Past LSAT Explained/The Official LSAT PrepTest With Explanations and the LSAT Itemwise

October 2001 Form 1LSS51

Question 14
As with all games, the key to understanding this game is to understand the rules behind it. Because the explanation of the rules can be confusing I will lay them out in an easier format.

1. "A train makes 5 stops around a loop through 5 stations P Q R S T, in that order - stopping at exactly three of the stations on each trip." Because the game does not state which states are stopped at first, any 3 of the 5 options can be picked as the first stations. Even though this is a 'loop' do not bother yourself with drawing a circle describing the stops. Simply write five vertical lines of the stations that are stopped at during each trip.

2. "The train stops at any given station on exactly 3 trips, but not on three consecutive trips." This is says the train will hit every station exactly 3 times in the course of 5 stops, but will not stop at that stations 3 times in a row.

3. "The train stops at any given station at least once in any two consecutive trips." This says that the train must stop at least once, could be more than once, at a station within two trips.

The inferences on this game are tricky, but try to map it out on paper. If you try to move more than one station per trip, you end up over lapping too many stations by the 5th trip and you are left with stations that have 3 consecutive trips. You can only move one station per trip to keep the rules in line.