Q.Refer to Question 74 above. The probability that exactly two of the three balls were red, the first ball being red, is
(A) 31
(B) 74
(C) 2815
(D) 285
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Conditional Probability
Conditional Probability
Roll a die and ask "what is the chance of an even number?" — that is 3/6. But suppose someone tells you the result is greater than 3. Now you are no longer looking at all six faces, only at {4,5,6}, and two of those (4 and 6) are even, so the probability becomes 2/3. That change — from the probability of A to the probability of A given that B has already occurred — is conditional probability.
The Idea: Shrink the Sample Space
Conditioning on B throws away every outcome where B is false and treats B as the new "whole world." You measure A only against what is still possible.
Think of filtering a table of data: unconditional probability uses every row; conditional probability keeps only the rows where the condition is true.
The Definition
For events A and B with P(B)>0,
P(A∣B)=P(B)P(A∩B).
We divide by P(B) to rescale so that B itself has probability 1; the surviving part of A is the overlap A∩B. Checking the die: P(A∩B)=P({4,6})=62 and P(B)=63, so P(A∣B)=3/62/6=32, matching the intuition.
Rearranging gives the multiplication rule P(A∩B)=P(A∣B)P(B), which is usually the easier way to compute a joint probability when a problem says "given that."
Two Cautions
- P(A∣B) and P(B∣A) are generally not equal; swapping them is the classic mistake. They are linked by Bayes' theorem, P(A∣B)=P(B)P(B∣A)P(A). …
This refers to the box of 5 red and 3 black balls (Question 74), with three balls drawn one by one without replacement. Following the official reading, we want the probability of the ordered outcome red, red, black — the first ball red and exactly two of the three red: …
For the box of 5 red and 3 black balls (Q74), the probability of the sequence red, red, black is 85⋅74⋅63=285 — the official answer, option (D).
The setup (from Question 74)
The box has 5 red and 3 black balls (8 in all), and three balls are drawn one by one without replacement. We are told the first ball is red and asked for the probability that exactly two of the three drawn are red.
The computation
The first ball is red and exactly two of the three are red, taken as the ordered outcome red, red, black (R, R, B):
P(R)=85,P(R after R)=74,P(B after R,R)=63.
Multiplying along the branch:
P=85⋅74⋅63=33660=285. …
Method: Sequential draws via the multiplication theorem along a branch
Use this when balls are drawn one by one without replacement and you want the probability of a specific ordered sequence.
Steps
Step 1: Write the chain of conditional probabilities.
For a sequence of outcomes, multiply along the branch, updating counts after each draw:
P=P(1st)⋅P(2nd∣1st)⋅P(3rd∣1st,2nd)⋯
Step 2: Update the pool at every step.
Each draw removes one ball, so both the favourable count and the total drop by one for the next factor. …
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Not updating the counts after each draw.
Why it's wrong: without replacement, after drawing a red the pool becomes 4 red of 7, etc.; reusing 5/8 each time is the with-replacement error. Correct approach: multiply 85⋅74⋅63, decrementing both counts.
Mistake 2: Summing every "exactly two red" order when the wording fixes one. …
Showing the 12 most recent of 24 on this concept.
- GUJCET 2026Set x1 markMCQQ.Three cards are drawn successively, without replacement from a pack of 52 well shuffled cards. The probability that first two cards are kings and the third card drawn is an ace is ______ (A) 1352001 (B) 55252 (C) 55253 (D) 1352003
›Reveal solutionSolution
Multiply the successive conditional probabilities for drawing without replacement.
First card king: 524. Second card king (3 kings left of 51): 513. Third card ace (4 aces still present of 50): 504. …
- GUJCET 2019Set 171 markMCQQ.If 6P(A)=8P(B)=14P(A∩B)=1, then P(BA′)= (A) 74 (B) 53 (C) 73 (D) 52
›Reveal solutionSolution
With P(A)=61,P(B)=81,P(A∩B)=141: P(A′∣B)=1−P(B)P(A∩B)=73.
Concept: From 6P(A)=8P(B)=14P(A∩B)=1: P(B)=81, P(A∩B)=141. …
- GUJCET 2025Set 031 markMCQQ.Let A and B be two events such that P(A)=83, P(B)=85 and P(A∪B)=43. Then P(A′∣B)−P(A∣B)= _____. (A) 51 (B) 53 (C) 52 (D) 54
›Reveal solutionSolution
P(A∩B)=P(A)+P(B)−P(A∪B), then use conditional probabilities on B.
P(A∩B)=83+85−43=1−43=41. …
- GUJCET 2025Set 031 markMCQQ.A man is known to speak truth 4 out of 5 times. He throws a die and reports that it is a six. The probability that actually there was a six is (A) 95 (B) 94 (C) 355 (D) 354
›Reveal solutionSolution
P(six∣reports six)=P(6)P(T)+P(not 6)P(lie)P(6)P(T).
Let P(6)=61, P(not 6)=65, truth =54, lie =51. …
- GUJCET 2022Set 081 markMCQQ.Probability that A speaks truth is 54. A coin is tossed. A reports that a head appears. The probability that actually there was head is ______. (A) 52 (B) 54 (C) 51 (D) 21
›Reveal solutionSolution
A truthful reporter (p = 4/5) on a fair coin makes the reported head almost as reliable as their honesty.
Concept. Bayes' theorem: P(H∣R)=P(R∣H)P(H)+P(R∣T)P(T)P(R∣H)P(H).
Solution. P(H)=P(T)=21. A reports head truthfully with prob 54 (if head) and lies with prob 51 (if tail). …
- GUJCET 2021Set 151 markMCQQ.If P(A)=116, P(B)=115 and P(A∪B)=117, then P(BA)= (A) 54 (B) 32 (C) 114 (D) 112
›Reveal solutionSolution
Get P(A and B) from inclusion-exclusion, then divide by P(B).
Concept. P(A∩B)=P(A)+P(B)−P(A∪B) and P(A∣B)=P(B)P(A∩B). …
- GUJCET 2026Set x1 markMCQQ.Let A and B be two events such that P(A)=115, P(B)=112 and P(A∪B)=113, then P(A′∣B′)= ______ (A) 98 (B) 53 (C) 21 (D) 92
›Reveal solutionSolution
[!TLDR] P(A′∣B′)=1−P(B)1−P(A∪B)=98.
Concept
By De Morgan's law A′∩B′=(A∪B)′, so P(A′∩B′)=1−P(A∪B). Then the conditional probability is P(A′∣B′)=P(B′)P(A′∩B′) with P(B′)=1−P(B).
Solution …
- GUJCET 2021Set 151 markMCQQ.If A and B are two events such that P(A)=0 and P(AB)=1, then (A) B⊂A (B) B=∅ (C) A=∅ (D) A⊂B
›Reveal solutionSolution
[!TLDR] Melatonin is a pineal hormone controlling circadian rhythm, not the menstrual cycle. Estrogen, progesterone and relaxin are all reproductive hormones linked to the ovarian cycle.
Concept
In NCERT/CBSE-aligned human reproduction, the menstrual cycle is regulated by pituitary hormones (FSH, LH) and ovarian hormones. Estrogen (secreted by the growing follicle) causes the proliferative phase; progesterone (from the corpus luteum) maintains the secretory endometrium; and relaxin, also a corpus-luteum/reproductive hormone, prepares reproductive tissues. Melatonin, secreted by the pineal gland, governs the day–night biological clock and is not a menstrual-cycle hormone.
Solution
Evaluate each option: …
- GUJCET 2020Set 071 markMCQQ.If A and B are any two events such that P(A)+P(B)−P(A∩B)=P(A) then ________. (A) P(AB)=1 (B) P(BA)=0 (C) P(AB)=0 (D) P(BA)=1
›Reveal solutionSolution
P(A)+P(B)−P(A∩B)=P(A) forces P(A∩B)=P(B), meaning B is contained in A, so P(A/B)=1.
Concept. Rearrange the given equation: P(B)−P(A∩B)=0⇒P(A∩B)=P(B).
Step. Conditional probability: P(A/B)=P(B)P(A∩B)=P(B)P(B)=1. …
- GUJCET 2026Set x1 markMCQQ.If A and B are any two events such that P(A)+P(B)−P(A and B)=P(A), then ______ (A) P(B∣A′)=1 (B) P(B∣A)=0 (C) P(A∣B)=1 (D) P(A∣B)=0
›Reveal solutionSolution
Simplify the given relation to find P(A∩B)=P(B), i.e. B⊆A effectively.
Given P(A)+P(B)−P(A and B)=P(A), which reduces to:
P(B)−P(A∩B)=0⇒P(A∩B)=P(B). …
- GUJCET 2024Set 131 markMCQQ.If A and B are two events such that P(B)=0 and P(A∣B)=1, then __________. (A) B=ϕ (B) B⊂A (C) A=ϕ (D) A⊂B
›Reveal solutionSolution
P(A∣B)=1 forces P(A∩B)=P(B), meaning B⊂A.
Concept. By definition P(A∣B)=P(B)P(A∩B).
Steps. Given P(A∣B)=1 and P(B)=0,
P(B)P(A∩B)=1⇒P(A∩B)=P(B). …
- GSEB Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) Examination 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If P(A/B)>P(A), then which of the following is true?(a) P(B∣A)<P(B)(b) P(A∩B)<P(A)⋅P(B)(c) P(B∣A)>P(B)(d) P(B∣A)=P(B)
›Reveal solutionSolution
Convert the given inequality into one about the joint probability, then flip it around to get P(B∣A).
P(A∣B)>P(A)⇒P(B)P(A∩B)>P(A)⇒P(A∩B)>P(A)P(B).
…
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