LSAT Logical Reasoning

Patients in the clinic waiting room used to crowd the front desk and argue about who was next in line. Last month the clerk set out a spindle of numbered tickets, and each arriving patient took one. Those arguments have stopped. So numbered tickets are what ended the arguments. The clinic should therefore keep the ticket spindle at the desk.

The bait shop beside the fuel dock opens at five. Before six this morning the minnow tank was still covered, so anyone who bought bait then bought shrimp. Three charter captains were the only people who bought bait before six. Each of them left the counter with a paper bag, and the minnow tank stayed covered until the clock showed six.

The diner by the bus depot started leaving a water bowl outside the door for dogs. In the month after the bowl appeared, more customers ordered breakfast at the counter than in the month before. The owner concludes that the water bowl brought in those extra breakfast orders. The menu and the prices did not change during that month.

The fuel dock replaced its wooden boarding ladder with a metal one last week. The wood had gone soft where the ladder met the water, and crews had complained about the give in those rungs. The harbormaster concludes that the new ladder is safer for crews, on the ground that metal does not rot the way wet wood does.

The yarn shop started a Thursday evening class for beginners. Over the next six weeks, sales of beginner yarn rose above the six weeks before the class. The owner concludes that the class caused those sales to rise. The shop did not change the price of beginner yarn during those weeks.

The town board put a brighter lamp on the gravel path behind the library. In the following month, fewer people reported trips and falls on that path than in the month before. The chair concludes that the brighter lamp caused the drop in falls. The lamp is the only change the board announced.

The bakery beside the depot lowered the price of its morning buns at the start of the week. It sold fewer morning buns that week than the week before, even though the buns were the same size and came out of the same oven. Regular customers had often said they wished the buns cost less.

All of the maps in the shop's front rack are local trail maps. Every local trail map in the shop shows the creek crossing. The front rack stands by the door, and the other racks hold road maps and charts of the coast. A clerk restocked the front rack on Monday morning.

On opening morning the dock clerk asked the first eight people who bought ice at the bait shop whether they fish from a boat. All eight said yes. The clerk concludes that people who buy ice at the shop are boat anglers. The shop sold ice to many more people later that day, and the clerk did not ask them.

A card on the workshop wall says that if a boat cradle passes both the bolt check and the balance check, the yard will launch that cradle this week. The blue cradle passed the bolt check on Monday. The yard boss tells the crew that the yard will launch the blue cradle this week. The card states no other launch rule.

Some neighbors say the clinic's evening hours are a waste of staff time. Last Tuesday the evening clinic saw thirty patients, and the waiting room stayed full until the doors closed. The director concludes that the evening hours are not a waste. The director does not discuss any other evening.

The print shop has been offered the program job for the school play. The play needs the programs by Friday evening, and this shop can print the whole stack by Thursday noon. The manager concludes that the shop should take the job. No other reason for taking it is given.

The greenhouse started misting its ferns at noon. Within two weeks the ferns looked greener than they had before the misting began. The grower concludes that the noon mist is what made the ferns greener. The pots were the same ones the grower had used all season.

The clinic places in the lost-bin every coat that is still on the waiting-room rack when the doors lock. Three gray coats were on that rack when the doors locked on Tuesday. The bin is labeled lost property, and the night nurse is the person who moves the coats.

A notice at the fuel dock says a boat is free to leave the pump when the boat is free of the fuel hose. After a hull cleaning, the white skiff is free of barnacles. The clerk concludes that the white skiff is free to leave the pump. The clerk cites no check of the hose.

The town board is deciding whether to repaint the market stalls before the next market. The paint on the stall boards is peeling, and several vendors have asked for a fresh coat. A fresh coat would also make the square easier for visitors to spot from the side street. The board should repaint the stalls before the next market.

The town dock will not rent a slip to a boat that has not passed the safety check. The gray sloop has not passed the safety check. The harbormaster therefore will not rent a slip to the gray sloop. The check is the only condition the harbormaster mentions.

The workshop replaced its open sanding corner with a sealed box that pulls dust away from the bench. In the next month, workers filed fewer cough complaints than in the month before the box was installed. The lead concludes that the sealed box reduced the coughs. The crew sanded the same kind of oak.

In the pottery workshop behind the hardware row, a card above the kiln states the rule the potter uses. If the kiln stays above the posted heat, the glaze on the mugs will craze. After the firing, the potter found that the glaze on the mugs had crazed. From that finding she concludes that the kiln stayed above the posted heat.

The library should move the large-print shelf from the back wall to the front room. Patrons who use large print have asked for a shorter walk from the door, and the front room is closer to the door than the back wall is. The librarian gives no other reason for the move.

Every boat that stayed overnight at the town dock had a current sticker. The red skiff stayed overnight at the town dock. The night guard lists each overnight boat after the last ferry, and the red skiff appears on that list.

Every crate of apples at the orchard stand is small enough for a child to lift. The crates are stacked on the tailgate in one load. The owner concludes that the full load of all those crates together is small enough for a child to lift. The owner points only to the size of each crate.

The clinic added a row of chairs to the waiting room at the start of the month. Even so, the average time a patient waited to be called was longer that month than the month before. The exam rooms and the size of the staff stayed the same.

The cobbler started offering a same-day heel repair in the front window. Over the next month the shop repaired more heels than in the month before. The cobbler concludes that the same-day offer caused the increase. The price of a heel repair stayed the same.

Rae: The town board should keep the Saturday farmers' market in the square. The square has shade at noon, and vendors filled every stall last month. Jon: The board should move the Saturday market to the dock parking lot. Vendors did fill every stall, but the square cannot hold the crowd, and the lot can.

A sign at the kennel states that if a dog is current on its shots, that dog may stay overnight in the small run. The clerk tells an owner that the spotted dog may stay overnight in the small run. The clerk mentions no other kennel rule. The small run was empty that morning.

Every loaf the bakery slices for the lunch counter is sourdough. At eleven the bakery sliced four loaves for the lunch counter and set them on the board. Loaves sliced for the dinner tray are wrapped and stored apart from that board. The counter opens at half past eleven.

The marina allows a boat to take fuel on credit only if the owner has an account. The owner of the white skiff has an account at the marina. The pump attendant concludes that the marina will allow the white skiff to take fuel on credit. The attendant cites nothing beyond the account.

The clock shop should stop winding the church clock for free. The winding takes the shop's only technician an hour each week, and paying clients wait while that hour is spent at the church. The owner offers no other reason for ending the free winding.

The flower stall moved from the alley to the patch of walk beside the bus door. The next month the stall sold more bunches than in the month before the move. The seller concludes that the new spot caused the higher sales. The stall sold the same kinds of bunches it had sold in the alley.

The hardware shop is training a new clerk at the key machine by the front window. The old clerk can cut keys, and the new clerk cannot yet do so. Customers who need keys should be sent to the old clerk until the new clerk passes the key test. The machine stays by that window during the training.

The town board wants the Saturday market to draw more shoppers. It proposes closing the nearby gravel lot, which is where those shoppers leave their cars. The clerk argues that the closing would take away the parking the extra shoppers need, and so would work against the board's own aim.

Every chart in the clinic's red folder is for a patient who has already been seen. Nora's chart is in the red folder. Charts for patients who are still waiting are kept in the blue folder on the other cart. The red folder is checked before the clinic locks the door.

The dockhand argues that the town should replace the rotten pilings before someone is hurt. The harbormaster replies that the dockhand once dented a skiff while tying up, and that the town should therefore ignore the warning about the pilings. The harbormaster does not discuss the wood.

The laundry beside the clinic started offering a two-hour wash. After that offer began, more clinic staff brought uniforms in than in the previous month. The owner concludes that the two-hour offer caused the staff to bring more uniforms. Shirt prices at the laundry stayed the same.

The bait shop will special-order a net for any customer who pays a deposit. Sam paid a deposit for a casting net on Tuesday. The shop will therefore special-order a casting net for Sam. The deposit is the only condition the shop states for a special order.

The town board should rent a fan for the meeting room. The room is uncomfortably hot on summer evenings, and a fan would cool it during those meetings. The clerk who urges the rental gives no other reason. The meetings are held in that room.

The auto shop hired a second mechanic at the start of the month. Cars nevertheless spent more days waiting for repair that month than in the month before the hire. The shop's hours and its prices stayed the same, and no mechanic left.

A sign at the bakery says the shop will slice a loaf for the lunch counter only if that loaf is already paid for. The rye loaf on the board is already paid for. The counter clerk concludes that the bakery will slice that rye loaf for the lunch counter. The clerk relies on the sign and the payment alone.

All of the wrenches hanging on the workshop's red pegboard are metric. The black-handled wrench is hanging on the red pegboard. The shop keeps its files on a separate hook by the door, and the red pegboard is the one nearest the lathe.

The diner's board listed tomato as the only soup that day, and the pot sold out by one o'clock. The cook concludes that tomato is the town's favorite soup. The cook does not mention any other soup, any other day, or any request for a different pot.

The reading room started lending umbrellas at the front desk. On the rainy days that followed, fewer damp books were returned than on rainy days before the loans began. The librarian concludes that the umbrella loans kept the books drier. The loan was free.

The town rule for market day says that if a stall has both a permit and a fire extinguisher, that stall may open. The honey stall has a permit pinned to its post. The beekeeper says the honey stall may open on market day. No other opening rule is stated.

The sail loft began a Saturday class in patching sails. In the next month more sails were brought in for patches than in the month before the class. The loft concludes that the class caused the extra patch work. The price of a patch did not change.

The pharmacy counter should post the current wait time on a card. Patients ask the clerk how long the wait is, and stopping to answer pulls the clerk away from filling prescriptions. The supervisor gives no other reason for the card.

Every truck that the scale at the gravel yard passed this morning was under the posted weight. The green truck was passed by that scale this morning. Trucks that the scale does not pass are waved into the side lane. The green truck left by the main gate.

The barber shop started giving a numbered card to each person who walked in without an appointment. In the weeks after that, fewer customers complained about the wait than in the weeks before. The barber concludes that the cards caused the drop in complaints.

The wood shop's dust hood has been loose for a month. A loose hood lets fine dust into the air around the bench. Two workers have coughed through their shifts since the hood came loose. The shop should repair the dust hood before the next shift.

Ada: The clinic should drop its evening hours. Those hours cost overtime, and few patients came last month. Ben: The clinic should keep its evening hours. Few patients came last month, but the overtime is a small sum, and the hours let people who work days be seen.

The ferry sells a return ticket for less than the price of two one-way tickets. A traveler who will come back the same day spends less by buying the return ticket. Travelers who will come back the same day should buy the return ticket. The ferry leaves the town dock on the hour.

The orchard stand picked more apples this week than last week. By Sunday, though, it had fewer apples left to sell than it had had on the Sunday before. The apples were the same variety as the week before, and the stand did not ship any to another town.

The map shop set a table of town maps beside the door. The next month more town maps were sold than in the month before. The owner concludes that the door table caused the extra sales. The maps on the table were the same titles the shop already stocked.

Everyone who entered the workshop's spray booth this afternoon wore a mask. Luis entered the spray booth this afternoon to coat a set of oar handles. The masks hang on a peg just outside the booth door. The booth fan was running while Luis was inside.

A nurse asked the ten patients sitting nearest the clinic door whether the waiting room was too cold. All ten said yes. The nurse concludes that patients in the waiting room find it too cold. Other patients were sitting farther from the door, and the nurse did not ask them.

The town should put a rail along the dock steps. The steps are steep, and people carrying gear use them every morning. A rail would give those people something to hold. The harbormaster offers no other reason for the rail.

The community garden started locking the tool shed at dusk. The next month fewer tools were missing than in the month before the lock was added. The lead concludes that the lock caused the drop in missing tools. The shed holds the garden's hand tools.

A stock clerk says the new receipt paper jams because it is too wide for the feeder. The old paper is the same width, and it ran through the same feeder without jams. The shop lead concludes that the width is not why the new paper jams. Both rolls were tried on Tuesday.

The leak under the clinic sink is a slow drip into a pan. Replacing the whole pipe would stop the drip but would close the kitchen for a week. A new washer would stop a drip of this size and leave the kitchen open. The lead therefore orders the washer rather than the pipe replacement.

Every crate the dock loaded onto the morning ferry was labeled fish. The dock loaded six crates onto that ferry. The afternoon ferry's horn is louder than the morning ferry's horn. The six crates were stacked on the forward deck.

In the town board room, a comment is called out of order when it strays off the motion on the table. During the market debate, the speaker's chair was out of order, pushed back from the table. The clerk therefore rules that the speaker's comment is out of order and will not be entered in the minutes.

The gravel on the library path washes out after hard rain. Washed-out gravel leaves a rut along the walk from the street to the door. A rut can trip someone carrying an armload of books. The town should add a border board along that path.

The bike shop should stock the heavier lock. Several bikes were stolen from the rack out front last month, and a heavier lock is harder to cut than the locks those bikes had. The owner gives no other reason for stocking it.

The cafe in the station started grinding beans in the front window. The next month more cups of coffee were sold than in the month before. The owner concludes that grinding in the window caused the extra sales. The price of a cup stayed the same.

If the print shop both receives the posters by noon and keeps the press free, it can finish the job today. The shop received the posters by noon. The manager says the shop can finish the job today. The manager cites no fact about the press.

All of the jars on the top shelf of the clinic sample closet are sealed. The jar of salve is on the top shelf. The closet is along the hall between the waiting room and the exam rooms. A nurse checks that shelf before the first patient of the day.

Each muffin in the bakery case is light enough to hold in one hand. The baker packs all of those muffins into a single box for the dock order. The baker concludes that the full box is light enough to carry in one hand. The baker relies only on the weight of each muffin.

The night bell at the channel mouth was repaired before a foggy week. During that week fewer boats scraped the outer pilings than during the foggy week before the repair. The harbormaster concludes that the repaired bell caused the drop in scrapes.

If the clinic posts the wait list, patients can see how long the wait is. If patients can see how long the wait is, fewer of them ask the desk. This morning the clinic posted the wait list by the waiting-room door. Therefore fewer patients will ask the desk this morning.

The workshop switched to a saw blade the maker calls longer lasting. That month the shop replaced more blades than in the month before the switch. The saw was the same one, and the kind of board being cut did not change.

The town board should allow the Saturday market to use the school lot. The square is crowded on market morning, and the school lot is empty on Saturdays. The square sits beside the library, and the lot is a short walk toward the river. The clerk offers no other reason for allowing the move.

Tickets for the morning ferry sell out on holiday mornings, and people are turned away at the booth. A second boat would carry the people who are now turned away. The dock should run a second boat on holiday mornings. The ticket booth opens at six.

Every patient the evening clinic saw on Monday had an appointment. The evening clinic saw four patients that Monday. People who arrive without an appointment are asked to come back on a later day. The four patients were seen before the evening doors closed.

Applicants may rent a slip at the town dock only if they live in town. The owner of the green boat lives in town. The clerk concludes that this owner may rent a slip. The clerk cites the residence and the rental rule, and nothing else.

The bookshop started a Tuesday story hour for children. The next month more children's books were sold than in the month before. The owner concludes that the story hour caused the extra sales. The prices of those books did not change.

The stain on the shop wall came from the roof, the sink, or the window frame. The roof is new and dry, and the sink shows no leak along the pipe. The carpenter concludes that the stain came from the window frame. No other source is considered.

The clinic posted a map of the rooms beside the waiting-room door. After that, fewer patients stopped a nurse to ask for directions than in the week before the map went up. The desk concludes that the map caused the drop in questions.

The roofer should replace the shop's worn flashing. Water stained the wall under that flashing after the last hard rain, and new flashing would turn water away from the wall. The shop is the bakery on the corner, and the stained plaster is in the back room. The roofer gives no other reason for the replacement.

Every form filed at the town board's desk has been signed. The market permit form was filed at that desk this morning. The market permit is for the Saturday stalls on the square. The desk faces the board room, and a clerk checked the tray before the board sat down.

A vendor argues that the market fee is too high for a one-day stall. The board chair answers that the vendor still owes last month's fee, and that the complaint about the fee level should therefore be dismissed. The chair does not discuss the amount of the fee.

Winter ice clearing is offered only to slip owners who ask for it. The dock bills the plowing cost to those owners and not to owners who never asked. The harbormaster defends the bills on the ground that the cost belongs on the people who chose the service.

Anyone who both pays the slip fee and passes the safety check may stay at the dock for the month. The blue boat has paid the slip fee. The clerk concludes that the blue boat may stay for the month. The clerk does not say whether the boat passed the check.

The clinic added a television to the waiting room. The next month patients rated the wait as more unpleasant than in the month before the set arrived. The number of chairs and the length of the average visit did not change.

The tailor started putting a free button card in each finished suit. The next month more suits were ordered than in the month before. The tailor concludes that the button card caused the extra orders. The price of a suit stayed the same.

Every net the sail loft repaired this week belonged to a boat in slip A. The loft repaired five nets this week. Boats in slip B take their nets to a loft on the other side of the harbor. The five nets were ready on Friday.

During the storm the hardware shop's rack held one flashlight, and that flashlight sold out. The owner concludes that townspeople prefer that brand of flashlight. No other flashlight was on sale in the shop that afternoon, and the owner cites no other shop.

Some riders say the ferry should drop its dawn run. That run is the only trip that gets night-shift workers home, and no later boat takes its place. The dockmaster argues that the riders' advice should not be followed. The dock should keep the dawn run.

The garden should water the new trees at dawn. The soil around those trees dries by noon on clear days, and a dawn watering would soak the roots before that heat. The gardener gives no other reason for choosing dawn.

The clerk sets the choice out for the town board. Either the board repaves the market lot, or the Saturday market moves to the dock. The vendors have voted that the market will not move to the dock. So the board will repave the market lot. The clerk treats those as the only two options.

Ice built up on the dock steps overnight, and the morning crews use those steps. Salt would melt that ice before the crews arrive. The harbormaster should salt the steps before dawn. The steps run from the pier down to the fuel float, and the first crews start arriving at five.

The shoe shop posted a sign saying repairs come back in two days. The next month more people brought shoes in for repair than in the month before. The owner concludes that the sign caused the extra visits. The sign hung in the front window, where people waiting for the bus could read it.

Every form the clerk stamped this morning was a market application. The clerk stamped three forms this morning, all before ten. Forms the clerk stamps in the afternoon are library cards. The three morning forms were placed in the market tray.

The town planted a row of shrubs along the shop street in spring. That summer more people walked the street than in the summer before the planting. The board concludes that the shrubs caused the extra walking. The board cites the planting and the later counts, and nothing else.

The ferry started announcing the next stop over a speaker. After that, fewer riders missed their stop than in the month before the announcements. The speaker was installed above the cabin door, and the route still begins at the town dock. The captain concludes that the announcements caused the drop in missed stops.

Any paint that peels in a single rain is pulled from the shop's outdoor rack. The first sample peeled during Friday's rain. The painter therefore pulls that paint from the outdoor rack. The rule is the only reason the painter gives.

The clinic should move the scale out of the hallway. The hallway is the only path from the waiting room to the exam rooms, and the scale blocks people who use crutches. The nurse gives no other reason for the move.

A note in the bakery says that if the oven holds its heat through the night, the morning buns can go in at four. The baker tells the early clerk that the morning buns can go in at four. The baker cites no other bakery rule. The oven sits against the back wall.

All of the coils of rope sold at the chandlery this week were white. The chandlery sold nine coils of rope this week. Black rope is kept for special order. The nine coils were cut from the same spool. The chandlery sits at the head of the fuel dock, beside the bait shop.

The harbormaster talked with the five boat owners who happened to be at the fuel dock at lunch and asked whether they wanted the channel dredged. All five said yes. She concludes that boat owners who use the harbor want the channel dredged.

The copy shop bought a faster press, and the press arrived at the start of the week. Jobs nevertheless took longer to hand back to customers that week than the week before. The shop did not raise its prices, and the staff did not shrink.

The town added a bench outside the bakery, where the bus stops. The next month the driver's count showed more people waiting there than in the month before. The clerk concludes that the bench caused more people to wait at that stop.

The lamp shop started leaving its door open so light from the showroom spilled onto the walk. The next month more lamps were sold than in the month before. The owner concludes that the open door caused the extra sales. Lamp prices stayed the same.

The board should print the meeting packet in larger type. Several members said they could not read the current type, and larger type would be easier to see on the page. The clerk gives no other reason for the change.

Every oar the sail loft varnished on Thursday belongs to the youth rowing club. The loft varnished eight oars on Thursday. The club keeps a blue rack for its oars in the boathouse. The eight oars were dry before dusk.

The wood shop's note says a board is square when every corner is a right angle. The shelf board is lying on the right side of the bench. The carpenter concludes that the shelf board is square and ready to install. The carpenter does not measure any corner.

The cobbler tells every apprentice the shop's rule before the counter opens. A shop should not promise a customer a pickup time that the shop cannot meet. The promise, once made, is what the customer plans around, so an unmet time leaves the customer waiting for nothing.

Mina: The shop should close on Monday. Almost no one comes in, and the clerk could use the day to place supply orders. Hal: The shop should stay open on Monday. Almost no one comes in, but the few who do are regulars the shop ought not turn away.

The harbormaster replaced the soft bell at the channel mouth with a louder one. That season fewer boats scraped the outer pilings in the fog than in the season before. She concludes that the louder bell, and not a change in how often the fog settled, is what reduced the scrapes.