Q23

[StephanieK821]

Is there a more efficient approach to this question other than testing out each answer choice? I was able to select (D) but only after spending time testing out (A) through (C).

[ohthatpatrick]

No, I don't think so. It's an open ended question, so we can't do anything to prephrase or anticipate.

We would plan to take a relatively brisk first pass through the answer, in the hopes that the wrong one would make itself known. But otherwise, we gotta go one at a time.

This game, overall, is super annoying and hard in that regard. You just have to try a bunch of stuff out.

(A) for R to get L, it would have to spend YZ
for R to get MO, it would spend G

B) for S to get G, it would spend F
for S to get M, it would spend L

C) for S to get KM, it could spend F
for S to then get O, it could spend L

D) for T to get F, it could spend KM,
but then for it to get Y, it would only have O left to spend.

Put another way, T and S can never end up with only Y or only Z. They would either have both or neither.

Since they don't have any class 3's, they can't do a 1 for 1 swap and end up with only Y or only Z. They would necessarily be doing a 2 for 1 swap, getting Y-and-Z in return for one of their class 2's.

So within (D) is a secret "must be false" concept (i.e "T could never have Y but not Z, or Z but not Y"), but there's no way we'd see that coming ahead of time.