SHANTADEVI SITARAM MUNDRA

MAHESHWARI PUBLIC SCHOOL

MATHS PRACTICE QUESTIONS
CLASS - 10

Chapter -15 Probability

Q 1: Complete the statements:

(i) Probability of event E + Probability of event “not E” = _______________

(ii) The probability of an event that cannot happen is _______________. Such an
event is called _______________.
(iii) The probability of an event that is certain to happen is _______________. Such an
event is called _______________.
(iv) The sum of the probabilities of all the elementary events of an experiment is
_______________.
(v) The probability of an event is greater than or equal to _______________ and less
than or equal to _______________.

Ans. (i) 1
(ii) 0, impossible event.
(iii) 1, sure or certain event
(iv) 1
(v) 0, 1

Q.2: Which of the following cannot be the probability of an event:

(A) 2/3
(B) -1.5
(C) 15%
(D) 0.7
Ans. (B) Since the probability of an event E is a number P(E) such that
0 ≤ P(E) ≤ 1
-1.5 cannot be the probability of an event.

Q.3: If P(E) = 0.05, what is the probability of ‘not E’?

Ans. Since P(E) + P (not E) = 1
P (not E) = 1 – P(E)
= 1 – 0.05 = 0.95

Q.4: It is given that in a group of 3 students, the probability of 2 students not having
the same birthday is 0.992. What is the probability that the 2 students have the same
birthday?
Ans. Let E be the event of having the same birthday
P(E) = 0.992
But P(E) + P(not E) = 1
P(not E) = 1 – P(E)
= 1 – 0.992 = 0.008

1
Q.5: 12 defective pens are accidently mixed with 132 good ones. It is not possible to
just look at a pen and tell whether or not it is defective. One pen is taken out at
random from this lot. Determine the probability that the pen taken out is a good one.
Ans. Total number of favourable outcomes = 132 + 12 = 144
Number of favourable outcomes = 132
Hence, P (getting a good pen) = 132/144= 11/12

Q.6:Why is tossing a coin considered to be a fair way of deciding which team should
get the ball at the beginning of a football game?
Ans. The tossing of a coin is considered to be a fair way of deciding which team
should get the ball at the beginning of a football game as we know that the tossing of
the coin only land in one of two possible ways – either head up or tail up. It can
reasonably be assumed that each outcome, head or tail, is as likely to occur as the
other, i.e., the outcomes head and tail are equally likely. So the result of the tossing of
a coin is completely unpredictable.

Q.7: A card is drawn at random from a well shuffled deck of playing cards. Find the
probability that the card drawn is-
(i) a card of spades of an ace
(ii) a red king
(iii) neither a king nor a queen
(iv) either a king or a queen
(v) a face card
(vi) cards which are neither king nor a red card.

Ans. Total possible outcomes = 52

(i) No. of spades = 13

No. of ace = 4
1 card is common [ace of spade]
Favourable outcomes = 13+4–1=16
Required probability = 16/52=4/13

(ii) No. of red kings = 2

Favourable outcomes = 2
Required probability = 2/52=1/26

(iii) No. of king and queen = 4+4=8

Favourable outcomes = 52 – 8=44
Required probability = 44/52=11/13

(iv) No. of king and queen =4+4=8

Required probability = 8/52=2/13

(v) No. of face cards = 4+4+4=12 [Jack, queen and king are face card]
Required probability = 12/52=3/13

(vi) No. of cards which are neither red card nor king = 52 – (26+4 – 2)
2
=52 – 28=24
Required probability = 24/52=6/13

Q.8: Cards marked with numbers 1,2,3,…25 are placed in a box and mixed
thoroughly and one card is drawn at random from the box, what is the probability
that the number on the card is-
(i) a prime number?
(ii) a multiple of 3 or 5?
(iii) an odd number?
(iv) neither divisible by 5 nor by 10?
(v) perfect square?
(vi) a two-digit number?

Ans. Total no. of possible outcomes = 25

(i) favourable cases are 2,3,5,7,11,13,17,19,23 which are 9 in number.

Required probability = 9/25

(ii) Multiple of 3 or 5
Favourable cases are 3,5,6,9,10,12,15,18,20,21,24,25, which are 12 in number.
Required probability = 12/25

(iii) Favourable cases are 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17,19,21,23,25, which are 13 in number.

Required probability = 13/25

(iv) Favourable cases are 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,11,12,13,14,16,17,18,19,21,22,23,24, which are

20 in number.
Required probability = 20/25=4/5

(v) Perfect square numbers are 1,4,9,16,25

Favourable cases are = 5
Required probability = 5/25=1/5

(vi) Two-digit numbers are 10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25 =16

Required probability = 16/25

Q.9: A bag contains 8 red balls and x blue balls, the odd against drawing a blue ball
are 2: 5. What is the value of x?

Q.10: Two unbiased coins are tossed simultaneously, find the probability of getting
two heads.
3
Ans. The list of 4
outcomes is given by {HH,HT,TH,TT}
The only favourable outcome is HH [Two heads]
Thus, the probability of getting two heads while tossing two unbiased coins
simultaneously is 1/4.

Q 11: A game consists of tossing a one-rupee coin 3 times and noting its outcome each
time. Hanif wins if all the tosses give the same result i.e., three heads or three fails and
loses otherwise. Calculate the probability that Hanif will lose the game.

Ans. It is given that a coin is tossed thrice.

So, the list of possible outcomes is given by
{HHH,HHT,HTH,HTT,THH,THT,TTH,TTT}.
Therefore, the number of possible outcomes is 8.
The outcomes with 3 heads and 3 tails are HHH, TTT.
So, the number of favourable outcomes is 2.
Thus, the probability that Hanif will win the game 2/8=1/4
The probability that Hanif will lose the game 1-(¼)=¾.

Q.12: Two dice are thrown simultaneously. Find the probability of getting a doublet.
Solution:
Two dice can be thrown as 6 x 6 = 36 ways
“a doublet” can be obtained by (1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (4, 4), (5, 5), (6, 6), i.e., 6 ways
P(a doublet) = 6/36=⅙

Q 13: Two different dice are thrown together. Find the probability that the numbers
obtained.
(i) have a sum less than 6
(ii) have a product less than 16
(iii) is a doublet of odd numbers.

(i)Sum less than ‘6’ are (1, 1) (1, 2) (1, 3) (1, 4), (2, 1) (2, 2) (2, 3) (3, 1) (3, 2) (4, 1) i.e.,
10 ways
∴ P(sum < 6) = 10/36=5/18

(ii) Product less than ’16’ are (1, 1) (1, 2) (1, 3) (1, 4) (1, 5) (1, 6) (2, 1) (2, 2) (2, 3) (2, 4)
(2,5) (2, 6) (3, 1) (3, 2) (3, 3) (3, 4) (3,5)(4, 1) (4, 2) (4, 3) (5, 1) (5, 2) (5,3) (6, 1) (6, 2)
i.e., 25 ways
∴ P(product less than 16) = 25/36

(iii) (1, 1) (3, 3) (5, 5) i.e., 3 ways

∴ P(doublet of odd nos.) = 3/36=1/12

4
Q.14: A box contains 35 blue, 25 white and 40 red marbles. If a marble is drawn at
random from the box, find the probability that the drawn marble is (i) white (ii) not
blue (iii) neither white nor blue.

Q.15: A box contains 70 cards numbered from 1 to 70. If one card is drawn at random
from the box, find the probability that it bears
(i) a perfect square number.
(ii) a number divisible by 2 and 3.
Solution:
(i) Perfect squares upto 70 are
12, 22, …, 82 = 8
∴ P(a perfect square) = 8/70
=4/35

(ii) Numbers divisible by 2 and 3 are:

6, 12, 18, …, 66, i.e., 11 nos.
∴ P(a no. divisible by 2 and 3) = 11/70