FORM 3 PROBABILITY MR STEPHEN OGANA

SECTION A QUESTIONS

1. Three representatives are to be selected randomly from a group of 7 girls and 8 boys.
Calculate the probability of selecting two girls and one boy. (3marks)

2. A poultry farmer vaccinated 540 of his 720 chickens against a disease. Two months later,
5%
of the vaccinated and 80% of the unvaccinated chicken, contracted the disease. Calculate
the probability that a chicken chosen random contacted the disease. (3marks)

3. A two-digit number is made by combining any of the two digits 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 at

random.
a) Make an array of possible combinations (2marks)

b) Find the probability that the number formed is prime (1mark)

4. A contractor applies for two contracts:

A – building a school workshop and
B - building a school library

The probability of getting contract A is 0.6. The probability of getting contract B depends on
whether or not A is obtained and is 0.7 if A is obtained but only 0.4 if A is not obtained.
What is the probability of getting at least one contract (3marks)

5. The probability that a man wins a game is 3/4. He plays the game until he wins.
Determine the probability that he wins in the fifth round. (3 marks)

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6. During inter-school competitions, football and volleyball teams from Mokagu High
School took part. The probability that their football and volleyball teams would win were 3/8
and 4/7 respectively.
Find the probability that
a) Both their football and volleyball teams won. (2 marks)

b) At least one of their teams won (2 marks)

7. A science club is made up of 5 boys and 7 girls. The club has 3 officials. Using a tree
diagram or otherwise find the probability that:
(a) The club official are all boys

(b) Two of the officials are girls (4marks)

9. The probability that a healthy animal being brought into contact with an infecting agent
and gets the germ is 0.80. The probability that an animal infected with germs develops the
disease is 0.90. The probability that an animal which has developed the disease will
survive is 0.75. What is the probability that a healthy animal brought into contact with the
infecting agent will die? (3marks)

10. Two bags A and B each contain a mixture of red and blue balls. Bag A contains 9 red
balls and 11 blue balls while bag B contains 15 red balls while and 10 blue balls.
A bag is selected at random and a ball is picked at random from it
a) Draw a probability tree diagram to illustrate this information. (1 Mark)

b) Find the probability that the ball picked is blue. (2 Marks)

11. A bag contains 4 red balls and X green balls. The probability of picking a red ball is 0.2.
Find the total number of balls in the bag. (2marks)

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 SECTION B QUESTIONS
1. The water supply in a school depends entirely on two water pumps, K and L. The
probability of pump K failing is 0.12 and the probability of pump L failing is 0.18.
(a) Draw a tree diagram, to represent the information. (2marks)

(b) From the diagram, find the probability that;

i) Both pumps are working (2marks)

ii) There is no water in school (2marks)

iii) Only one pump is working (2marks)

iv) There is some water in school (2marks)

2. (a) Two integers x and y are selected at random from the integers 1 to 8. If the same
integer may be selected twice, find the probability that
(i) x–y=2 (2 marks)

(ii) x – y is more (2 marks)

(iii) x>y (2 marks)

(b) A die is biased so that when tossed, the probability of a number r showing up, is given
by p ® = Kr where K is a constant and r = 1, 2,3,4,5 and 6 (the number on the faces of the
die
(i) Find the value of K (2 marks)

(ii) if the die is tossed twice, calculate the probability that the total score is 11
(2 marks)

3. The number x is chosen at random from the set (0,3,6,9) and the number y is chosen at
random from the set (0,2,4,6,8). Calculate the probability of each of the following separate
events.
(i) x > 6 (1 mark)

(ii) x + y = 11 (2 marks)

(iii) x > y (3 marks)

(iv) xy = 0 (2 marks)

(v) 10x + y < 34 (2 marks)

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4. It has been established that the probabilities of Exater High School (EHS) and Kabiyet
Day School (KDS) soccer teams scoring 0, 1,2, 3 goals against each other are as shown below.
No. of Probabilities of scoring
goals
0 3.0 X 10-1 2.0 X 10-1
1 3.0 X 10 -1 4.0 X 10-1
2 3.0 X 10 -1 3.0 X 10-1
3 1.0 X 10 -1 1.0 X 10-1

(a) Using a tree diagram or otherwise, show all the possible outcomes. (3 Marks)
(b) Calculate the probability of
(i) EHS winning (3 Marks)

(ii) A draw (2 Marks)

(iii) KDS winning (2 Marks)

5. The probability that a school team will win a match is 0.6. The probability that the team
will lose the match is 0.3 and the probability that the team will draw in the match is 0.1.
Given that the team will play two matches.
(a) Draw a tree diagram to represent the above information. (2 marks)

(a) What is the probability that the team will

(i) Win the two matches (2 marks)

(ii) Either wins all the matches or losses all the matches? (2 marks)

(i) Wins one match and losses one (2 marks)

(iv) Tie in one match. (2 marks)

6. (a) A biased coin is tossed thrice, the probability that it shows 3 heads in all the throws
is 0.027. Find the probability that it shows tails in the three tosses. (3marks)
(b) Another coin is biased so that the probability that it shows heads in any throw is K.
The probability that the coin shows heads exactly once in two throws is 21/50 Find possible
values of K (4marks)
(c) The probability that a husband and wife will be alive 30 years from now is 0.7 and 0.9
respectively. Find the probability that in 30 years’ time at least one will be alive.
(3mrks)

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7. A survey was conducted in a county of 160,00 adults to determine the relationship
between their gender and eating habits. The result was presented in a tree diagram as
shown below.
1
/5 Vegetarian
Male
3
/8 Non Veget arian

Vegetarian
Female
3
/20 Non Veget arian

a) Complete the tree diagram using appropriate fractions. (2 marks)

b) Determine the number of adults who are non-vegetarian. (2 marks)

c) An adult is selected at random from the county, find the probability that she is a female
vegetarian. (2 marks)

d) The adults were put in two groups: vegetarians verse non-vegetarians. Thereafter an
adult is picked from each group. Determine the probability that the two adults picked
are both male. (4 marks)

8. A bag contains 5 red, 4 white and 3 blue beads. Three beads are selected at random
without replacement. Find the probability that.
(a) The first red bead is the third bead picked. (2marks)

(b) The beads selected were, white and blue;

(i) in that order (2marks)

(ii) In any order (2marks)

(c) No red bead is picked. (2marks)

(d) Beads picked are of the same colour. (2marks)

9. A man goes to work either by a matatu or by bus from Monday to Thursday. If he goes by
matatu the probability that he will be late is 1/5 while if he goes by bus, the probability that
he will be late is 1/8.
a) Suppose he tosses a coin to decide whether to go by a matatu or by bus. what is
the probability that he will be late? (4marks)

b) If he travels by matatu, what is the probability that he will be late

(i) every day (2marks)

(ii) On any three days (4marks)

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10. A bag A has 5 green marbles, 9 red marbles and Y blue marbles, all identical except
for colour. The total number of marbles in the bag is two more than double the number of
blue marbles. Three marbles are then randomly picked one at a time from bag A and
placed in bag B.
(a) Find the value of Y. (2marks)
(b) Find the probability that;
(i) The first two marbles picked are green (2marks)
(ii) All the three marbles are of different colour (2marks)
(iii) At least one of the three marbles placed in bag B are blue. (2marks)
(iv) At most two marbles are red. (2marks)

11. Two dice are thrown and the sum of their outcome is recorded.
a) Complete the table below; (2marks)
Sum (x) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Frequency

b) Find the probability that: -

(i) The sum is greater than 6.

(ii) The sum is a prime number

(iii) The sum is less than 12

(iv) The sum is an odd number. (4marks)

c) The probability that it will rain in a given day is 2/5. The probability that Jane carries an
umbrella and it rains is 2/7. The probability that Jane carries and it doesn’t rain is 3/7.
Find the probability that;
(i) Jane doesn’t carry an umbrella and it rains. (2marks)

(ii) Jane carries an umbrella. (2marks)

12. A bag contains 3red, 4 white and 5 green balls. Three balls are selected without
replacement. Find the probability that the three balls chosen are
a) All Red (2marks)
b) All green (2marks)
c) One of each colour (6marks)

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13. The probabilities that Mueni, Auma and Wanjiku are time barred to vote for their favorite
1 1 3
presidential candidates are ,
4 3
𝑎𝑛𝑑 4
respectively. On the day of voting, what is the

probability that;
i) None of them will be time barred. (2 Marks)

ii) Only one of them will be time barred. (2 Marks)

iii) At least one of them will be time barred. (2 Marks)

iv) Only Auma and Wanjiku will be time-barred. (2 Marks)

14. In a mathematics test, the probability of 3 students, Kamau, Otieno and Mwala passing
are ⅔, ¾ and ⅚ respectively
(a) Draw a tree diagram to represent this information (3 marks)

(b) Use the tree diagram to find the probability that:

(i) All the three students will fail (2 marks)

(ii) At least two students will pass. (3 marks)

(iii) Only one student will pass (2 marks)

15. A die and a coin (both fair) are thrown on a horizontal floor.
(i) List all the possible outcomes. (2 marks)

(ii)Find the probability of getting even number on the die and a tail on
the coin or an odd number on the die and a head on the coin. (3 marks)

(iii)Find the probability of getting a number greater than or equal to 3 on

the die and a head on the coin. (2 marks)
The probability that a student gets grade A in Mathematics is 9 . If she gets grade A in
10
Mathematics then the probability that she gets grade A in Physics is 4 . If she does not
5
get grade A in Mathematics then the probability that she gets grade A in Physics is 3 .
8
Calculate the probability that she gets grade A in Physics only. (3 marks)

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16. Alex commutes to work by either a bus or a taxi. If he commutes by bus on any one day

the probability that he will commute by taxi the following day is 1 . If he commutes by
4

taxi on any one day. the probability that be commute by bus the following day is 5 . The
6

probability that he will commute by bus on Tuesday is 2

3
Find the probability that he will commute by:
(a) Bus on Wednesday (2marks)
(b) Taxi on Wednesday (2marks)
(c) Bus on Thursday (3marks)
(d) Taxi on Thursday (3mraks)

2 4
17. In a second-year class of a certain college, are boys and the rest are girls. of the
3 5
9
boys and of the girls are right handed, the rest are left handed. The probability that a
10
1
right handed students will answer a question correctly is and the corresponding
10
3
probability for a left-handed students is irrespective of the sex.
10

(a) Draw a tree diagram to represent the above information (2marks)

(b) Determine:
i)The probability that a student chosen at random from the class is left hand (3 marks)

ii) The student is a girl and answers the questions incorrectly (1mark)

iii)The probability that a question is answered correctly (4marks)

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