General Probability Review Problems

3 4
.
1. For events A and B, the probabilities are P (A) = 11 , P (B) = 11

Calculate the value of P (A  B) if

6
;
(a) P (A  B) = 11

(b) events A and B are independent.

(Total 6 marks)

2. Consider events A, B such that P (A)  0, P (A)  1, P (B)  0, and P (B)  1.

In each of the situations (a), (b), (c) below state whether A and B are

mutually exclusive (M);

independent (I);
neither (N).

(a) P(A|B) = P(A)

(b) P(A  B) = 0

(c) P(A  B) = P(A)

(Total 6 marks)

1 3 7
3. Let A and B be events such that P(A) = 2 , P(B) = 4 and P(A  B) = 8 .

(a) Calculate P(A  B).

(b) Calculate P(AB).

(c) Are the events A and B independent? Give a reason for your answer.
(Total 6 marks)

4. The events A and B are independent such that P(B) = 3P(A) and P(AB) = 0.68. Find P(B)

(Total 6 marks)

1
2
5. Let A and B be independent events such that P(A) = 0.3 and P(B) = 0.8.

(a) Find P(A  B).

(b) Find P(A  B).

(c) Are A and B mutually exclusive? Justify your answer.

(Total 6 marks)

2 1
6. Events E and F are independent, with P(E) = 3 and P(E  F) = 3 . Calculate

(a) P(F);

(b) P(E  F).

(Total 6 marks)

2 1 7
7. Consider the events A and B, where P(A) = 5 , P(B′) = 4 and P(A  B) = 8 .

(a) Write down P(B).

(b) Find P(A  B).

(c) Find P(A  B).

(Total 6 marks)

8. Two unbiased 6-sided dice are rolled, a red one and a black one. Let E and F be the events

E : the same number appears on both dice;

F : the sum of the numbers is 10.

Find

(a) P(E);

(b) P(F);

(c) P(E  F).

(Total 6 marks)

9. A bag contains 10 red balls, 10 green balls and 6 white balls. Two balls are drawn at random
from the bag without replacement. What is the probability that they are of different colours?
(Total 4 marks)

3
10. Two fair dice are thrown and the number showing on each is noted. The sum of these two
numbers is S. Find the probability that

(a) S is less than 8;

(2)

(b) at least one die shows a 3;

(2)

(c) at least one die shows a 3, given that S is less than 8.

(3)
(Total 7 marks)

11. A painter has 12 tins of paint. Seven tins are red and five tins are yellow. Two tins are chosen at
random. Calculate the probability that both tins are the same colour.
(Total 6 marks)

12. A class contains 13 girls and 11 boys. The teacher randomly selects four students. Determine the
probability that all four students selected are girls.

(Total 6 marks)

13. In a survey, 100 students were asked “do you prefer to watch television or play sport?” Of the 46
boys in the survey, 33 said they would choose sport, while 29 girls made this choice.

Boys Girls Total

Television

Sport 33 29

Total 46 100

By completing this table or otherwise, find the probability that

(a) a student selected at random prefers to watch television;

(b) a student prefers to watch television, given that the student is a boy.
4
 (Total 4 marks)

14. In a survey of 200 people, 90 of whom were female, it was found that 60 people were
unemployed, including 20 males.

(a) Using this information, complete the table below.

Males Females Totals

Unemployed
Employed
Totals 200

(b) If a person is selected at random from this group of 200, find the probability that this
person is

(i) an unemployed female;

(ii) a male, given that the person is employed.

(Total 4 marks)

15. The eye colour of 97 students is recorded in the chart below.

Brown Blue Green

Male 21 16 9
Female 19 19 13

One student is selected at random.

(a) Write down the probability that the student is a male.

(b) Write down the probability that the student has green eyes, given that the student is a
female.

(c) Find the probability that the student has green eyes or is male.
(Total 6 marks)

5
16. There are 20 students in a classroom. Each student plays only one sport. The table below gives
their sport and gender.

Football Tennis Hockey

Female 5 3 3
Male 4 2 3

(a) One student is selected at random.

(i) Calculate the probability that the student is a male or is a tennis player.

(ii) Given that the student selected is female, calculate the probability that the student
does not play football.
(4)

(b) Two students are selected at random. Calculate the probability that neither student plays
football.
(3)
(Total 7 marks)

17. The table below shows the subjects studied by 210 students at a college.

Year 1 Year 2 Totals

History 50 35 85
Science 15 30 45
Art 45 35 80
Totals 110 100 210

(a) A student from the college is selected at random.

Let A be the event the student studies Art.
Let B be the event the student is in Year 2.

(i) Find P(A).

(ii) Find the probability that the student is a Year 2 Art student.

(iii) Are the events A and B independent? Justify your answer.

(6)

(b) Given that a History student is selected at random, calculate the probability that the student
is in Year 1.
(2)

(c) Two students are selected at random from the college. Calculate the probability that one
student is in Year 1, and the other in Year 2.
6
 (4)
(Total 12 marks)

7
18. Two ordinary, 6-sided dice are rolled and the total score is noted.

(a) Complete the tree diagram by entering probabilities and listing outcomes.
O u tco m es
6 ...............
.......
6
.......
....... not 6 ...............

6 ...............
....... .......
not 6

....... not 6 ...............

(b) Find the probability of getting one or more sixes.

(Total 4 marks)

19. The events B and C are dependent, where C is the event “a student takes Chemistry”, and B is
the event “a student takes Biology”. It is known that

P(C) = 0.4, P(B | C) = 0.6, P(B | C) = 0.5.

(a) Complete the following tree diagram.

C h em istry B io lo g y

0 .4 C

B

C

B

(b) Calculate the probability that a student takes Biology.

8
 (c) Given that a student takes Biology, what is the probability that the student takes
Chemistry?

21. A packet of seeds contains 40% red seeds and 60% yellow seeds. The probability that a red seed
grows is 0.9, and that a yellow seed grows is 0.8. A seed is chosen at random from the packet.

(a) Complete the probability tree diagram below.

G ro w s
0 .9

R ed
0 .4

D o es n o t g ro w
G ro w s

Yello w

D o es n o t g ro w
(3)

(b) (i) Calculate the probability that the chosen seed is red and grows.

(ii) Calculate the probability that the chosen seed grows.

(iii) Given that the seed grows, calculate the probability that it is red.
(7)
(Total 10 marks)

9
22. The following probabilities were found for two events R and S.

1 4 1
P(R) = 3 , P(S  R) = 5 , P(S  R′) = 4 .

(a) Copy and complete the tree diagram.

(3)

(b) Find the following probabilities.

(i) P(R  S).

(ii) P(S).

(iii) P(R  S).

(7)

23. A bag contains four apples (A) and six bananas (B). A fruit is taken from the bag and eaten. Then
a second fruit is taken and eaten.

(a) Complete the tree diagram below by writing probabilities in the spaces provided.

(3)

10
 (b) Find the probability that one of each type of fruit was eaten.
(3)

24. The following Venn diagram shows a sample space U and events A and B.

U A B

n(U) = 36, n(A) = 11, n(B) = 6 and n(A  B)′ = 21.

(a) On the diagram, shade the region (A  B)′.

(b) Find

(i) n(A  B);

(ii) P(A  B).

(c) Explain why events A and B are not mutually exclusive.

(Total 4 marks)

25. The following Venn diagram shows the universal set U and the sets A and B.

U B
A

(a) Shade the area in the diagram which represents the set B  A'.

n(U) = 100, n(A) = 30, n(B) = 50, n(A  B) = 65.

(b) Find n(B  A′).

(c) An element is selected at random from U. What is the probability that this element is
in B  A′ ?

(Total 4 marks)
11
12
26. The Venn diagram below shows information about 120 students in a school. Of these, 40 study
Chinese (C), 35 study Japanese (J), and 30 study Spanish (S).

A student is chosen at random from the group. Find the probability that the student

(a) studies exactly two of these languages;

(1)

(b) studies only Japanese;

(2)

(c) does not study any of these languages.

(3)
(Total 6 marks)

27. In a class, 40 students take chemistry only, 30 take physics only, 20 take both chemistry and
physics, and 60 take neither.

(a) Find the probability that a student takes physics given that the student takes chemistry.

(b) Find the probability that a student takes physics given that the student does not take
chemistry.

(c) State whether the events “taking chemistry” and “taking physics” are mutually exclusive,
independent, or neither. Justify your answer.
(Total 6 marks)

13
28. The following diagram shows a circle divided into three sectors A, B and C. The angles at the
centre of the circle are 90°, 120° and 150°. Sectors A and B are shaded as shown.

C 90°
150°

120°

The arrow is spun. It cannot land on the lines between the sectors. Let A, B, C and S be the
events defined by

A: Arrow lands in sector A

B: Arrow lands in sector B
C: Arrow lands in sector C
S: Arrow lands in a shaded region.

Find

(a) P(B);

(b) P(S);

(c) P(AS).
(Total 6 marks)

14