LSAT Question #3

Among the inventory at a certain vintage furniture store are seven lamps. Each lamp has either a ceramic or wood base, and each lamp comes with either a brown, red, or green shade.


More lamps have a ceramic base than a wood base.
Every red lamp shade is paired with a ceramic base.
No lamp with a wood base has a brown shade.


If the two and only two ceramic lamps are paired with lampshades that are the same in color, then which of the following must be true?

A. One of the seven lamps has a brown shade.
B. Two of the seven lamps have red shades.
C. Three of the seven lamps have a wood base.
D. Four of the seven lamps have green shades.
E. Five of the seven lamps have a ceramic base





And the answer is...






C. Three of the seven lamps have a wood base.

Answer and Analysis

The correct response is (C). We know that at least four of the seven lamps have ceramic bases. Assuming that two and only two such lamps have shades that are the same color, the total number of ceramic lamps is limited to four (only three shade colors are available). Therefore, exactly three of the seven lamps are wood. 

I needed to use a scratch paper to be sure on this one. It took me a while to figure it out. There are many questions like this in the LSAT so practicing jotting down notes would be ideal. I was seriously tempted to just go to the answer because I didn't want to think too hard. How was it for you?

Credit to west.net/~stewart