answer choices should be what cannot be true. A true could be true question would not both an answer choice that could be true and one that must be true. That's because a must be true answer falls into the category of things that could be true. It's just the structure of this specific question that asks us for what pair could not not share a common item type that it transforms from what could be true to what must be shared. It's an unusual construction and phrasing, but that's the name of the game in logic games sometimes.

Hope that helps!