Q17

[jennifer]

is there any magic bullet to answer 17 efficent manner, it took me way to long, and I still got the answer incorrect. Thank you

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

My approach would be simple trial and error. There might be a faster way, though trial and error only takes a few seconds. Simply plug in answer choice (A), if it works, pick it. If not, move on to answer choice (B). If it works, pick. If not, move on to answer choice (C). And continue until an answer choice works and then move on to the next game.

(A) _ P H _ L _

This does not work as you cannot satisfy the constraint V - R - H

(B) _ P R _ H _

Would require us to use the chain P - S - L. So we would get

_ P R S H L

Leaving V to go first

V P R S H L

This checks out against the constraints, and so we can select answer choice (B) and move on to the next game.

For those who would like to see what's wrong with the remaining answer choices:

(C) _ S L _ H _

would require us to place V on Monday and R on Thursday.

V S L R H _

this would not allow us to satisfy the constraint P - S - L or L - S - P.

(D) _ V L _ H _

would require us to place R on Thursday

_ V L R H _

this too would not allow us to satisfy the constraint P - S - L or L - S - P.

(E) _ V R _ L _

would require us to place P on Monday and S on Thursday

P V R S L _

this would require us to place H on Friday and would violate the first constraint.

Hope that helps!

[rodion.raskolnikov1866]

The fastest way is to begin by eliminating the answers that fail to meet the necessary conditions of the logic game. The trick is to locate the one variable with the greatest limitations in each answer and deduce the implications that follow.

So, per the rules of this game, you can immediately eliminate A, C, D, and E without diagraming by focusing on the relationship between the limo and pickup.

Eliminate A: Since either the limo or the pickup have to be serviced on Saturday, both cannot occur in the available answers.

Eliminate C: If either the limo or the pickup does appear in an answer section, then that means that the other must be serviced on Saturday. Since the limo appears on Wed., we can assume that the pickup would have to be serviced on Sat. If this is the case, then, per the last condition, the sedan must be serviced at sometime between Wed. and Sat. However, this answer places the sedan's servicing on Tues., which doesn't abide by the necessary condition.

Eliminate D: If the limo is serviced on Wed., then the pickup must be serviced on Sat. However, if the hatchback is serviced on Fri., then that means that condition three ((PV or VP) or (PS or SP)) cannot be realized.

Eliminate E: For similar reasons as stated in Eliminate C, we can eliminate E. If the limo is serviced on Fri., then the pickup must be serviced on Sat. That leaves no time for the sedan to be serviced between the two, thus E is not an option.