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A Multiple-Choice Test Consists of Questions. E
A Multiple-Choice Test Consists of Questions. E
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Binomial problems: Advanced
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QUESTION
10 questions. Each question has answer choices of a, b, c, d, and e, and only one of the choices is correct. If a student
A multiple-choice test consists of
randomly guesses on each question, what is the probability that she gets fewer than 2 of them correct?
Carry your intermediate computations to at least four decimal places, and round your answer to two decimal places.
EXPLANATION
If the following are true, we have a binomial experiment (or a binomial situation).
There are n independent trials. (The occurrence of one doesn't affect any of the others.)
Each trial ends either in success or failure.
Each trial has the same probability p of success.
Then the probability P x that exactly x of the trials end in success is given by the binomial formula.
x n−x
P x = nCx·p 1 − p More
There are 10 questions. Because the student is randomly guessing, we have independent trials.
Each question either is answered correctly or isn't.
1
Each question has a probability of being answered correctly (because each question has 5 answer choices and the student is randomly guessing).
5
1
So, using n = 10 and p = , here is the probability P x that the student gets exactly x questions correct.
5
x 10 − x
1 1
P x = 10Cx· 1− (1)
5 5
We want the probability that the student gets fewer than 2 of the questions correct. More
0 10 1 9
P 0 +P 1 = C · 1 1−
1
+ 10C1·
1
1−
1
10 0 5 5 5 5
0 1
1 10 1 9
= 1· 0.8 + 10· 0.8
5 5
≈ 0.3758
The answer can also be found by inputting P B 1 ≤1 on the ALEKS calculator.
10 ,
5
1
The notation B 1 refers to a binomial random variable with parameters n = 10 and p = .
10 , 5
5
ANSWER
0.38
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