Example1: Lets consider one article published on this site regarding the number of questions

asked from different mathematics chapters in last few years.

Mathematical Aptitude - Number of question
CHAPTERS 2001 2002 2003 2003 Retest 2004 2005 2006 Total Percentage
1. Number System 13 13 7 11 4 12 28 88 22%
2. Ratio & Proportion 2 2 2 1 2 4 13 3.25%
3. Percentages 3 2 4 9 2.25%
4. Profit & Loss 1 1 0.25%
5. T.S.D 5 4 1 5 2 4 21 5.25%
6. Linear Eqn 4 2 2 1 2 12 23 5.75%
7. Quadratic Eqn 1 2 2 1 2 8 2%
8. P and C 2 6 3 4 5 3 4 27 6.75%
9. Inequalities 7 3 5 6 1 4 26 6.5%
10. Functions 1 2 4 4 8 19 4.75%
11. Logarithms 1 2 2 4 9 2.25%
12. Geometry 9 10 14 17 15 17 20 102 25.5%
(NB: above table is not correct and given just an example. For the correct data refer to )
In Exam you will be given a table like the one shown above and might be asked few questions
like
Q1. In which year maximum number of questions were asked from Algebra?
Q2. In 2003 which chapter contributed maximum number of questions?
Q3. What was the total number of questions asked from Inequalities chapter in the given period
of time?
Q4. What was the percentage contribution of P and C in year 2004
Many similar questions can be framed from the above table. Lets first consider Q1, A quick look
at the table shows that maximum number of algebra questions were asked in year 2006 and the
number was 26. Similarly, In year 2003 maximum number of questions were asked from
Geometry chapter and the number was 14.
Try to answer the other two questions on your own and discuss your doubts at the forum
http://www.cat4mba.com/forum

Example 2:
The frequency distribution of monthly salaries of 500 workers in a factory is given below :
Wages 0-49 50-99 100-149 150-199 200-249 250 or more
Number of workers 90 150 100 80 70 10
It is proposed to give an interim relief per month at the rate of 10% of the lower boundary of
each class interval or Rs. 10 whichever is more. Then the financial burden (in Rs. )on the part of
the factory owner is ?
The asnwer is 6250. First try to solve on your own and then read the solution given below.
Example 3
Answer the questions on the basis of the information given below:
The Dean’s office recently scanned student results into the central computer system. When
their character reading software cannot read something, it leaves the space blank. The scanner
output read as follows:

In the grading system, A, B, C, D, and F grades fetch 6, 4, 3, 2, and 0 grade points respectively.
The Grade Point Average (GPA) is the arithmetic mean of the grade points obtained in the five
subjects. For example Nisha’s GPA is (6 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 0) / 5 = 3.6. Some additional facts are
also known about the students’ grades. These are
(a) Vipul obtained the same grade in Marketing as Aparna obtained in Finance and Strategy.
(b) Fazal obtained the same grade in Strategy as Utkarsh did in Marketing.
(c) Tara received the same grade in exactly three courses.
Q1. What grade did Preeti obtain in Statistics?
1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
ANS: GPA of Preeti = 3.2
=> (F+D+x+D+y)/5 = 3.2
=> x + y = 12
So only combination possible is A, A.
So Preeti obtained A grade in statistics.
Q2. In operations, Tara could have received the same grade as
1. Ismet
2. Hari
3. Jagdeep
4. Manab
ANS: (4)
Tara received same grade in 3 courses. We already know that Tara has got B grade in one of the
subject and GPA is 2.4. So in 3 courses in which he scored same grade is B. So Tara has
received the same grade as Manab.
Q3. In Strategy, Gowri’s grade point was higher than that obtained by
1. Fazal
2. Hari
3. Nisha
4. Rahul
ANS: GPA of Gowri is 3.8
=>3 + 3 + 6 + x + 4 = 3.8 × 5
=>16 + x = 18
=>x = 2
So in strategy, Gowri's grade is C.
Rahul's grade in strategy = (4.2 × 5) – 15 = 6, i.e., A.
Fazal's grade in strategy = (2.4 × 5) – 8 = 4, i.e., B.
Hence, Gowri's grade will be higher than that of Hari.
Q4. What grade did Utkarsh obtain in Finance?
1. B
2. C
3. D
4. F
ANS: Fazal GPA = 2.4
=> D + F + B + P + D = 2.4 × 5
2 + 0 + 4 + P + 2 = 12
P=4
So his grade in strategy is B.
So Grade of Utkarsh in marketing is also B.
So for Utkarsh, x + B + F + C + A = 3 × 5
x + 4 + 0 + 3 + 6 = 15
x=2
So grade of Utkarsh in finance = D.

Example 4:
Answer the questions based on the following information.
Unclaimed redemption and dividend amounts for TMF India Ltd.

The amount of dividends declared and redemptions made, which were remaining unclaimed as
on the balance sheet data are given below.
Q1. What is the average dividend amount per unclaimed warrants across all schemes for TMF
India Ltd.?
a. Rs. 1,964
b. Rs. 2,734
c. Rs. 3,822
d. None of these
ANS: Average dividend amount 68.59/2509
i.e Rs. 2734
Q2. What is the approximate ratio of the average redemption amount per warrant in TIGF
scheme to that in FIBF scheme?
a. 10:9
b. 9:10
c. 11:13
d. 9 : 13
ANS: In TIGF scheme, average redemption amount per warrant
(Rs.83,000/7) = Rs. 11857.14
In FIBF scheme, average (Rs.13,000)/1 =13,000
Ratio = 11857.14 : 13000 = 91 : 100 » 9 : 10
Q3. Which of the following statement(s) is(are) not true?
I. The total amount of unclaimed warrants for TIGF and TIIF schemes is Rs. 48.57 lakh.
II. TIIF scheme accounts for more than 60% of the total number of unclaimed warrants.
a. Only (I)
b. Only (II)
c. Both (I) and (II)
d. Both are true
ANS: (I) TIGF and TIIF = Rs. (3.26 + 42.18 + 0.83 + 2.30) lakh
= Rs. 48.57 lakh
(II) Total number of warrants in TIIF scheme
= 1601 + 48 = 1649 out of total 2578 claims.
Hence, it is more than 60%.
Q4. What is the percentage of unclaimed dividend amount in TMIP scheme?
a. 7.8%
b. 5.2%
c. 10.5%
d. Cannot be determined
ANS: Required percentage 68.59 /5.39 = 7.8% (approx.)
Q5. A scheme is given the ‘star’ status when it has minimum number of unclaimed
warrants for that scheme, among all others. Among the given schemes, which scheme is to be
awarded ‘star’ status?
a. FIIF
b. FIBF
c. TIIF
d. Cannot be determined
ANS: The data on unclaimed dividend amounts for FIIF, FIBF and FIGF are not given.

Example 1:
The graph below is representative of the sales, costs and tax of a certain industry Study the
following graph to answer these questions:

Notes: Gross profit = Sales - Cost ; Profit = Sales - Cost - Tax

Q1. What is the tax in the year 1998 ?
a)10
b)20
c)30
d) cannot be determined
ANSWER: c 30
Q2. What is the % increase in gross profit from year 1997 and 2000 ?
a)250%
b)350%
c)400%
d)450%
ANSWER: b 250%
Q3. In 1998, the industry old 850 units. If in 1999, the price per unit increased by 50% , what
was the no of units sold in 1999?
a) 550
b) 650
c) 750
d) none of these
ANSWER: b 650 as 850x= 170,x =0.2.after 50 % increase this becomes 0.3.So in 1999 no is
195/0.3=650
Q4. If this graph represents a kind of an index on which the industry performance can be
benchmarked, and if the index started with year 1997 with a value=100, what is the average sales
between years 2000,2001 and 2002 ?
a) 200
b) 208.33
c) 209.22
d) None of these
ANSWER: c 209.22 If in 1997 120x = 100=>, x=5/6,2000 to 2002 average sales implies (250
+225+280)/3 X 5/6 = 209.22
Q5. If in 1997, profits were 3000,what are the profits in 2002?
a)3000
b)6000
c)9000
d)12000
ANSWER: c 9000

Graph Comparison
Line graphs do not present specific data as well as tables do but line graphs are able to show
relationships more clearly than tables do. Line graphs can also depict multiple series which are
usually the best candidate for time series data and frequency distribution.Bar and column graphs
and line graphs share a similar purpose. The column graph, however, reveals a change in
magnitude, whereas the line graph is used to show a change in direction.
In summary, line graphs
1. show specific values of data well
2. reveal trends and relationships between data
3. compare trends in different groups of a variable
Now let’s try one more example.
Example 2:
In the following line graph, Solubility - Temperature relationships for various salts is shown.
(The Y-axis denotes Solubility (kg/litres of water)

1. Which of the following salts has greatest solubility?

a) Potassium Chlorate at 800C.
b) Potassium Chloride at 350C.
c) Potassium Nitrate at 390C.
d) Sodium Chloride at 850C.
2. Approximately, how many kg of Potassium Nitrate can be dissolved in 10 litres of water
at 300C?
(a) 0.04
(b) 0.4
(c) 4
(d) 0.35
3. By what % is the solubility of Potassium Chlorate in water increased as the water is heated
from 300C to 800C?
(a) 100
(b) 200
(c) 250
(d) 300
4. If 1 mole of Potassium Chloride weighs 0.7456 kg, approximately, how many moles of
Potassium Chloride can be dissolved in 100 litres of water at 360C?
(a) 70
(b) 60
(c) 48
(d) 54
5. Which of the salts has greatest change in solubility in kg/litre of water between 150C and
250C?
(a) Potassium Chlorate
(b) Potassium Nitrate
(c) Sodium Chlorate
(d) Sodium Nitrate
ANSWERS are 1. (c) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (d) 5. (c)
Example 3:
Use this additional information which provides statistics about the voting population in a country
and votes secured by the national party during the above mentioned election

Q1. If the population in the country in the year 1989 was 800 mn, how many million votes did
the party secure in this election?
(1) 159.84
(2) 360
(3) 266.4
(4) None of these
Q2. If the population increased by 12% between the year 1984 and 1989, what was the %
increase in the % of population that is eligible to vote in the election?
(1) 10.24%
(2) 12%
(3) M.64%
(4) 15.50%
Q3. Between 1996 and 1998, the number of people eligible to vote increased by 10% What was
the % increase in population between 1996 and 1998?
(1) 6.28%
(2) 4.4%
(3) 3.28%
(4) Cannot be determined
Q4. If in the year 1984, if for even additional 3% of the votes polled for the party meant the party
get to have 450 seats in the parliament if the overall population of the country was 800 million in
that year?
(1) 52.25 mn
(2) 15.43 mn
(3) Cannot be determined
(4) None of these
Q5. Which of the following is true?
(1) The largest % of votes were polled to the above party in the 1988 election.
(2)A higher % of votes to the party in a particular election does not have a direct correlation to
the number of seats won by the party in the election.
(3) In four of the election, the number of seats won by the party increased over the previous
election.
(4) None of these.
ANSWERS: 1. (1) 2. (4) 3. (1) 4. (4) 5. (2)
Example 1:
Number of Engineering Students (in hundreds) at institutions of different kinds is given in the
below bar graph.

1.What was the total number of engineering students in 1989-90?

(a)28500
(b)4400
(c)4200
(d)42000
2.The growth rate in students of Govt. Engineering colleges compared to that of Private
Engineering colleges between 1988-89 and 1889-90 is:
(a)more
(b)less
(c)almost equal
(d)3/2
3.The total number of Engineering students in 1991-92, assuming a 10% reduction in thenumber
over the previous year, is:
(a)5700
(b)57000
(c)44800
(d)None of these
4. In 1990-91, what percent of Engineering students were studying at IITs?
(a)16
(b)15
(c)14
(d)12
Answers: 1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (c)
In CAT most of the questions are required to be answered from data given in two different
graphs/charts. For example try to answer the question on the basis of the following charts.

If the land area under tea cultivation in Chaidesh continuously decreased in all four years from
1996 to 1999, by 10%, 7% , 4% and 1%, respectively, in which year was tea productivity
(production per unit of area) the highest?
(1) 1999
(2) 1998
(3) 1997
(4) 1996
Sol.Tea productivity = Area /production
When production is maximum and area is minimum, we can say that tea productivity is the
maximum. In such case, calculation of tea productivity for each of the year is not required. Area
is the least in year 1999 as compared to that in the year 1996, 1997, and 1998. Also, by
observation, production is maximum for year 1999. Hence tea productivity is maximum for year
1999. Choice (1)
Example 2:
Try to solve the following question. It is taken from CAT 1993 paper
Assets are defined as Net Fixed Assets + Net Current Assets + Investments

Q1. What is the approximate simple annual growth rate of Total Assets between 1990 and 1993 ?
a. 36%
b. 12 %
c. 9%
d. 27%
Q2. In any two consecutive years, the growth rate is lowest for:
a. Net Fixed Assets
b. Net Current Assets
c. Investments
d. Total Assets
Q3. The only item which has shown positive growth in every year between 1990 and 1993 is :
a. Net Fixed Assets
b. Net Current Assets
c. Investments
d. Total Assets
Q4. Between 1991 and 1992, the highest growth rate is seen for
a. Net Fixed Assets
b. Net Current Assets
c. Investments
d. Total Assets
ANSWERS
1. b. Simple Annual growth rate is (30-22)100/(22 x 3) = 12%
2. b. In any two consecutive years growth rate is lowest for Net Current Assets as it can be seen
from the graph between 1991-1992
3. c.
4.c
Example 3 :
Study the following graph and answer questions

1. Which year shows the maximum percentage of export with respect to production?
(1)1992
(2)1993
(3)1996
(4)1995
2. The population of India in 1993 was
(1)800 million
(2)1080 million
(3)985 million
(4)900 million
3. If the area under tea production was less by 10% in 1994 than in 1993, then the approxima te
rate of increase in productivity of tea in 1994 was
(1)97.22
(2)3
(3)35
(4)None of the above
4. The average proportion of tea exported to the tea produced over the period is
(1)0.87
(2)0.47
(3)0.48
(4)0.66
5. What is the first half-decade’s average per capita availability of tea?
(1)457 gm
(2)535 gm
(3)446 gm
(4)430 gm
6. In which year was the per capita availability of tea minimum?
(1)1996
(2)1994
(3)1991
(4)None of these
7. In which year was there minimum percentage of export with respect to production?
(1)1991
(2)1992
(3)1993
(4)1994
8. In which year we had maximum quantity of tea for domestic consumption?
(1)1994
(2)1991
(3)1993
(4)1996
9. What approximately was the average quantity of tea available for domestic consumption
during the period?
(1)324.3 million kg
(2)400 million kg
(3)410.3 million kg
(4)320.3 million kg
10. What was approximately the average population during the period?
(1)625 million
(2)624 million
(3)600 million
(4)757 million
ANSWERS:
1(3)
2 (2)
3 (4)
4 (2)
5 (4)
6 (3)
7 (1)
8 (3)
9 (1)
10 (4)
Example 1:

Answer the following questions with reference to the above pie chart
Q1. Of every dollar received by the federal government, how much (in cents) is from coporate
sources?
A. 32
B. 70
C. 30
D. 35
E. 29
Answer : 1
Q2. what percentage of the federal revenue is derived from borrowings?
F. 0.2%
G. 0.02%
H. 2.7%
I. 1.2%
J. 2.5%
Answer : 3
Example 2:
Chart 1 shows the distribution of twelve million tonnes of crude oil transport through different
modes over a specific period of time. Chart 2 shows the distribution of the cost of transporting
this crude oil. The total cost was Rs. 30 million.
1.What is the cost of transporting petroleum by rail (in Rs)?
1. 2.5
2. 3.33
3. 6.4
4. 8
2.If the cost per tonne of transport by ship, air and road are represented by P, Q and R
respectively, which of the following is true?
1. R > Q > P
2. P > R > Q
3. P > Q > R
4. R > P > Q
3. The cost in rupees per tonne of oil moved by rails and happens to be roughly
1. 3
2. 1.5
3. 4.5
4. 8
4. From the charts given, it appears that the cheapest mode of transport is:
1. Road
2. Rail
3. Pipeline
4. Ship
5.Which is the most effective way of transportation?
1.Road
2. Ship
3. Pipeline
4. cannot be determined
6.If for some reason ship stop sailing, by what percentage the airfreight have to go up to reach
the previous level of volume transported (approximately)?
1. 75%
2. 81%
3. 85%
4 .90%
If the revenue after selling the petroleum was Rs 40 Million and other costs (including oil
extraction, marketing etc) is Rs 5 Million, answer the following.
7.What is the Profit percentage?
1. 10%
2. 12.5 %
3. 15%
4. 20%
8. If the cost of transportation rises by 20 % and so does revenue,what is the margin %?
1. 14.08
2. 14.28
3. 14.58
4. 14.78
9.If all costs rise by 10% and revenue remains same ,what would be the decrease in percentage
profit?
1. 35
2. 50
3.70 4 .80
10. If the pipeline cost increases by 30% ,by what percentage would revenue have to be
increased so as to have same amount of profit?
1. 11.5
2.12.8
3.13.75
4. 14.6
11. If the govt includes a 15% tax on transportation costs ,what would be the effective cost per
tonne of petroleum so as to have the same amount of profit as before?
1. 3.2
2.3.5
3.3.7
4. 4.2
<b<answers< b=""></b<answers<>
1. 2. We get 3.6/1.08=3.33
2. 3 Calculate the cost by ship, air and road.
P = 3/1.08 = 2.77; Q = 2.10/1.32 = 1.58; R = 1.80/2.64 = 0.68 hence P > Q > R
3. 1 3.60/1.08 = 3.33
4. 1 Road is the cheapest, from Q 132.
5. 4 cannot be determined as e do not know on what criteria
6. 2. Air freight is 11% .it would have to increase to 20% i.e. increase by 81.81%
7. 2. 12.5 %
8. 3. 14.58 profit of 7 Million on revenue of 48 Million
9. 3. 70 %
10.4. Pipeline cost is 65%ie 19.5 Million. If this rises by 30 %, it rises by 5.85 Million .to offset
this, Revenue would have to rise by the same amount, so 100 = 14.625%
11. 3. 3.7
Example 3:
Answer the following questions with reference to the above pie chart

Q1. What fraction of Ghosh babu’s weight consists of muscular and skin proteins?
(a) 1/13
(b) 1/30
(c) 1/20
(d) Cannot be determined
Q2. Ratio of distribution of protein in muscle to the distribution of protein in skin is:
(a) 3 : 1
(b) 3 : 10
(c) 1 : 3
(d) 3(1/2): 1
Q3. What percent of Ghosh babu’s body weight is made up of skin?
(a)0.15
(b) 10
(c) 1.2
(d) Cannot be determined
Q4. In terms of total body weight, the portion of material other than water and protein is
closest to:
(a)3/20
(b)1/15
(c)85/100
(d) 1/20
ANSWERS 1.(c) 2.(a) 3.(d) 4.(a)
Example 4:
The following pie charts give the percentage distribution of different types of employees in
different departments, A, B, C, D and E.
1. What was the difference in total number of people in department A in 1999 and 2000?
(1)840
(2) 400
(3) 440
(4) 240
2. In the case of which department was there a maximum variation between 1999 and 2000?
(1)E
(2)B
(3)D
(4) A
3. If 300 employees left in department B at the end of 1999, how many people joined in this
department in 2000?
(1) 340
(2) 460 (3) 980
(4) 1360
4. The number of employees in department D in 2000 is how many times the number of
employees in department E in 1999?
(1) 3.5
(2) 2.8
(3) 2.33
(4) 1.77
5. What is the percentage increase in the number of employees in department C in 1999- 2000?
(1) 2%
(2) 2.34%
(3) 23.45%
(4) None of these
6. If the average monthly salary of employees in department A in 1999 was Rs 4,000, what was
the annual salary bill for department A in 1999?
(1) Rs 19 lakh
(2) Rs 19 crore
(3) Rs 22 crore
(4) Rs 22 lakh
7. If the average salary for the whole company remained same in 1999 and 2000 at the level of
Rs.5,000 per month, what was the percentage increase in the salary bill for the company in the
two years?
(1) 4%
(2) 8%
(3) 9%
(4) 11%
ANSWERS:
1. 1 22% (18000) - 24% (20,000)
2. 3 Visually, we see D has the maximum variation.
3. 4 26% (20,000) = 23% (18,000) + 300
4. 2 20% (20,000)/8% (18,000)
5. 3 18% (18,000) to 20% (20,000) = 23.45%
6. 2 22% (18,000) ï€¿ï€ 4000.
7. 4 (20 - 18)/18 = 11%
Example 1:
Directions for Q. 1 to 5: Refer to the following information and the answer the following
questions.
People Power Corporation presently employs three Managers (A, B and C) and five recruitment
agents (D, E, F, G and H). The company is planning to open a new office in San Jose to manage
placement of software professionals in the US. It is planning to relocate two of the three
managers and three of the five recruitment agents to the office at San Jose. As it is an
organization which is
highly people oriented the management wants to ensure that the individuals who do not function
well together should not be made as a part of the team going to the US.
The following information was available to the HR department of People Power Corporation.
• Managers A and C are at each others throat and therefore cannot be sent as a team to the
new office.
• C and E are excellent performers in their own right. However, they do not function
together as a team. They should be separated.
• D and G have had a major misunderstanding during the last office picnic. After the picnic
these two have not been in speaking terms and should therefore not be sent as a team.
• D and F are competing for a promotion that is due in another 3 months. They should not
be a team.
Q1. If D goes to the new office which of the following is (are) true?
I. C cannot go II. A cannot go III. H must also go
(a) I only
(b) II and III only
(c) I and III only
(d) I, II and III
2. If A is to be moved as one of the Managers, which of the following cannot be a possible
working unit?
(a) ABDEH
(b) ABFGH
(c) ABEGH
(d) ABDGH
3. If C and F are moved to the new office, how many combinations are possible?
(a) 4
(b) 1
(c) 3
(d) 5
4. Given the group dynamics of the Managers and the recruitment agents, which of the following
is sure to find a berth in the San Jose office?
(a) B
(b) H
(c) G
(d) E
5. If C is sent to the San Jose office which member of the staff cannot go with C?
(a) B
(b) D
(c) G
(d) F
ANSWERS: 1. (c) 2. (d) 3. (b) 4. (a) 5. (b)
Example 2
Ghosh Babu took voluntary retirement in Dec. 1991 and received a certain amount of money as
retirement benefits. On Jan 1, 1992, he invested the entire amount in shares. At the end of the
month, he sold all his shares and realised 25% profit. On Feb 1, he reinvested the entire amount
in shares which he sold at the end of the month at a loss of 20%. Again, he invested the entire
amount on Mar 1 in a new company. At the end of the month, he sold the new company to a
friend and realised a profit of 20% in the process. He invested the entire amount in shares on Apr
1, which he sold at the end of the month for Rs. 1,08,000 incurring a loss of 10%.
1. What is the amount of retirement benefits received by Ghosh Babu?
a) Rs. 1,08,000
b) Rs. 1,25,000
c) Rs. 1,20,000
d) Rs. 1,00,000
2. The percentage profit received by Ghosh Babu between Jan 1 and Apr 30 is:
a) 8.00%
b) 15.00%
c) - 10.00%
d) None of these
3. The amount of loss incurred by Ghosh Babu based on his operation in Apr 1992 is:
a) Rs. 25,000
b) Rs. 12,000
c) Rs. 20,000
d) Rs. 8,000
4. The maximum amount invested by Ghosh Babu in any one month was in:
a) January
b) February
c) March
d) April
Answers:
1. d Let the amount received by Ghosh Babu in Dec. 1991 be Rs. x, as retirement benefits:
Therefore, investment in the month of Jan 1992 = 100
Profit of 25% at the end of Jan 1992.
Hence, investment in the month of Feb 1992 = 125
Loss of 20% at the end of Feb 1992
Hence, investment in the month of March 1992 = 100
Profit of 20% at the end of March 1992
Hence, investment in the month of April 1992 = 120
Loss of 10% at the end of April 1992
Therefore the amount left at the end of April 1992 = 108
Amount at the end of April 1002 = Rs. 1,08,000
Therefore, simply equating figures, he would have started with Rs 1,00,000
2. a % Profit between Jan 1 and Apr 30 = (1.08x - x/x) X 100
3. b Investment in the month of April = Rs. 1,20,000
Amount received at end of April = Rs. 1,08,000
Therefore, Loss = Rs. 12,000
4. b Maximum amount invested by Ghosh Babu is in the month of February = Rs. 1,25,000
Example1
Q. 1 to 4 are based on the following information:
- Ghosh Babu’s new interest is psychology. He has identified various personality
patterns and given them names. These personality patterns are inter-related as
follows:
- All Alessandras, Belissimas, Cassandras, Desdemonas, Elissimas and Firdauses
are Queens.
- All Alessandras are Belissimas.
- No Belissima that is not an Alessandra is a Firdaus.
- Some Cassandras are Alessandras.
- All Desdemonas are Cassandras.
- Some Cassandras are not Belissimas.
- No Desdemona is an Alessandra.
- All Queens and only Queens that are neither Belissimas nor Cassandras are
Elissimas.
1. Which of the following is true?
(1) All Firdauses are Alessandras.
(2) Some Firdauses are Alessandras.
(3) All Firdauses are either Alessandras, Cassandras or Elissimas.
(4) Some Firdauses are Cassandras.
2. Which of the following is not true?
(1) No Desdemonas are Belissimas.
(2) Some Belissimas are Desdemonas.
(3) Some Firdauses are both Belissimas and Cassandras.
(4) Some Queens are neither Belissimas nor Elissimas.
3. Which of the following cannot be said to be true or false?
I. No Belissima or Cassandra is an Elissima.
II. Some Cassandras are Belissimas but not Alessandras.
III. No Belissima is both an Alessandra and a Desdemona.
(1) I only (2) II only (3) III only (4) I & II
4. Peter is not a Belissima, therefore,
(1) Peter is an Elissima
(2) If Peter is a Queen, he is an Elissima or Cassandra.
(3) If Peter is not an Elissima, he is a Cassandra.
(4) None of the above
ANSWERS: 1. (3) 2. (1) 3. (2) 4. (2)
Example2
DIRECTIONS for questions 5 to 7: Answer the following questions based on the passage below.
A group of three or four has to be selected from seven persons. Among the seven are two
women, Fiza and Kavita, and five men: Ram, Shyam, David, Peter and Rahim. Ram would not
like to be in the group if Shyam is also selected. Shyam and Rahim want to be selected together
in the group. Kavita would like to be in the group only if David is also there. David, if selected,
would not like Peter in the group. Ram would like to be in the group only if Peter is also there.
David insists that Fiza be selected in case he is there in the group.
5. Which of the following statements is true?
a. Kavita and Ram can be part of a group of four.
b. A group of four can have two women.
c. A group of four can have all four men.
d. None of the above
6. Which of the following is a feasible group of four?
a. Ram, Peter, Fiza, Rahim
b. Shyam, Rahim, Kavita, David
c. Shyam, Rahim, Fiza, David
d. Fiza, David, Ram, Peter
7. Which of the following is a feasible group of three?
a. David, Ram, Rahim
b. Peter, Shyam, Rahim
c. Kavita, David, Shyam
d. Fiza, David, Ram
Answers:
5. d The group of 4 cannot be made, except S + R + F + D.
6. c From the above
7. b In all the other choices we have D, who insist that F be with him.
Example3
Directions for 8 – 10: Mr. Doubt fire has an unique way of attempting the question paper
having 50 Qs. He starts from question 1 and attempts all questions which are terms of the A. P
with a common difference of 3 in the forward direction and 3 in the reverse direction. If he
reaches a stage when he cannot attempt any more question he starts in the reverse direction with
the first unanswered question. He repeats the same process and when he reaches a stage when he
can’t process any further, he reverses his direction again
starting with the first unanswered question
8. Which is the 20th question he answers?
(A) 50
(b) 48
(c) 47
(d) 44
9. Which is the last question that he answers if he attempts all the 50 questions?
(a) 50
(b) 49
(c) 48
(d) 3
10. How many times does he reverse his direction?
(a) 3
(b) 4
(c) 5
(d) 6
ANSWERS
8. (d)
9. (b)
10. (a)
 Combinatory and probability

1. In a workshop there are 4 kinds of beds, 3 kinds of closets, 2 kinds of shelves and
7 kinds of chairs. In how many ways can a person decorate his room if he wants to
buy in the workshop one shelf, one bed and one of the following: a chair or a
closet?

a) 168.
b) 16.
c) 80.
d) 48.
e) 56.

2. In a workshop there are 4 kinds of beds, 3 kinds of closets, 2 kinds of shelves and
7 kinds of chairs. In how many ways can a person decorate his room if he wants to
buy in the workshop one shelf, one bed and one of the following: a chair or a
closet?

a) 168.
b) 16.
c) 80.
d) 48.
e) 56.

3. Three people are to be seated on a bench. How many different sitting

arrangements are possible if Erik must sit next to Joe?

a) 2.
b) 4.
c) 6.
d) 8.
e) 10.

4. How many 3-digit numbers satisfy the following conditions: The first digit is
different from zero and the other digits are all different from each other?

a) 648.
b) 504.
c) 576.
d) 810.
e) 672.

5. Barbara has 8 shirts and 9 pants. How many clothing combinations does Barbara
have, if she doesn’t wear 2 specific shirts with 3 specific pants?

a) 41.
b) 66.
 c) 36.
d) 70.
e) 56.
6. A credit card number has 6 digits (between 1 to 9). The first two digits are 12 in
that order, the third digit is bigger than 6, the forth is divisible by 3 and the fifth
digit is 3 times the sixth. How many different credit card numbers exist?

a) 27.
b) 36.
c) 72.
d) 112.
e) 422.

7. In jar A there are 3 white balls and 2 green ones, in jar B there is one white ball
and three green ones. A jar is randomly picked, what is the probability of picking up
a white ball out of jar A?

a) 2/5.
b) 3/5.
c) 3/10.
d) 3/4
e) 2/3.

8. Out of a box that contains 4 black and 6 white mice, three are randomly chosen.
What is the probability that all three will be black?

a) 8/125.
b) 1/30.
c) 2/5.
d) 1/720.
e) 3/10.

9. The probability of pulling a black ball out of a glass jar is 1/X. The probability of
pulling a black ball out of a glass jar and breaking the jar is 1/Y. What is the
probability of breaking the jar?

a) 1/(XY).
b) X/Y.
c) Y/X.
d) 1/(X+Y).
e) 1/(X-Y).

10. Danny, Doris and Dolly flipped a coin 5 times and each time the coin landed on
“heads”. Dolly bet that on the sixth time the coin will land on “tails”, what is the
probability that she’s right?

a) 1.
b) ½.
c) ¾.
d) ¼.
 e) 1/3.

11. In a deck of cards there are 52 cards numbered from 1 to 13. There are 4 cards
of each number in the deck. If you insert 12 more cards with the number 10 on
them and you shuffle the deck really good, what is the probability to pull out a card
with a number 10 on it?

a) 1/4.
b) 4/17.
c) 5/29.
d) 4/13.
e) 1/3.

12. There are 18 balls in a jar. You take out 3 blue balls without putting them back
inside, and now the probability of pulling out a blue ball is 1/5. How many blue balls
were there in the beginning?

a) 9.
b) 8.
c) 7.
d) 12.
e) 6.

13. In a box there are A green balls, 3A + 6 red balls and 2 yellow ones.
If there are no other colors, what is the probability of taking out a green or a yellow
ball?

a) 1/5.
b) 1/2.
c) 1/3.
d) 1/4.
e) 2/3.

14. The probability of Sam passing the exam is 1/4. The probability of Sam passing
the exam and Michael passing the driving test is 1/6.
What is the probability of Michael passing his driving test?

a) 1/24.
b) 1/2.
c) 1/3.
d) 2/3.
e) 2/5

15. In a blue jar there are red, white and green balls. The probability of drawing a
red ball is 1/5. The probability of drawing a red ball, returning it, and then drawing a
white ball is 1/10. What is the probability of drawing a white ball?

a) 1/5.
b) ½.
c) 1/3.
 d) 3/10.
e) ¼.

16. Out of a classroom of 6 boys and 4 girls the teacher picks a president for the
student board, a vice president and a secretary. What is the probability that only
girls will be elected?

a) 8/125.
b) 2/5.
c) 1/30.
d) 1/720.
e) 13/48.

17. Two dice are rolled. What is the probability the sum will be greater than 10?

a) 1/9.
b) 1/12.
c) 5/36.
d) 1/6.
e) 1/5.

18. The probability of having a girl is identical to the probability of having a boy. In a
family with three children, what is the probability that all the children are of the
same gender?

a) 1/8.
b) 1/6.
c) 1/3.
d) 1/5.
e) ¼.

19. On one side of a coin there is the number 0 and on the other side the number 1.
What is the probability that the sum of three coin tosses will be 2?

a) 1/8.
b) ½.
c) 1/5.
d) 3/8.
e) 1/3.

20. In a flower shop, there are 5 different types of flowers. Two of the flowers are
blue, two are red and one is yellow. In how many different combinations of different
colors can a 3-flower garland be made?

a) 4.
b) 20.
c) 3.
d) 5.
e) 6.
21. In a jar there are balls in different colors: blue, red, green and yellow.
The probability of drawing a blue ball is 1/8.
The probability of drawing a red ball is 1/5.
The probability of drawing a green ball is 1/10.
If a jar cannot contain more than 50 balls, how many yellow balls are in the Jar?

a) 23.
b) 20.
c) 24.
d) 17.
e) 25.

22. In a jar there are 3 red balls and 2 blue balls. What is the probability of drawing at least one
red ball when drawing two consecutive balls randomly?

a) 9/10
b) 16/20
c) 2/5
d) 3/5
e) ½

23. In Rwanda, the chance for rain on any given day is 50%. What is the probability
that it rains on 4 out of 7 consecutive days in Rwanda?

a) 4/7
b) 3/7
c) 35/128
d) 4/28
e) 28/135

24. A Four digit safe code does not contain the digits 1 and 4 at all. What is the
probability that it has at least one even digit?

a) ¼
b) ½
c) ¾
d) 15/16
e) 1/16

25. John wrote a phone number on a note that was later lost. John can remember
that the number had 7 digits, the digit 1 appeared in the last three places and 0 did
not appear at all. What is the probability that the phone number contains at least
two prime digits?

a) 15/16
b) 11/16
c) 11/12
d) ½
 e) 5/8

26. What is the probability for a family with three children to have a boy and two
girls (assuming the probability of having a boy or a girl is equal)?

a) 1/8
b) ¼
c) ½
d) 3/8
e) 5/8

27. In how many ways can you sit 8 people on a bench if 3 of them must sit
together?

a) 720
b) 2,160
c) 2,400
d) 4,320
e) 40,320

28. In how many ways can you sit 7 people on a bench if Suzan won’t sit on the
middle seat or on either end?

a) 720
b) 1,720
c) 2,880
d) 5,040
e) 10,080

29. In a jar there are 15 white balls, 25 red balls, 10 blue balls and 20 green balls.
How many balls must be taken out in order to make sure we took out 8 of the same
color?

a) 8
b) 23
c) 29
d) 32
e) 53

30. In a jar there are 21 white balls, 24 green balls and 32 blue balls. How many
balls must be taken out in order to make sure we have 23 balls of the same color?

a) 23
b) 46
c) 57
d) 66
e) 67
31. What is the probability of getting a sum of 12 when rolling 3 dice
simultaneously?

a) 10/216
b) 12/216
c) 21/216
d) 23/216
e) 25/216

32. How many diagonals does a polygon with 21 sides have, if one of its vertices
does not connect to any diagonal?

a) 21
b) 170
c) 340
d) 357
e) 420

33. How many diagonals does a polygon with 18 sides have if three of its vertices
do not send any diagonal?

a) 90
b) 126
c) 210
d) 264
e) 306

34. What is the probability of getting a sum of 8 or 14 when rolling 3 dice

simultaneously?

a) 1/6
b) ¼
c) ½
d) 21/216
e) 32/216

35. The telephone company wants to add an area code composed of 2 letters to
every phone number. In order to do so, the company chose a special sign language
containing 124 different signs. If the company used 122 of the signs fully and two
remained unused, how many additional area codes can be created if the company
uses all 124 signs?

a) 246
 b) 248
c) 492
d) 15,128
e) 30,256

36. How many 8-letter words can be created using computer language (0/1 only)?

a) 16
b) 64
c) 128
d) 256
e) 512

37. How many 5 digit numbers can be created if the following terms apply: the
leftmost digit is even, the second is odd, the third is a non even prime and the
fourth and fifth are two random digits not used before in the number?

a) 2520
b) 3150
c) 3360
d) 6000
e) 7500

38. A drawer holds 4 red hats and 4 blue hats. What is the probability of getting exactly three red
hats or exactly three blue hats when taking out 4 hats randomly out of the drawer and returning
each hat before taking out the next one?

a) 1/8
b) ¼
c) ½
d) 3/8
e) 7/12

39. Ruth wants to choose 4 books to take with her on a camping trip. If Ruth has a
total of 11 books to choose from, how many different book quartets are possible?

a) 28
b) 44
c) 110
d) 210
e) 330

40. A computer game has five difficulty levels. In each level you can choose among
four different scenarios except for the first level, where you can choose among
three scenarios only. How many different games are possible? (Remember that
this does not ask about how many combinations of games can be possible, its
simply how many different games are possible).

a) 18
 b) 19
c) 20
d) 21
e) None of the above

41. How many four-digit numbers that do not contain the digits 3 or 6 are there?

a) 2401
b) 3584
c) 4096
d) 5040
e) 7200

42. How many five-digit numbers are there, if the two leftmost digits are even, the
other digits are odd and the digit 4 cannot appear more than once in the number?

a) 1875
b) 2000
c) 2375
d) 2500
e) 3875

43. In a department store prize box, 40% of the notes give the winner a dreamy
vacation; the other notes are blank. What is the approximate probability that 3 out
of 5 people that draw the notes one after the other, and immediately return their
note into the box get a dreamy vacation?

a) 0.12
b) 0.23
c) 0.35
d) 0.45
e) 0.65

44. A six sided dice with faces numbered 1 thru 6 is rolled twice. What is the
probability that the face with number 2 on it would not be facing upward on either
roll?

A. 1/6
B. 2/3
C. 25/36
D. 17/18
E. 35/36

The probability that face with no. 2 on it would not face upward on 2 rolls
= probability that the first roll does not have 2 facing upward * probability that the
second roll does not have 2 facing upward
= 5/6*5/6
= 25/36 (The mistake I initially created was I took the probability of occurrence of 2
‘2s’ as 1/36 and just subtracted it from 1 to get 35/36. But this just takes into
account that 2 does not face up on either first or the second roll. We don’t want it in
either of the rolls).
How many different distinct ways can the letters in the word
VACATION be arranged?

A. 25,375
B. 40,320
C. 52,500
D. 20,160
E. 5,040

8!/2! = 20160 (As ‘A’ appears twice)

Explanations:

1. The best answer is C.

You must multiply your options to every item. (2 shelves) x (4 beds) x (3 closets + 7
chairs) = 80 possibilities.

2. The best answer is C.

You must multiply your options to every item. (2 shelves) x (4 beds) x (3 closets + 7
chairs) = 80 possibilities.

3. The best answer is B.

Treat the two who must sit together as one person. You have two possible sitting
arrangements. Then remember that the two that sit together can switch places. So
you have two times two arrangements and a total of four.

4. The best answer is C.

For the first digit you have 9 options (from 1 to 9 with out 0), for the second number
you have 9 options as well (0 to 9 minus the first digit that was already used) and
for the third digit you have 8 options left.
So the number of possibilities is 9 x 9 x 8 = 648.

5. The best answer is D.

There are (8 x 9) 72 possibilities of shirts + pants. (2 x 3) 6 Of the combinations are
not allowed. Therefore, only (72 – 6) 66 combinations are possible.
6. The best answer is A.
First digit is 1, the second is 2, the third can be (7,8,9), the forth can be (3,6,9), the
fifth and the sixth are dependent with one another. The fifth one is 3 times bigger
than the sixth one, therefore there are only 3 options there: (1,3), (2,6), (3,9).
All together there are: 1 x 1 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 27 options.

7. The best answer is C.

The probability of picking the first jar is ½, the probability of picking up a white ball
out of jar A
Is 3/(3+2) = 3/5. The probability of both events is 1/2 x 3/5 = 3/10.

8. The best answer is B.

The probability for the first one to be black is: 4/(4+6) = 2/5.
The probability for the second one to be black is: 3/(3+6) = 1/3.
The probability for the third one to be black is: 2/(2+6) = 1/4.
The probability for all three events is (2/5) x (1/3) x (1/4) = 1/30.

9. The best answer is B.

Let Z be the probability of breaking the jar, therefore the probability of both events
happening is Z x (1/X) = (1/Y). Z = X/Y.

10. The best answer is B.

The probability of the coin is independent on its previous outcomes and therefore
the probability for “head” or “tail” is always ½.

11. The best answer is A.

The total number of cards in the new deck is 12 +52 = 64.
There are (4 + 12 = 16) cards with the number 10.
The probability of drawing a 10 numbered card is 16/64 = 1/4.

12. The best answer is E.

After taking out 3 balls there are 15 left. 15/5 = 3 blue balls is the number of left
after we took out 3 therefore there were 6 in the beginning.

13. The best answer is D.

The number of green and yellow balls in the box is A+2.
The total number of balls is 4A +8.
The probability of taking out a green or a yellow ball is (A+2)/(4A+8)=1/4.
14. The best answer is D.
Indicate A as the probability of Michael passing the driving test.
The probability of Sam passing the test is 1/4, the probability of both events
happening together is 1/6 so: 1/4 x A = 1/6 therefore A = 2/3.

15. The best answer is B.

Indicate A as the probability of drawing a white ball from the jar.
The probability of drawing a red ball is 1/5.
The probability of drawing both events is 1/10 so, 1/5 x A = 1/10.
Therefore A = ½.

16. The best answer is C.

The basic principle of this question is that one person can’t be elected to more than
one part, therefore when picking a person for a job the “inventory” of remaining
people is growing smaller.
The probability of picking a girl for the first job is 4/10 = 2/5.
The probability of picking a girl for the second job is (4-1)/(10-1) = 3/9.
The probability of picking a girl for the third job is (3-1)/(9-1) = 1/4.
The probability of all three events happening is: 2/5 x 3/9 x ¼ = 1/30.

17. The best answer is B.

When rolling two dice, there are 36 possible pairs of results (6 x 6).
A sum greater than 10 can only be achieved with the following combinations: (6,6),
(5,6), (6,5).
Therefore the probability is 3/36 = 1/12.

18. The best answer is E.

The gender of the first-born is insignificant since we want all children to be of the same gender
no matter if they are all boys or girls.
The probability for the second child to be of the same gender as the first is: ½. The
same probability goes for the third child. Therefore the answer is ½ x ½ = ¼.

19. The best answer is D.

The coin is tossed three times therefore there are 8 possible outcomes
(2 x 2 x 2). We are interested only in the three following outcomes:
(0,1,1), (1,0,1), (1,1,0).
The probability requested is 3/8.

20. The best answer is A.

We want to make a 3-flower garlands, each should have three colors of flowers in it.
There are two different types of blue and two different types of red.
The options are (2 blue) x (2 red) x (1 yellow) = 4 options.
21. The best answer is A.
If 1/8 is the probability of drawing a blue ball then there are 40/8 = 5 blue balls in
the jar. And with the same principle there are 8 red balls and 4 green ones. 40 – 5 –
8 – 4 = 23 balls (yellow is the only color left).

22. The best answer is A.

Since we want to draw at least one red ball we have four different possibilities:
1. Drawing blue-blue.
2. Drawing blue-red.
3. Drawing red-blue.
4. Drawing red-red.
There are two ways to solve this question:
One minus the probability of getting no red ball (blue-blue):
1-2/5 x ¼ = 1-2/20 = 18/20 = 9/10/
Or summing up all three good options:
Red-blue --> 3/5 x 2/4 = 6/20.
Blue-red --> 2/5 x ¾ = 6/20.
Red-red --> 3/5 x 2/4 = 6/20.
Together = 18/20 = 9/10.

23. The best answer is C.

We have 7!/(4!*3!) = 35 different possibilities for 4 days of rain out of 7 consecutive
days (choosing 4 out of seven). Every one of these 35 possibilities has the following
probability: every day has the chance of ½ to rain so we have 4 days of ½ that it
will rain and 3 days of ½ that it will not rain. We have ½ to the power of 7 = 1/128
as the probability of every single event. The total is 35 x 1/128 = 35/128.

24. The best answer is D.

For every digit we can choose out of 8 digits (10 total minus 1 and 4). There are four
different options:
5. No even digits
6. One even digit.
7. Two even digits.
8. Three even digits.
9. Four even digits.
The probability of choosing an odd (or an even) digit is ½.
One minus the option of no even digits: 1- (1/2)4= 15/16.
You can also sum up all of the other options (2-5).

25. The best answer is B.

Since 1 appears exactly three times, we can solve for the other four digits only. For
every digit we can choose out of 8 digits only (without 1 and 0). Since we have 4
prime digits (2, 3, 5, 7) and 4 non-prime digits (4, 6, 8, 9), the probability of
choosing a prime digit is ½.
We need at least two prime digits:
One minus (the probability of having no prime digits + having one prime digit):
There are 4 options of one prime digit, each with a probability of (1/2)4.
There is only one option of no prime digit with a probability of (1/2)4.
So: [1- ((1/2)4+(1/2)4*4)] = 11/16.

26. The best answer is D.

There are three different arrangements of a boy and two girls:(boy, girl, girl), (girl,
boy, girl), (girl, girl, boy). Each has a probability of (1/2)3. The total is 3*(1/2)3=3/8.

27. The best answer is D.

Treat the three that sit together as one person for the time being. Now, you have
only 6 people (5 and the three that act as one) on 6 places: 6!=720. Now, you have
to remember that the three that sit together can also change places among
themselves: 3! = 6. So, The total number of possibilities is 6!*3!= 4320.

28. The best answer is C.

First, check Suzan: she has 4 seats left (7 minus the one in the middle and the two
ends), After Suzan sits down, the rest still have 6 places for 6 people or 6! Options
to sit. The total is Suzan and the rest: 4*6! = 2880.

29. The best answer is C.

The worst case is that we take out seven balls of each color and still do not have 8
of the same color. The next ball we take out will become the eighth ball of some
color and our mission is accomplished.
Since we have 4 different colors: 4*7(of each) +1=29 balls total.
Of course you could take out 8 of the same color immediately, however we need to
make sure it happens, and we need to consider the worst-case scenario.

30. The best answer is D.

The worst case would be to take out 21 white balls, 22 green and 22 blue balls and
still not having 23 of the same color. Take one more ball out and you get 23 of
either the green or the blue balls. Notice that you cannot get 23 white balls since
there are only 21, however, you must consider them since they might be taken out
also.
The total is: 21+22+22+1= 66.

31. The best answer is E.

Start checking from the smaller or bigger numbers on the dice. We will check from bigger
numbers working downwards: start with 6, it has the following options: (6,5,1), (6,4,2), (6,3,3).
Now pass on to 5: (5,5,2), (5,4,3). Now 4: (4,4,4). And that’s it, these are all number
combinations that are possible, if you go on to 3, you will notice that you need to use 4, 5 or 6,
that you have already considered (the same goes for 2 and 1). Now analyze every option: 6,5,1
has 6 options (6,5,1), (6,1,5), (5,1,6), (5,6,1), (1,6,5), (1,5,6). So do (6,4,2) and (5,4,3). Options
(6,3,3) and (5,5,2) have 3 options each: (5,5,2), (5,2,5) and (2,5,5). The same goes for (6,3,3).
The last option (4,4,4) has only one option. The total is 3*6+2*3+1=18+6+1 = 25 out of 216 (63)
options.

32. The best answer is B.

We have 20 vertices linking to 17 others each: that is 17*20=340. We divide that by
2 since every diagonal connects two vertices. 340/2=170. The vertex that does not
connect to any diagonal is just not counted.

33. The best answer is A.

We have 15 Vertices that send diagonals to 12 each (not to itself and not to the two
adjacent vertices). 15*12=180. Divide it by 2 since any diagonal links 2 vertices =
90. The three vertices that do not send a diagonal also do not receive any since the
same diagonal is sent and received. Thus they are not counted.

34. The best answer is A.

The options for a sum of 14: (6,4,4) has 3 options, (6,5,3) has 6 options, (6,6,2) has
3 options, (5,5,4) has 3 options. We have 15 options to get 14.
The options for a sum of 8: (6,1,1) has 3 options, (5,2,1) has 6 options, (4,3,1) has 6
options, (4,2,2) has 3 options, (3,3,2) has 3 options. We have 21 options to get 8.
Total: 21+15= 36/216 = 1/6.

35. The best answer is C.

The phone company already created 122*122 area codes, now it can create
124*124.
1242-1222=(124+122)(124-122) = 246*2 = 492 additional codes.
There are other ways to solve this question. However this way is usually the fastest.

36. The best answer is D.

Every letter must be chosen from 0 or 1 only. This means we have two options for
every word and 28 = 256 words total.

37. The best answer is A.

The first digit has 4 options (2,4,6,8 and not 0), the second has 5 options (1,3,5,7,9)
the third has 3 options (3,5,7 and not 2), the fourth has 7 options (10-3 used before)
and the fifth has 6 options (10-4 used before). The total is 4*5*3*7*6=2520.

38. The best answer is C.

Getting three red out of 4 that are taken out has 4 options (4!/(3!*1!)) each option
has a probability of (1/2)4 since drawing a red or blue has a 50% chance. 4*1/16= ¼
to get three red hats. The same goes for three blue hats so ¼+¼ =1/2.

The probability to get 3 red or 3 blue can be expressed as follows:

(Prob to get 3 red + Prob to get 3 blue)

Prob to get 3 red = Probability to get 3 red * probability to get 1 blue

= Probability to get red * Probability to get red * Probability to get red
* Probability to get blue

Now, the mistake often created is this probability should take into account the
following combinations (R,R,R,B), (R,R,B,R), (R,B,R,R) and (B,R,R,R)
(This in short is 4C3)

So, the probability to get 3 red = 4 * (1/2) ^ 4

= 1/4

Similarly the probability to get 3 blue hats = 4*(1/2)^4 = 1/4

So, the total probability = ¼ + ¼ = ½

39. The best answer is E.

Choosing 4 out of 11 books is: 11!/(4!*7!) = 330 possibilities.

40. The best answer is .

On four levels there are 4 scenarios = 16 different games. The first level has 3
different scenarios. The total is 19 scenarios.

41. The best answer is B.

The first digit has 7 possibilities (10 – 0,3 and 6). The other three digits have 8
possibilities each. 7*8*8*8= 3584.

42. The best answer is C.

Not considering the fact that 4 cannot appear more than once, we have a total of
4*5*5*5*5=2500. Now we deduct the possibilities where 4 does appear more than once (in this
case it can appear only twice on the two leftmost even digits). In order to do so, we put 4 in the
first and second leftmost digits. The rest of the digits are odd: 5*5*5=125. 2500-125=2375.

43. The best answer is B.

The chance of winning is 0.4 and it stays that way for all people since they return
their note. The number of different options to choose 3 winners out of 5 is 5!/(3!*2!)
= 10. Each option has a chance of 0.4*0.4*0.4*0.6*0.6 = 0.02304 * 10 = 0.2304.
(There is a 0.4 chance to win and 0.6 chance to lose. So, when 3 people win, 2 have
to lose. Hence, the calculation is .4*.4*.4*.6*.6 = 0.02304, but this just accounts for
the possibility that the first 3 win and the last 2 lose. However, there can be 10
options for choosing this and hence the probability is 0.23
 In New England, 84% of the houses
have a garage and 65% of the
houses have a garage and a back
yard. What is the probability that a
house has a backyard given that it
has a garage?

Top of Form

77%

109%

19%

None
of the
above.
Bottom of
Form

Probability = 0.65/0.84
= 77%

In a class of 30 students, there are 17

girls and 13 boys. Five are A students,
and three of these students are girls. If
a student is chosen at random, what is
the probability of choosing a girl or an
A student?

Top of Form

None
of the
above.
Bottom of
Form
Probability of choosing a girl = 17/30
Probability of choosing an A student = 2/30 (Because 3 are girls, so just consider 2
boys)

So total probability is 17+2/30 = 19/30

What is the probability that a card selected from a deck will be either an ace or a spade?
1. 2/52
2. 2/13
3. 7/26
4. 4/13
5. 17/52
Solution.Let A stand for a card being an ace, and S for it being a spade. We have to find p(A or
S). Are A and S mutually exclusive? No. Are they independent? Why, yes, because spades have
as many aces as any other suit. Then,
p(A or S) = p(A) + p(S) - p(A) * p(S)
With simple F/T we get:
p(A) = 4/52 = 1/13
p(B) = 13/52 = 1/4
So,
p(A or S) = 1/13 + 1/4 - 1/52 = 16/52 = 4/13

6 persons seat themselves at round table. What is the probability that 2 given
persons are adjacent?

(A) 1/5

(B) 2/5

(C) 1/10

(D) 1/7

(E) 2/15

I will go with B-2/5

6 people can be arranged in 5! ways.(total )
consider 2 persons as a single entity and then 5 people can be arranged in 4!*2
ways.

So answer is 4!*2/5! = 2/5

Q:There are 6 questions in a question paper? In how many ways can a student solve
one or more questions? The way to solve one or more questions can be described
as = (way to solve 1 + way to solve 2 + .... + way to solve all 6)

= 6C1 + 6C2 + 6C3 + 6C4 + 6C5 + 6C6

= 63
How many 5 letters word which consist of the letters D,I,G,I,T, are there,so that
the letter I are not next to each other?
a. 36
b. 48
c.72
d. 96
e.128

NUMBER OF COMBINATION WHEN 2I ARE NOT TOGETHER ARE

=TOTAL NUMBER OF COMBI-NUMBER OF COMBINATION WHEN 2I ARE TOGETHER

Taking both 'Is' together, we have 4 places to fill up with 4 letters. Hence, we have
4! possibilities.

Total number of words can be 5!/2 (Divided by 2 as there are 2 'Is'.

So, the answer is 60-24 = 36

Five racers in a competition . No tie. How many possibilites A is ahead of B?

A 24
B 30
C 60
D 90
E 120
1st positiion - A is first ...that leaves 4*3*2*1 for theother positions
2nd position A is 2nd that leaves 3*1*3*2*1..... (note A is fixed in 2nd position therefore
permutation is 1)
3rd position A is 3rd that leaves 3*2*1*2*1
4th position A is the 4th position 3*2*1*1*1
5th position doesnt count cos a has to finish before B !! tada...add them up =60

2 couples and a single person are seated at random in a row of 5 chairs. What is the
probability that neither of the couples sit together in adjacent chairs.

The total number of combinations to seat 5 people in 5 chairs = 5*4*3*2 = 120

Now, let us find ways to arrange ppl so that neither couples sit adjacent.
Let the first couple be c1 and c2, the second couple be c3 and c4 and the single
person be s.

a) If s sits in the first chair, there are 4 possibilities for the second chair. There
are 2 possibilities for the third chair (Not the partner of the person sitting in
2nd chair). There is 1 possibility for the 4th chair and 1 possibility for the 5th
chair. So, in all, there are 4*2 = 8 ways. Again, due to symmetry, if s sits on
the 5th chair, there are 8 possibilities.
b) If s sits on the second chair, there are 4 possibilities for the 1st chair. For the
3rd chair, there are 3 possibilities. 1 possibility each for the 4th and the 5th
 chair. In all, 4*3 = 12 possibilities. Again, due to symmetry, 12 possibilities if
s sits on the 4th chair.
c) If s sits on the 3rd chair, there are 4 possibilities for the 1st chair. Only 2
possibilities for the 2nd chair. 1 possibility each for the 4th and 5th chairs. So, 8
possibilities in all.

Summing up all the above possibilities = 8+8+12+12+8 = 48 possibilities.

Hence, the probability that no couples sit adjacent = 48/120 = 2/5

(This is based on the concept that s sits on the first chair OR on the second chair
OR on the third chair OR on the fourth chair OR on the fifth chair).

As a part of a game, 4 people each choose one number from 1 to 4. What is the
likelihood that all people will choose different numbers?

A, B, C and D are the persons. A can choose 1,2,3 and 4. B can choose 1,2,3 and
4… and so on.

In all, there are 4^4 possibilities of number selections.

Out of these, the possibilities to have 4 distinct numbers = 4*3*2*1 (A has 4

selections, B has 3, C has 2 and D has 1) = 24

So, likelihood = 24/4^4 = 6/4^3 = 0.09 = 9%

Out of seven models, all of different heights, 5 models will be chosen for a photo
shoot. If the 5 models stand in a line from shortest to the longest, and the 4th
and 6th tallest models cannot be adjacent, how many different arrangements of
models is possible.

The number of ways to select 5 models out of 7 is 7C5 = 21.

Now, out of these 21 ways, the way to select models such that the 4th and 6th are
adjacent to each other are 12346, 12467, 23467, 13467 = 4 ways only.

So, when 4 and 6 cannot be adjacent, number of ways = 21-4 = 17

If 2 students are to be selected from a group of 12 students, how many possible

consequences are there?

Number of consequences = 12C2 = 66 (Think of it as selecting 1,2 or 1,3 or

1,4… or 1,12, or 2,3 or 2,4…… or 11,12) Adding all these combinations,
11+10+…..+2+1 = 66

Hence, the answer is 66.

If the question is to arrange these students, it would be 12P2 = 132…
because an arrangement of 1,2 would be different from 2,1
A Committee of 6 is chosen from 8 men and 5 women, so as to contain at least 2 men and 3 women.
How many different committees could be formed if two of the men refuse to serve together?

A- 3510
B- 2620
C- 1404
D- 700
E- 635

There are 2 ways of selecting atleast 2 men and atleast 3 women

select 2 men and 4 women or select 3 men and 3 women

selecting 2 men can be done in 3 ways

1. select 1st non-cooperating member and select 1 member from remaining
6(we are excluding the 2nd non-cooperating member) = 1* 6c1 = 6

2. select 2nd non-cooperating member and select 1 member from remaining

6(we are excluding the 1st non-cooperating member) = 1* 6c1 = 6

3. don't select any of the cooperating members = 6c2 = 15

same way do it for the selecting 3 men

finally you get

5c4(6+6+15) + 5c3(15+15+20)

answer is 635

OR
First let me provide the answer then explain
1) Select 3 men & 3 women = 8C3*5C3
2) Select 2 men & 4 women = 8C2*5C4
So Total combinations possible = 8C3*5C3 + 8C2*5C4
3) Now from the above subtract the combinations where theose 2 men appear
together.
In the first case (those 2 men appear together, we have to select only 1 other
man and 3 more women)
6C1 * 5C3
In the first case (those 2 men appear together, we only need to select 4 women)
1 * 5C4
The Answer Is:
(8C3 * 5C3) + (8C2*5C4) - [ 6C1 * 5C3 + 1 * 5C4 ]
= 560 + 140 - 65 = 635
If a committee of 3 people is to be selected from among 5 married couples so that the committee
does not include two people who are married to each other, how many such committees are
possible?

A. 20
B. 40
C. 50
D. 80
E. 120

Total ways to select 3 people = 10 c 3 = 120

If among 3 people there 2 are married then no. of ways to select 3rd one out of rest 8 = 8c1 = 8
since there are 5 couples total ways to do this is = 8*5 = 40
But these cases are to be eliminated....
so we are left with 120 - 40 = 80 cases..............
Hence the answer............
2 similar examples below
1) Ten telegenic contestants with a variety of disorders are to be divided into 2
groups for a competition, each of 5 members. How many combinations are
possible?

Selecting 5 members out of 10, for group A = 10C5 = 252. Group B would have
the rest of the members, and would have 1 possibility. So, 252*1 = 252
Or, 10C5*5C5 = 252
2) Katie has 9 members that she must assign to 3 different projects. If 3 emloyees are
assigned to each project and no one is assigned to multiple ones, how many diff.
Combinations are possible?
Selecting 3 members for project A out of 9, = 9C3 = 84
Selecting 3 members for project B out of 6 = 6C3 = 20
Selecting 3 members out of rem. 3 = 3C3 = 1
So, total combinations = 84*20 = 1680 (Same example as the above one)
Let’s permute:
Judges will select 5 finalists from 7 contenstants in a fashion show. The judges will then
rank the contenstatnts and aware prices to the 3 highest ranked contestants. How many
different arrangements of prize winners are possible?
= 7P5 = 7*6*5 = 210
3) Coach Miller is filling out the starting lineup for his indoor
soccer team. There are 10 boys on the team, and he must
assign 6 starters to the following positions: 1 goalkeeper, 2 on defense, 2 in
midfield, and 1 forward. Only 2 of the boys can play goalkeeper, and they cannot
play any other positions. The other boys can each play any of the other positions.
How many different groupings are possible?
 2C1*8C2*6C2*4C1 = 3360
-------------------
How many ways the word "COMPUTER" can be arranged, where the vowels
should occupy the even places?
3 vowels and 5 constn...
so 5*3*4*2*3*1*2*1... but remember because we have only 3 vowels and more than one starting
position for the first vowel then we must multiply the number of possibilities by 4
= 720*4 = 2880
How many five-digit numbers are there, if the two leftmost digits are even, the other digits are
odd and the digit 4 cannot appear more than once in the number?
When first digit is 2,6 or 8, the combinations are 3*5*5*5*5
When first digit is 4, the combination is 1*4*5*5*5*

Total = 2375

Alternatively,

Total numbers = 4*5*5*5*5 = 2500

Numbers when 4 is at the first 2 digits = 1*1*5*5*5 = 125

Therefore, if 4 is not to appear more than once, 2500-125 = 2375

------------
If 6 people are to be divided to 3 different groups, each of which has 2 people. How many such
groups are possible?
– i get the method of 6C2 * 4C2 * 2C2 = 90
A certain roller coaster has 3 cars, and a passenger is equally likely to ride in any 1 of the 3 cars
each time that passenger rides the roller coaster. If a certain passenger is to ride the roller coaster
3 times, what is the probability that the passenger will ride in each of the 3 cars?
A-0 B-1/9 C-2/9 D-1/3 E-1
The probability to sit in a different car each time = (3*2*1)/(3*3*3) = 2/9

A gardener is going to plant 2 red rosebushes and 2 white rosebushes. If the gardener is
to select each of the bushes at random, one at a time, and plant them in a row, what is the
probability that the 2 rosebushes in the middle of the row will be the red rosebushes?
A. 1/12
B. 1/6
C. 1/5
D. 1/3
E. ½
There are 2 ways to arrange the centre 2 red bushes. There are 2 ways to arrange the 2 white
bushes at the sides. So, 4 arrangements. Total arrangements would be 4*3*2 = 24
So, probability = 4/24 = 1/6
A photographer will arrange 6 people of 6 different heights for photograph by placing
them in two rows of three so that each person in the first row is standing in front of
someone in the second row. The heights of the people within each row must increase
from left to right, and each person in the second row must be taller than the person
standing in front of him or her. How many such arrangements of the 6 people are
possible?
A. 5
B. 6
C. 9
D. 24
E. 36

If a comttee of 3 people is to be selected from among 5 married couples so that the comittee does
not include tw people who are married to each other , how many such committees are possible?
a) 20,b) 40), c) 50, d)80, e) 120
numbers of 3 people comttee from 10 people(5*2)
=10C3=10*9*8/6=120------------------1
numbers when couple are together
5*8C1=40----------------------------2
1-2
=80
ans is 80
How many different 6-letters sequence are there that consist of 1 A, 2 B's and 3 C's?
a) 6,b) 60, c) 120,d) 360, e) 720
OA is B
6!/(1!*2!*3!)=60
There are 20 purple balls and 30 yellow balls in box A. There are 15 purple balls and 35 yellow balls in box
B. What is the probability that one ball selected randomly from the 2 box is purple?
Reference key: 1/2*20/50+1/2*15/50=35/100
The probability to select either of the boxes is ½
The probability to select a purple ball from box A is 20/50 and one purple ball from box B is 15/50
So, the probability is ½*20/50 + ½*15/50)
Don’t forget to omit that selection of a box.

A couple want to have four babies, for each baby, 50% are male, 50% are female. Ask for the
possibility of two boys and two girls.
The propobability of a boy or a girl is ½
The possibilities are BBGG, BGGB, BGBG, GGBB, GBBG, GBGB
So, 6/16 is the probability
i.e. 6/(1/2)^
what is the probability to get 3 heads and 2 tails on tossing a coin 5 times, in the same sequence. (i.e.
first 3 heads and then 2 tails)
the probability = 1/32 (Since only one combination (HHHTT)
the probability to find either head or tail in the first 3 tosses and the other side in the last 2 would be
(HHHTT) or (TTHHH)
So, it is 2/32 = 1/16

9 people, including 3 couples, are to be seated in a row of 9 chairs.

What is the probability that

a. None of the Couples are sitting together

b. Only one couple is sitting together

c. All the couples are sitting together

a)
1....couple 1 together.... 8!*2!
2....couple 2 together.... 8!*2!
3....couple 3 together.... 8!*2!
4....couples 1 and 2 together.... 7!*2!*2!
5....couples 1 and 3 together.... 7!*2!*2!
6....couples 3 and 2 together.... 7!*2!*2!
7....all couples together..6!*2!*2!*2!
8....Atleast 1 couple together........ 1+2+3-4-5-6+7 = 3*8!*2-3*7!*4+6!*2*2*2
= 3*2*7!*6 + 6!*8 = 6!*2 (3*7*6 - 4) = 6!*2*122
total ways = 9!
prob atleast one couple together = 6!*2*122 / 9*8*7*6! = 122*2/9*8*7 = 61/126

prob that none of the couples is together = 1-61/126 = 65/126

b) only one couple sitting together = 8-4-5-6+2*7

= 6!*2*122 - 3*7!*4+2*6!*8
= 6!*2 (122-42+8) = 88 * 6! * 2
req prob = 88 * 6! * 2/ 9! = 88*2/9*8*7 = 22/63

c) all couples sitting together = 6!*8/9! = 8/9*8*7 = 1/63

To verify my answers....
exactly 2 couples are together = 4+5+6-3*7 = 3*4*7! - 3*6!*8
= 3*4*6! *5 = 60*6!
prob that exactly 2 couples are together = 60*6!/9! = 60/9*8*7 = 15/126

now .....
prob of no couple together+exactly one couple together+exactly 2 couples together+ all couples
together = 1
65/126+22/63+1/63+15/126 = 65+44+2+15/126 = 126/126 = 1