PT3 LG4 Forum

[chewdak]

Having trouble with this game's scenario.
It does not explicitly state that each person flies only once.
Also, I have been conditioned to read 'either or' as non-exclusive, i.e. a or b and possibly both.
Seeing 'either or' rules just re-enforced my assumption that each person can fly multiple times.
Am I missing something from reading the scenario?
It starts with "Planes 1,2,3, and 4 -- and no others -- are available to fly in an air show."
I imagined this air show as something that might take place over several days.
Now, if the air show is some sort of a one time performance, where you are either in or out, then it might follow that each person flies only once, on one plane (unless they can jump from one plane to another in midair).

[Atlas LSAT Teacher]

I agree, there's a lot that you have to intuit about the set-up for this game. I would be surprised if we'd see such a loose scenario these days (also, the LSAT no longer uses A-E in the scenario). I had the same questions as you, but then the first question doesn't work unless you make the assumption that each pilot and co-pilot can fly only once. I think the test-writers were counting on us thinking about the commonplace structure of an air show.

On a related note, I believe that you could solve this game with or without the idea that you need a pilot and co-pilot in each plane. I'd have to play it again to check that, but from looking at the second question, it seems to me the LSAT skirted around that issue.

As you were noting, the LSAT is very careful about "either" leaving open the possibility of both occurring (since the test-writers say "but not both" when that's what is meant). So, this game's use of either seems rather unorthodox to me.

[chewdak]

I agree, there's a lot that you have to intuit about the set-up for this game. I would be surprised if we'd see such a loose scenario these days (also, the LSAT no longer uses A-E in the scenario). I had the same questions as you, but then the first question doesn't work unless you make the assumption that each pilot and co-pilot can fly only once. I think the test-writers were counting on us thinking about the commonplace structure of an air show.

On a related note, I believe that you could solve this game with or without the idea that you need a pilot and co-pilot in each plane. I'd have to play it again to check that, but from looking at the second question, it seems to me the LSAT skirted around that issue.

As you were noting, the LSAT is very careful about "either" leaving open the possibility of both occurring (since the test-writers say "but not both" when that's what is meant). So, this game's use of either seems rather unorthodox to me.

If you know that "everyone flies once" it is extremely simple to solve. Maybe the difficulty of the game is in figuring that out.
And you do not need both a pilot and co-pilot, one answer has 2 planes flying, one with 2 pilots, another with a pilot and 3 co-pilots.

[Atlas LSAT Teacher]

That's sort of twisted, if that's how the test-writers intended to make the game difficult. It's like that card game in which the objective of the game is to figure out the rules of the game itself.