Skip to Main Content

PrepTest 78, Game 3, Question 13

Transcript

This is question number 13, which is the second problem from PT 78, Game number 3. And it's a global question asking for what could be true. So we'll just have to go to the answer choices, evaluate them against our rules. And we may have to actually test out a couple of choices, draw things in to see if they work. But if we're willing to do that work, it shouldn't be a problem.

Answer choice A says, T is 2 and L is 3. Well, let's see. If T is in 2, then we can't be in this version of the OR. That's because, T has to come after V and S in this version, and T is not gonna fit in space number 2. So that means we have to be in this version of our OR.

If T is in 2, then T could fit over there, that forces H to go into 1 before T. And the other part of the answer choice A is saying, L is in 3 but this is where we run into the issue, if you put L in 3, now we have H before L. Now that triggers our conditional rule here. if H is before L, we're also supposed to see M before L, but there's no room to fit the M before L.

So that's why this doesn't work and answer choice A is not correct. The next answer B says, S is 2 and V is 3. So, if we were going to put S in 2 and V in 3, we would have to be in the first version of the OR and that's because if you put V in the second version you'd also have to put HT and S before it. But there's not enough room for those three letters if B is in 3.

So, we're definitely working with the first version over here. And that means I know that T and H have to come after the V. I know that S has to come before M. So, M is also gonna go in these last three letters, or rather, these last three slots. And the final letter that's left to go into 1 is gonna be L.

So, this looks like it can work. If you put S in 2, V in 3, then there's gonna be some order of M, T and H and 4, 5, 6. L would go into 1, B is our answer, it could be true. Now in a time situation, if we just penciled this work out and we proved that B could be true, you'd wanna circle it and then you'd wanna move on.

But because this is review, let's go ahead and see why the other answers don't work. Answer choice C says, M is in 3 and S is in 4, but that actually just directly contradicts the rule that says, S has to be before M. So, that's why C is wrong. The same thing applies to answer choice D, which puts V in 4 and S in 5. But the the third rule said that S is always going to go before V.

Answer choice D says, V is 4 and S is 5, but again, S is always supposed to go before M and V. The third rule says S has to go before M and V. So, that's why D doesn't work. The last answer says, S is 4 and T is 5. But that's not gonna work because if you put S in 4, you're not gonna have enough room for all of these letters in the first word, in the first version of the OR.

And you're also not gonna have enough room for both M and V if you also place T in 5. If S is in 4 and T is in 5, there's not enough room for the M and the V after the S. So, that's why E is not correct.

Read full transcript