GRE Logic Question About Opera Tickets

I'm trying to figure out what operas to see next season. It's kind of like this:

An amusement park roller coaster includes five cars, numbered 1 through 5 from front to back. Each car accommodates up to two riders, seated side by side. Six people—Tom, Gwen, Laurie, Mark, Paul and Jack—are riding the coaster at the same time.

• Laurie is sharing a car.
• Mark is not sharing a car and is seated immediately behind an empty car.
• Tom is not sharing a car with either Gwen or Paul.
• Gwen is riding in either the third or fourth car.

Which of the following groups of riders could occupy the second car?
.
(A) Laurie only
(B) Tom and Gwen
(C) Laurie and Mark
(D) Jack and Tom
(E) Jack, Gwen, and Paul

If Gwen is riding immediately behind Laurie's car and immediately ahead of Tom's car, all of the following must be true EXCEPT:
.
(A) Gwen is riding in the fourth car.
(B) Paul is riding in the third car.
(C) Tom is riding in the fifth car.
(D) Laurie is riding in the third car.
(E) The first car is empty.

Which one of the following statements CANNOT be true?
.
(A) Neither Tom nor Gwen is sharing a car with
........ another rider
(B) Neither Mark nor Jack is sharing a car with
........ another rider.
(C) Tom is sharing a car, and Jack is sharing a car.
(D) Gwen is sharing a car, and Paul is sharing a car.
(E) Tom is sharing a car, and Gwen is sharing a car.

If Paul is riding in the second car, how many different combinations of riders are possible for the third car?
.
(A) one
(B) two
(C) three
(D) four
(E) five

Assume that a seventh rider is riding with Jack in the first car, but that all other rules remain unchanged. Which of the following is a complete and accurate list of the riders who might be riding in the fifth car?
.
(A) Mark
(B) Gwen, Paul
(C) Tom, Laurie, Paul
(D) Tom, Laurie, Mark
(E) Tom, Paul, Laurie, Mark

Got it? Go here for the answers.


Ok so here's my personal version.

• I'd rather not see an opera I've already seen.
  
• I'm hoping to super in my local opera company's production of Carmen. Performances are February 5, 7 and 12 so the rehearsals will be in the weeks preceding.
  
• I want to see Juan Diego Florez, Diana Damrau, Nathan Gunn and Elizabeth Caballero at the Met in 2009-2010 season.
• JDF is peforming only in La Fille there next season. Do I want to see it again... maybe... because... Diana Damrau is singing Marie. That's in Feb. Performances after Carmen are Feb 13, 16, 19 and 22.
• However, DD'll also be in Barbiere, with Lawrence Brownlee as Almaviva. Saw him in the movies in La Cenerentola - I'm sure he'd be fab as Almaviva. Dates are Feb 26, March 1 and March 4.
  
• I wouldn't mind seeing Joyce DiDonato in Barbiere. Those performances are in October and November.
• NG is Papageno on April 1, 6, 8 and 10.
• EC will be in Carmen on: December 31* , 2009
  January 5, 8, 12, 16 **, 21, 27, & 30
  February 1, 5, 9, & 13, 2010
  April 28 & May 1, 2010
• Other events: American Voices - Nov 7
• Diana Damrau at Carnegie - January 24
• Thomas Hampson is performing locally on Nov 17 - Songs of America Project. Locally as in, 15 minutes from me.

So. Do I go to see La Fille again, so I get to hear JDF again? Or go to Barbiere with Diana D?. And of course if I don't go to anything else, I will go to see Elizabeth Caballero in Carmen. But how can I NOT go see NG as Papageno? Plus Banawoman will come out to see it with me.

Answer: Carmen and Die Zauberflote for sure. Then most likely La Fille to economize and get my JDF and DD fixes at once. To further economize, I could see Carmen and La Fille on the same day. The day AFTER the final performance of the other Carmen, which I may or may not be supering in. Economize? Opera tickets? Those concepts do not appear together except in the sentence, "To economize, I won't buy opera tickets." Um... no. Will have to economize somewhere else. And, if I am in Carmen, could I possibly handle going to the city the very next day and seeing TWO operas that day? One being the same opera I might possibly be in, the other being one I saw before? Could I do two operas in one day, ever?

Hm, better rethink the dates. Perhaps separate days might be better... either way, it looks like next winter/spring will be busy!

ps I took the GRE in 1990 and got a 770 on the logic section, out of a possible 800! Yay me! Husband, of course, got 800. Of course.