LSAC LSAC Certifications LSAT-TEST Questions & Answers

• Question 351:

  Bird-watchers explore a forest to see which of the following six kinds of birds -- grosbeak, harrier, jay, martin, shrike, wren -- it contains. The findings are consistent with the following conditions:

  If harriers are in the forest, then grosbeaks are not. If jays, martins, or both are in the forest, then so are harriers If wrens are in the forest, then so are grosbeaks If jays are not in the forest, then shrikes are

  Which one of the following is the maximum number of the six kinds of birds the forest could contain?

  A. two

  B. three

  C. four

  D. five

  E. six

  Correct Answer: C

  To maximize a total selected we need to minimize a total rejected, and here we should start with the most limiting rule, which is probably Rule 4. That rule allows us to choose both J and S with impunity, so let's do so. Choosing J requires choosing H (Rule 2) and therefore rejecting G (Rule 1), and with G rejected, W must be rejected as well (Rule 3). M is left and can be chosen with impunity, so we have worked out the maximum as 4 = H, J, M, and S. An alternative approach would have been to start with the other limiting rule, Rule 1. The most we can pick of the G / H pair is one, so we can work out each possibility. If it's G, then we can pick three birds at most (G, S, and W), but if it's H, then we can pick the four already discussed.

• Question 352:

  Bird-watchers explore a forest to see which of the following six kinds of birds -- grosbeak, harrier, jay, martin, shrike, wren -- it contains. The findings are consistent with the following conditions:

  If harriers are in the forest, then grosbeaks are not. If jays, martins, or both are in the forest, then so are harriers If wrens are in the forest, then so are grosbeaks If jays are not in the forest, then shrikes are

  If both martins and harriers are in the forest, then which one of the following must be true?

  A. Shrikes are the only other birds in the forest.

  B. Jays are the only other birds in the forest.

  C. The forest contains neither jays nor shrikes.

  D. There are at least two other kinds of birds in the forest.

  E. There are at most two other kinds of birds in the forest.

  Correct Answer: E

  On a roster of six letters, we circle H and M and skim the rules. Rule 1 demands that we now cross out G, and doing so (Rule 3's contra positive) requires that we cross out W as well. What of the remaining entities, J and S? We've already seen that we may choose one of them, or both, but not neither. Hence E. is true: Beyond H and M, at most J and S are seen in the forest. Options [Shrikes are the only...] and [Jays are the only other...] are both possible but not necessarily so; option [The forest contains neither...] is false, because if the option were true Rule 4 would be violated; and option [There are at least two...] is false, because the forest could contain H and M only.

• Question 353:

  Bird-watchers explore a forest to see which of the following six kinds of birds -- grosbeak, harrier, jay, martin, shrike, wren -- it contains. The findings are consistent with the following conditions:

  If harriers are in the forest, then grosbeaks are not. If jays, martins, or both are in the forest, then so are harriers If wrens are in the forest, then so are grosbeaks If jays are not in the forest, then shrikes are Which one of the following could be a complete and accurate list of the birds NOT in the forest?

  A. jays, shrikes

  B. harriers, grosbeaks

  C. grosbeaks, jays, martins

  D. grosbeaks, martins, shrikes, wrens

  E. martins, shrikes

  Correct Answer: D

  Partial Acceptability questions -- those in which the choices give you only part of the story -- are rendered

  easier if you lay out, carefully and without rushing, the rest of the story. Here, it means that your test

  booklet might look like so:

  Not In Therefore In:

  

• Question 354:

  Each of seven television programs -- H, J, L, P, Q, S, V -- is assigned a different rank: from first through

  seventh (from most popular to least popular). The ranking is consistent with the following conditions:

  J and L are each less popular than H.

  J is more popular than Q.

  S and V are each less popular than L.

  P and S are each less popular than Q.

  S is not seventh.

  If Q is more popular than L, then each of the following must be true of the ranking EXCEPT:

  A. H is first.

  B. L is fourth.

  C. V is not fourth.

  D. J is not third.

  E. Q is third

  Correct Answer: B

  Following the new if, we must insert L below the original "H--J--Q" at the top of the sequence.

  We then must add S and V (in either order) below L, and must insert P with care, since we know only that

  P is ranked below Q. Clearly H is first and Q is third, J is second, so option [J is not third.] is true. And

  since V falls below at least four other entities (H, J, Q, and L), therefore option [V is not fourth] is true.

• Question 355:

  Each of seven television programs -- H, J, L, P, Q, S, V -- is assigned a different rank: from first through

  seventh (from most popular to least popular). The ranking is consistent with the following conditions:

  J and L are each less popular than H.

  J is more popular than Q.

  S and V are each less popular than L.

  P and S are each less popular than Q.

  S is not seventh.

  Which one of the following programs CANNOT be ranked third?

  A. L

  B. J

  C. Q

  D. V

  E. p

  Correct Answer: E

  Our approach to this question has to be as flexible as the Master Sketch. An entity “CANNOT be ranked third” either if it must be among the top two, or if it has three or more entities ranked above it. H would qualify in the former instance, but H isn't among the choices. But P is, and it's an example of the latter instance. Whatever else is going on, P is definitely ranked below H, J, and Q and hence can rank no higher than fourth. Each of the wrong choices mentions an entity that can indeed rank third. Here are four possibilities for the top three: H—J—L; H—L—J; H—J—Q, as also seen in the right answer to question 1; and H—L—V.

• Question 356:

  Each of seven television programs -- H, J, L, P, Q, S, V -- is assigned a different rank: from first through

  seventh (from most popular to least popular). The ranking is consistent with the following conditions:

  J and L are each less popular than H.

  J is more popular than Q.

  S and V are each less popular than L.

  P and S are each less popular than Q.

  S is not seventh.

  If V is more popular than Q and J is less popular than L, then which one of the following could be true of the ranking?

  A. P is more popular than S.

  B. S is more popular than V.

  C. P is more popular than L.

  D. J is more popular than V.

  E. Q is more popular than V.

  Correct Answer: D

  Just as in question 2, we can redraw the sketch and incorporate the new if's. This time, it's easiest if we start with the second if and save the V information till later. Given that J falls below L on this question's ranking, the order must be H—L—J—Q, followed by S and P. As for V, we already know that V is ranked below L. Now we’re told that V is ranked above Q, meaning that V must fall either just above J or just below it. In other words, the top five are either H—L—V—J—Q or H—L—J—V—Q. Correct choice is present in the latter arrangement. As expected, the four wrong choices are impossible. If Option [P is more popular than S.] were true then S would be ranked seventh, which it cannot be (Rule 5). In fact, S and P must be ranked sixth and seventh respectively, which makes options [S is more popular than V.] and [P is more popular than L.] false statements. Option [Q is more popular than V.] finally, flatly contradicts the question's first if clause.

• Question 357:

  Each of seven television programs -- H, J, L, P, Q, S, V -- is assigned a different rank: from first through seventh (from most popular to least popular). The ranking is consistent with the following conditions:

  J and L are each less popular than H.

  J is more popular than Q.

  S and V are each less popular than L.

  P and S are each less popular than Q.

  S is not seventh.

  Which one of the following could be the order of the programs, from most popular to least popular?

  A. J, H,L, Q, V, S,P

  B. H, L, Q, J, S, P, V

  C. H, J, Q,L, S.V.P

  D. H, J, V,L, Q, S,P

  E. H, L, V, J, Q, P, S

  Correct Answer: C

  We usually pit each individual rule against the choices for acceptability questions, but here we can save even more time by using what we have learned in Step 4 of the Training Method. If we check first for "H-J--Q," we can throw out options [J, H, L, Q, V, S,P] and [B. H, L, Q, J, S, P, V] immediately. We can look for "H--L--V" in the remaining choices and thus knock out options [.H, J, V, L, Q, S,P] and [E. H, L, V, J, Q, P, S] violates Rule 5's proscription against ranking S seventh.

• Question 358:

  Each of seven television programs--H, J, L, P, Q, S, V--is assigned a different rank: from first through

  seventh (from most popular to least popular). The ranking is consistent with the following conditions:

  J and L are each less popular than H.

  J is more popular than Q.

  S and V are each less popular than L.

  P and S are each less popular than Q.

  S is not seventh.

  If J is more popular than L, and S is more popular than P, then which one of the following must be true of

  the ranking?

  A. J is second.

  B. J is third.

  C. L is third.

  D. Q is third.

  E. P is seventh

  Correct Answer: A

  For the purposes of this question, we can refine the Master Sketch in line with the two new if's (take them one at a time) by showing that Q and L both rank below J and above S, and that P falls below S. The wild card is V, about which we (as usual) know nothing except that it falls below L on the sketch Option [J is second.] has it right and option [J is third.] has it wrong: J is second, not third. Either options [L is third.] or [Q is third.] is true -- one of the Q / L pair must be third -- but we cannot tell which. P is a contender for seventh place option [P is seventh], but then so is V.

  

• Question 359:

  We are in a new industrial revolution that requires management trainees to develop "action learning" from real experience within business and industry, rather than getting tied up with theory and academia. Business schools seem unable, on their own, to tear themselves away from their largely academic roots and move closer to the realities of today's business and industry; too often, trainees in business schools find themselves studying hypothetical cases instead of real ones. Furthermore, business schools have been slow to respond to the needs of business. Therefore, business schools should allow business executives to set curricula for management trainees that could then be taught by academics.

  The argument relies on which one of the following assumptions?

  A. Academics in business schools have no practical business experience that is valuable.

  B. Academics in business schools deal only with hypothetical situations in their business case studies.

  C. Academics are not capable of teaching curricula suitable for relevant management training.

  D. Academic training outside of business schools is more responsive to the needs of business than is training within business schools.

  E. Today's business executives have valuable insight into business that academics in business schools do not have.

  Correct Answer: E

  The conclusion, signaled by "Therefore," is that b-schools should allow business executives to set curricula. The evidence is wordy, but boils down to the idea that b-school academics are out of touch with the real world. That's as it may be, but to give over an academic function like curriculum design to a group of outsiders, it has to be true that those outsiders can bring to the task something unique, something that the academic types lack. That's what correct choice [Today's business executives have] states. If this option is false if academics have the same business insights that executives do -- then there's no need to turn curriculum design over to the outsiders.

• Question 360:

  Maria won this year's local sailboat race by beating Sue, the winner in each of the four previous years. We can conclude from this that Maria trained hard.

  The conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

  A. Sue did not train as hard as Maria trained.

  B. If Maria trained hard, she would win the sailboat race.

  C. Maria could beat a four-time winner only if she trained hard.

  D. If Sue trained hard, she would win the sailboat race.

  E. Sue is usually a faster sailboat racer than Maria.

  Correct Answer: C

  The only way we can conclude anything about Maria's training from the fact that she beat four-time winner Sue, is if that level of training was necessary to the purpose. Which is what we get in option [Maria could beat a four-time...]. If this option is false--if Maria could beat Sue in some other way--then the conclusion would be devastated. All that the author needs to assume is the need for hard training on Maria's part; Sue's training level is beside the point, which knocks out options both [Sue did not train as...] and [If Sue trained hard...]. Option [If Maria trained hard...] is the exact opposite of what we need, and a classic misunderstanding of LSAT formal logic. And that which is usually true [Sue is usually a faster sailboat...] cuts no ice in the face of Maria's victory this year.