Setup and Rule Diagrams

[Dave Killoran]

Setup and Rule Diagram Explanation

This is a basic Linear game: Balanced.

This game features six clients for six time slots (the gym workout can, for the most part, simply be treated as another “client,” so the game is balanced as six into six). This type of basic linear game is often easy and provides a perfect starting game for an LSAT section.

A diagram of just the game scenario and rules leads to the following basic setup for this game:

pt45_d04_g1_1.png

We have presented the “skeleton” diagram above because this game requires you to make some diagramming choices before moving on to the questions. First, let’s review the rules.

Rule #1. This is a basic sequential rule that can be diagrammed as follows:

• S W

Rule #2. This is another basic sequential rule that can be diagrammed as follows:

• W T

Rule #3. This is a standard linear rule that places W and Y in an unfixed block:

pt45_d04_g1_2.png

Note that we prefer to diagram unfixed blocks with both possibilities shown because that minimizes the possibility of making a mistake under the pressure of the actual LSAT.

Of course, the first three rules can be connected together to create the following super-sequence:

pt45_d04_g1_3.png

This sequence requires at least four spaces, and we have shown the dual-possibilities of the WY block in the middle so there is no chance of making the false assumption that one of the two is necessarily before the other.

Rule #4. This is another basic sequential rule that can be diagrammed as follows:

• U R

In a typical Linear game, we would diagram the Not Laws that follow from each of the rules above, and indeed there are plenty of Not Laws produced by the rules above. However, given the fact that we have reduced the rules to two sequences (one of which is especially powerful), and because all six variables are contained within the two sequences, the best decision would be to forgo drawing all of the Not Laws and instead to make a basic sequential analysis of which clients could be first or last, and then attack the questions with the two sequences. Using this approach, we will save the time involved in drawing the Not Laws yet not lose any knowledge or ease of attack in the game.

From the sequences, only S or U can be first in this game, and only R or T can be last in the game (more on this in question #2). These facts can be shown on the diagram as dual-options:

pt45_d04_g1_4.png

At this point we are ready to attack the game, and we should be somewhat confident since our setup took very little time yet the sequences are easy to use and powerful.