Trust, which cannot be sustained in the absence of mutual respect, is essential to any long–lasting relationship, per...

Christopher on July 28, 2018

@Anna, the trick is in the "necessary and sufficient" relationship between the factors here. In other words, mutual respect and affinity are "necessary" for a relationship to be long lasting (without them the relationship will fail), but they are not "sufficient" to guarantee that a relationship will be long lasting (even if a relationship has mutual respect and affinity, it can fail due to other circumstances).

In practical terms, I had a roommate in college who was a close friend. We had an affinity for each other, and we had mutual respect for each other. We had a close personal relationship and even took a few trips to visit grad schools together. However, when we moved away after college, our friendship failed. We are not enemies, by any means, but we haven't talked more than a few times in the intervening decade, which would suggest that despite having the "necessary" ingredients for a successful interpersonal relationship, those ingredients were not sufficient to guarantee the success of that relationship in the long term.

This type of question will come up a lot, and the trick is often recognizing the difference between what is sufficient and what is necessary. Get that principle mastered, and you're well on your way to mastering the LSAT.

I hope that helps.

BradG on May 16, 2019

But the paragraph says, if its to endure it must have MS & A. Choice C) Says if you have both, the relationship will last long. Isn't that evoking necessary to conclude sufficient?

BradG on May 16, 2019

Ignore the below.

Ravi on May 17, 2019

@BradG, it sounds like you may have answered your own question. If you'd like any additional clarification, please let us know—we're here to help!

hfatima1 on May 27, 2020

I got this answer wrong, because I made the same mistake as discussed above. However, after looking at it carefully, I think I realized how I was supposed to diagram it.

T (trust) and MR (mutual respect) -----> L.L.R (long lasting relationship)

the rule for and/or is to flip it to the other and then reverse and negate as usual, so

no L.L.R -----> no T or no MR

so, that is what A states, correct? by using the word solely, it shows the contrapostive correct?

I hope I didn't make this question too confusing. I just wanted to know if I processed and worked it out correctly, thank you!

hfatima1 on May 29, 2020

can someone please answer my question