1

Probability Assertion-Reasoning MCQs

Directions- Each of these questions contains two statements : Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Each of
these questions has four alternative choices in which any one of them is the correct answer. You have
to select one of the codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) given below.
(a) 𝑨 is true, 𝑹 is true; 𝑹 is a correct explanation for 𝑨.
(b) 𝑨 is true, 𝑹 is true; 𝑹 is not a correct explanation for 𝑨.
(c) 𝑨 is true; 𝑹 is false.
(d) 𝑨 is false; 𝑹 is true.

1. Statement-1 (Assertion): 20 persons are sitting in a row. Two of these persons are
selected at random. The probability that the two selected persons are not together is 0.9.
Statement-2 (Reason): If 𝐴̅ denotes the negation of an event A, then P(𝐴̅) = 1 – P(A).

SOLUTION
Ans. (a)
Clearly, statement-2 is true.
The number of ways of selecting 2 persons out of 20 persons sitting in a row is 20C2
(=190) and the number of ways in which two selected persons sit together is 19.
19
Thus, if A denotes the event "Two selected persons sit together". Then, P(A) = 190 =
1
.
10
1 9
∴ Required probability = P(𝐴̅) = 1 – P(A) = 1 − 10 = 10 = 0.9 [Using

statement-2]

2. Statement-1 (Assertion): A natural number x is chosen at random from the first 100
(𝑥−10)(𝑥−50)
natural numbers. The probability that < 0 is 0.28
𝑥−30

Statement-2 (Reason): For any event A, 0 ≤ P (A) ≤ 1.

SOLUTION
Ans. (b)
Clearly, statement-2 is true.
(𝑥−10)(𝑥−50)
Now, <0
𝑥−30

⇔ 0 < 𝑥 < 10 𝑜𝑟 30 < 𝑥 < 50 ⇔ 𝑥 = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 𝑜𝑟 𝑥 = 31, 32, . . . , 49

⇔𝑥
 2

28
∴ Probability of given event = 100 = 0.28. So, statement-2 is also true.

3. Statement-1 (Assertion): The probability of drawing either a king or an ace from a pack
of 52 playing cards is 2/13.
Statement-2 (Reason): For any two events A and B, P(A ⋃ B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A ⋂ B)
SOLUTION
Ans. (a)
Clearly, statement-2 is true. Consider the following events.
A = Getting a king in a draw, B = Getting an ace in a draw
1 1
Clearly, P(A) = 13, P(B) = 13, P(A ∩ B) = 0
1 1 2
Required probability = P(A ⋃ B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A ⋂ B) = 13 + 13 = 13

4. Let A and B be two events such that P (A ⋃ B) = P(A ⋂ B). Then,

Statement-1 (Assertion): P(A ⋂ 𝐵̅) = P(𝐴̅ ⋂ B) = 0
Statement-2 (Reason): P(A) + P(B) = 1
SOLUTION
Ans. (c)
We have,
P(A ⋃ B) = P(A ⋂ B)
⇒ P(A) + P(B) – P(A ⋂ B) = P(A ⋂ B) ..(i)
⇒ {P(A) – P(A ⋂ B)} + (P(B) – P(A ⋂ B)} = 0
⇒ P(A ⋂ 𝐵̅) + P(𝐴̅ ⋂ B) = 0 ⇒ P(A ⋂ 𝐵̅) = P(𝐴̅ ⋂ B) = 0
So, statement-1 is true.
From (i), we obtain: P (A) + P(B) = 2P (A ⋂ B). So, P(A) + P(B) = 1 may not be true.
5. Statement-1 (Assertion): If A and B are two events such that P (A) = 1, then A and B
are independent.
Statement-2 (Reason): A and B are two independent events iff P(A ⋂ B) = P(A) P(B)
SOLUTION
Ans. (a)
Clearly, statement-2 is true. If P(A) = 1, then P(𝐴̅) = 0
Now, 𝐴̅ ⋂ B ⊂ 𝐴̅
⇒ P(𝐴̅ ⋂ B) ≤ P(𝐴̅)
 3

⇒ P(𝐴̅ ⋂ B) ≤ 0
⇒ P(𝐴̅ ⋂ B) = 0
⇒ P(𝐴̅ ⋂ B) = P(𝐴̅) P(B) [∵ P(𝐴̅) = 0]
⇒ 𝐴̅ and B are independent events ⇒ A and B are independent events.
6. There are two persons A and B such that the chances of B speaking truth are twice that of
A and A speaks truth in more than 25% cases.
Statement-1 (Assertion): If A and B contradict each other in narrating the same
statement with probability 1/2, then it is certain that B never tells a lie.
Statement-2 (Reason): The probability that A speaks truth is 1/2.
SOLUTION
Ans. (a)
Consider the following events: E = A speaks truth, F = B speaks truth
Let P (E) = p. Then, P(F) = 2p. It is given that
1
P ((E ⋂ 𝐹̅ ) ⋃ (𝐸̅ ⋂ F)) = 2
1
⇒ P(E ⋂ 𝐹̅ ) + P(𝐸̅ ⋂ F) = 2
1
⇒ P(E) P(𝐹̅ ) + P(𝐸̅ ) P (F) = 2
1
⇒ p × (1 – 2p) + (1 – p) × 2p = 2
1 1
⇒ p – 2p2 + 2p – 2p2 = 2 ⇒ 8p2 – 6p + 1 = 0 ⇒ (4p – 1) (2p – 1) =0 ⇒ p = 2
1
[∵ 𝑝 ≠ 4]
1
⇒ P(E) = 2

So, statement-2 is true.

1
Now, P (E) = 2 ⇒ P(F) = 2p = 1 ⇒ F is a certain event. So, B never tells a lie.

Hence, statement-1 is also true and statement-2 is a correct explanation for statement-
1.
7. A fair die is thrown twice. Let (a, b) denote the outcome in which the first throw shows 'a'
and the second throw shows 'b'. Let A and B be the events: A = {(a, b): a is even}, B =
{(a, b): b is even}
1
Statement-1 (Assertion): If C = {(a, b): a + b is odd), then P (A ⋂ B ⋂ C) = 8
1
Statement-2 (Reason): If D = {(a, b): a + b is even), then P(A ⋂ B ⋂ D/A ⋃ B) = 3

SOLUTION
 4

Ans. (d)
We have,
A ⋂ B = {(a, b): a and b both are even} ⇒ A ⋂ B ⋂ C = 𝜑 ⇒ P(A ⋂ B ⋂ C) =
0
So, statement-1 is not true.
Clearly, A ⋂ B ⊆ D
∴ A⋂B⋂D=A⋂B
⇒ P((A ⋂ B ⋂ D)/(A ⋃ B)) = P((A ⋂ B)/(A ⋃ B))
𝑃(𝐴 ∩𝐵)
= [∵ A ⋂ B ⊂ A ⋃ B]
𝑃(𝐴 ∪ )
𝑃(𝐴 ∩𝐵) 1/4 1
= 𝑃(𝐴)+𝑃(𝐵)−𝑃(𝐴 ∩ 𝐵) = 1 1 1 =3
+ −
2 2 4

So, statement-2 is true.

8. Statement-1 (Assertion): The probabilities of solving a new problem by 3 students are
1 1 1 1
, and 4 respectively. The probability that the problem will be solved by them is 4.
2 3

Statement-2 (Reason): If A, B and C are three independent events, then the probability
that at least one of them happens is 1 – P (𝐴̅) P(𝐵̅) P(𝐶̅ ).
SOLUTION
Ans. (a)
Clearly, statement-2 is true. Using statement-2, we obtain:
1 1 1 3
Required probability = 1 – (1 − 2) (1 − 3) (1 − 4) = 4

So, statement-1 is also true and statement-2 is a correct explanation for statement-1.