LG Rule Replacement Questions - Suggestions?

[amorfati]

I'm wondering if anyone has any good recommendations on how to approach the new-ish rule replacement questions that have begun to appear on recent tests (always as the last question in a game).

I realized on the October test that I was not prepared enough for these, and a couple of them really threw me for a loop. Testing each one seems so time-consuming... any thoughts?

[gambelda]

I need help with these as well. Normally I'm killer at games but these relaly cause problems that I cannot afford when I'm shooting for a 170

[thegarciab0y]

Since it is the last question, I usually just make that modification on my general diagram so I don't have to draw a whole new diagram. I either just quickly scratch out the rule that is being substituted and write the new one, or just erase it real quick and write the new one. Since it is the last question for that specific game, who cares what the general diagram looks like anyways -- given that you have not skipped any questions and don't need to use it for anything else. This seems to give me a jump start on the question since it is already a type of question that will most likely take the most time. Just my input.

[barnum]

Start by checking previous work. Since the new rule is supposed to be an exact replacement for the previous one, it should have no effect on work you have already done. If an answer choice for this question would cause any of your previous work to be in violation, then that answer cannot be correct. This may not eliminate all the wrong answers, but it should eliminate some thereby lessening your work for this question.

[amorfati]

Thanks for the tips! By the way, though, I realized that the way I wrote the question before could be misconstrued as asking about the older rule substitution question type - ie, "if the condition that ... is suspended, and all other conditions remain in effect, then which of the following CANNOT be an accurate list of...?" etc.

The type of question I'm referring to is actually one that only appears on the most recent prep tests, and goes something like: "which one of the following, if substituted for the condition ..., would have the same affect on ... (the game as a whole)?"

The first is somewhat easier to deal with, as you're only making one substitution, and you can just edit the original diagram. But the second asks you to test several substitutions, which gets trickier, although testing them on previous work does sound like a helpful tip.

[tomwatts]

Here's my canned discussion of this question type:


There are a few basic things that this question type can be getting at.
* Sometimes it's getting at related but interchangeable elements. If two elements must be next to each other but can go in either order (that is, HJ or JH, but nothing can separate them), and if there are no other restrictions on either element (aside from the eliminated rule), then the elements are interchangeable. The right answer is likely to give a similar rule but trade one of the elements for another. (This is how the one in PT 57 works, and if I remember correctly, the one in February of this year was based on the same principles.)
* Sometimes it's getting at stating something negatively that was originally phrased positively, or vice-versa. Thus, if the original rule was that T is NOT in 1, 2, or 3, then the right answer might be that T can ONLY be in 4, 5, or 6 (if there are 6 spaces in the game). This is more or less how the one in PT 58 goes.

As far as I know, that's about it, as far as what they've already done with the question type. Also as far as I know, there's never been more than 1 per section (except maybe in an experimental somewhere), so it's pretty easily skippable if you're really, really lost.

If the original clue gave you a deduction ("inference," in some terminologies), then you can try to re-derive it with the answer choices, too. That may eliminate some answers for you. If you're really dying, you can start to test some possibilities; if you can draw anything either that was allowed by the original rule but isn't by the new rule or that wasn't allowed by the original rule but is allowed by the new rule, then you've found a reason to eliminate an answer, too, but this is pretty time-consuming, as an above poster noted.