2.4 Five-Passage Workflow and Mixed Logic

Why the passage is the unit of work

With five passages and 23 conclusions, each careful passage reading supports several answers. Re-reading the entire passage from scratch for every conclusion wastes time and increases the chance of changing the meaning of a rule. Build one compact map, then test each conclusion against it.

First read: mark four kinds of information

1. Category rules

Translate all, no, and some statements. Example: inspectors → trained; trained × visitors; some couriers ∩ visitors. Keep arrows directional.

2. Conditional rules

Translate if, whenever, and every time. Example: alarm → supervisor notified. Write the contrapositive only when it becomes useful: not notified → no alarm.

3. Named facts

Attach each person, vehicle, or event to the categories the passage states. Do not attach a familiar attribute that is merely likely.

4. Time and negation

Underline words such as before, after, only, not, never, except, earliest, and latest. A single negative can reverse a conclusion. If the passage says Rao arrived after Chen but before Diaz, the order is Chen → Rao → Diaz; it says nothing about anyone else.

Worked mixed passage

Assume the passage states:

• All employees assigned to Desk L completed orientation.
• No person who completed orientation is a first-day visitor.
• Some temporary employees are assigned to Desk L.
• If the west entrance closes, Desk L records all arrivals.
• On Tuesday the west entrance closed.
• Avery was a first-day visitor on Tuesday.

Map it:

• Desk L → orientation
• orientation × first-day visitor
• some temporary ∩ Desk L
• west closed → Desk L records all arrivals
• Tuesday: west closed; Avery = first-day visitor

Now evaluate conclusions:

1. Some temporary employees completed orientation — True. The existing temporary employees assigned to Desk L follow the all rule into orientation.
2. Avery was not assigned to Desk L — True. Desk L implies orientation, and orientation excludes first-day visitors.
3. Every temporary employee completed orientation — Indeterminable. Only some temporary employees are known to be at Desk L.
4. Desk L recorded all arrivals Tuesday — True. Tuesday's closure activates the conditional rule.
5. Only Desk L employees recorded arrivals Tuesday — Indeterminable. The rule says what Desk L does, not what every other desk does.
6. Avery was a temporary employee — Indeterminable. First-day visitor status does not define employment status.

Each result comes from the map. None requires knowing how a real entrance desk works.

A conclusion-by-conclusion routine

For each proposed conclusion:

1. Identify its subject and predicate.
2. Find the exact passage facts involving those categories or names.
3. Follow only valid arrows, overlaps, exclusions, and time order.
4. Try to prove the conclusion.
5. Try to prove its opposite.
6. If neither proof works, select Indeterminable.

This two-sided check is particularly effective for conclusions containing all, none, always, never, only, or exact counts. Strong words require equally strong support.

Timing without rushing the map

Thirty minutes for 23 conclusions averages about 78 seconds per conclusion, but passage reading is a shared cost. A workable practice target is:

• Read and map a passage in roughly 90 to 120 seconds.
• Answer direct conclusions first.
• Spend additional time on conclusions requiring two or three links.
• Make the best supported choice when uncertain; the official guide says there is no guessing penalty.
• Review within the section if time remains.

Do not impose a rigid cutoff that forces a careless initial reading. A flawed map contaminates every answer under that passage. Instead, become faster by using shorter notation and recognizing recurring structures.

Review traps

During review, locate the exact reason for doubt:

• Did you reverse an arrow?
• Did you treat some as some-but-not-all?
• Did you assume named examples were exhaustive?
• Did you overlook not, only, before, or after?
• Did you import outside knowledge?

Change the answer only after resolving that issue. Never change merely because several consecutive answers share the same category; official guidance says response positions do not follow a usable pattern.

Mastery check

You are ready when you can explain a conclusion in one sentence using passage language: "True because A implies B and B excludes C," "False because the named person is proved to be C," or "Indeterminable because the passage allows both membership and nonmembership." That explanation is the best defense against plausible distractors.

Preserve the shared map

Keep the passage map visible until every attached conclusion is answered. Erasing or rebuilding it between questions wastes the main efficiency advantage of the five-passage format and invites inconsistent interpretations of the same fact.