Q.

1
The daily number of customers that enter a fishing supplies store is recorded for 30 days. The data
collected shows that the number of customers per day ranges from 15 to 68. Suppose a frequency
distribution is constructed to represent this data, which one of the following statements is false?

a. A histogram can be used to graphically represent this frequency distribution. True

b. The sum of the frequencies will be 30. True
c. A class width of 7 will be appropriate. False
Class width = range/k = max – min/k
Calc. k = 1 + 1.44 ln (n)
= 1 + 1.44 ln (30)
= 5.898 ≈ 6
Class width = range/k = max – min/k = 68 – 15/6 = 8.833 ≈ 9

d. 14 will be the appropriate lower limit for the first class. True
e. There will be 6 classes. True because k = 6 ∴ 6 classes

Q.2 and Q.3 are based on the information below.

Noise is measured in decibels, denoted by dB. The following frequency distribution summarizes
noise levels measured at 70 different times directly outside the Sandton Gautrain Station.

Class Boundaries Frequency m (midpoint) mf m2f

60 - 70 2 65 130 8450
70 - 80 5 75 375 28125
80 - 90 8 85 680 57800
90 - 100 17 95 1615 153425
100 - 110 25 105 2625 275625
110 - 120 13 115 1495 171925
∑ = 6920 ∑ = 695350

∑(𝑚𝑓)2
Variance (S2) = ∑m2f - 𝑛

n-1
695350 – (6920)2/70
70 – 1
= 163.17
Q.2
What is the variance of the noise levels?

a. 98.86
b. 12.68
c. 160.84
d. 163.17
e. 12.77

Q.3
What is the probability that at a randomly selected time the noise level is at least 100dB?
At least 100dB ∴ 100 – 110 and 110 – 120
P of event = f/n (25 + 13)/70 = 0.5429

a. 0.5429
b. 0.1857
c. 0.7857
d. 0.2429
e. 0.3571

Q.4
The table below lists the maximum running speeds of various animals.
Animal Speed
Elk 45
Cheetah 70
Greyhound 39
Wildebeest 50
Quarter Horse 47
Zebra 40
Giraffe 32
Coyote 43

Min = 32 Max = 70 ∴ stem would range from 3 to 7

Which is the correct stem-and-leaf plot representation for the data?

a. 3 29
4 0357
5 0
7 0 Key: 1 | 1 = 11

b. 3 29
4 0357
5 0
6 Left blank because we have no values in the sixties
7 0 Key: 1 | 1 = 11

c. 4 0357
7 0
3 29
5 0 Key: 1 | 1 = 11

d. 3 29
4 0357
5 0
6 0
Key: 1 | 1 = 11
7 0

e. None of the above.

Q.5
Suppose that a sample space (S) is made up of all even numbers from 2 and 12.
Given the following 3 events in S: A = {2, 6, 12}; B = {2, 4, 6, 8} and C = {8, 12}
Find the P[B ∩ (A ∪ C)]
A’ / Ac / A represent complimentary events
S = {2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12}
N=6

A ∪ C = {2, 6, 8, 12} All events of A and C

A ∪ C = {4, 10}

B ∩ (A ∪ C) = {4}

B ∩ (A ∪ C) = {2, 6, 8, 10, 12} n=5

∴ P[B ∩ (A ∪ C)] = 5/6 = 0.8333

a. 0
b. 0.1667
c. 0.3333
d. 0.8333
e. 0.6667

Q.6
In one year , three different awards (Research, Teaching, and Service) will be given to a class of 15
graduate students in the engineering department, of which 8 are males. If each of these awards are
given to both a male student and a female student, where a student can receive only one of the
awards at a time, how many possible ways can these awards be given?
N = 15 8 = males ∴ 7 = females
R T S
Male 8 7 6 8! = 8 x 7 x 6 = 336
Female 7 6 5 7! = 7 x 6 x 5 = 210
∴ number of possible ways = 336 x 210 = 70560

a. 20 160
b. 91
c. 546
d. 1 960
e. 70 560
Q.7
An environmental engineer would like to plant new trees along a road in Durban to make the area
‘greener’. She has 4 acacia trees, 3 palm trees, and 5 wisteria trees to plant. How many ways can
these trees be planted along the side of the road one next to each other?
Positions in total = 4 + 3 + 5 = 12
But 4 trees are the same
3 trees are the same
5 trees are the same
∴ use 12!
4! 3! 5!
= 12 x 11 x 10 x 9 x 8 x 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1
(4 x 3 x 2 x 1)(3 x 2 x 1)(5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1)
= 27720

a. 479 001 600

b. 27 720
c. 60
d. 86 248 800
e. 12

Q.9
You ask your neighbour to water your plant while you are away on holiday. Without water, it will die
with a probability of 0.8. Whereas with water, it will die with a probability of 0.15. You are 90%
certain that your neighbour will remember to water the plant. What is the probability that the plant
will be alive when you return home?
Let W = event that the plant was watered
D = event that the plant died
∴ P(D/W) = 0.8 P(D/W) = 0.15
P(W) = 0.9 P(W) = 0.1

P(alive) = P(D) = 1 – P(D)

= 1 – [P(D∩W) + P(D∩W)
= 1 – [P(W) x P(D/W) + P(W) x P(D/W)]
= 1 – [(0.9 x 0.15) + (0.1 x 0.8)]
= 0.785
 a. 0.785
b. 0.880
c. 0.050
d. 0.135
e. 0.215

Q.10, 11, and 12 are based on the information below.

Female Male
Chemical 22 34 56
Civil 31 28 59
Mechanical 24 41 65
Electrical 26 29 55
Electronic 18 28 46
Computer 23 36 59
∑ = 144 ∑ = 196 ∑ = 340

Q.10
What is the probability that a randomly selected engineering student is male?
P(male) = f/n = ∑ male students/n = 196 / 340 = 0.5765

a. 0.5891
b. 0.5000
c. 0.5765
d. 0.4578
e. 0.2567

Q.11
If a female student is randomly selected, what is the probability that they are studying Civil or
Mechanical engineering?
P(civil,mech/female)
= females studying civil + females studying mech
total number of females
= 31 + 24 / 144 = 0.3819

a. 0.1667
b. 0.2153
c. 0.3647
 d. 0.3819
e. 0.1618

Q.12
What are the odds against a student studying Chemical or Computer engineering?
Let A = number of students studying chem or comp
B = number of students NOT studying chem or comp

A = 56 + 59 = 115 B = 59 + 65 + 55 + 46 = 225 alternatively 340 – 115 = 225

𝟐𝟐𝟓 𝟏𝟏𝟓
∴ B:A = 𝟐𝟐𝟓
: 𝟐𝟐𝟓

= 1 : 0.51

a. 1 : 0.66
b. 1 : 0.51
c. 1 : 0.34
d. 1 : 0.45
e. 1 : 0.15

Q.14 and Q.15 are based on the information below.

At a manufacturing plant, a safety officer is in charge of ensuring that there are no safety violations
at any given time. The probability of the number of safety violations (x) at any given time is given
below:
x 0 1 2 3 4 5
P(x) 0.37 0.12 k 0.13 0.09 0.11

Q.14
What would be the expected number of safety violations at the manufacturing plant?
Note: For an event to be possible, the probability of the event = 1
0.37 + 0.12 + k + 0.13 + 0.09 + 0.11 = 1
∴ k = 1 – (0.37 + 0.12 + 0.09 + 0.11) = 0.18
E(x) = ∑x. P(x)
= 0(0.37) + 1(0.12) + 2(0.18) + 3(0.13) + 4(0.09) + 5(0.11)
= 1.78
 a. 3.03
b. 15
c. 0.82
d. 1.78
e. 1.42

Q.15
At any given time, what is the probability of the manufacturing plant having safety violations?
Having safety violations means at least 1 ∴ P(x ≥ 1)
= 1 – P(x = 0)
= 1 – 0.37
= 0.63

a. 0.63
b. 0.87
c. 0.12
d. 0.37
e. 0.88

Q.17, Q18 and Q19 are based on the information below.

A mine safety officer is concerned about the work conditions in some of the mine shafts of a
particular mine. The safety officer collects data on the number of reported respiratory related
problems and injuries of miners working in 3 shafts over the past 5 years.
Shaft A Shaft B Shaft C
Respiratory related problems 16 7 21 44
Injuries 9 3 14 26
25 10 35 70

Q.17
What is the probability that a miner works in Shaft A or Shaft B and has respiratory related problem?
Shaft A = 16 Shaft B = 7
P (has a respiratory problem/shaft A, shaft B) = f/n = 16 + 7 / 70 = 0.3286

a. 0.8000
b. 0.6286
c. 0.3286
d. 0.5000
e. 0.5227
Q.18
If a miner has an injury, what is the probability that they work in Shaft B?
P(Shaft B/Injury) = P(Shaft B ∩ Injury)
P(Injury)
= 3/26
= 0.1154

a. 0.1286
b. 0.1154
c. 0.3462
d. 0.3714
e. 0.3846

Q.19
What are the odds in favour of a miner working in Shaft A?
Total number of miners in Shaft A = 25
Total number of miners NOT in Shaft A = 70 – 25 = 45
𝟐𝟓 𝟒𝟓
𝟐𝟓
: 𝟐𝟓

1 : 1.8

a. 1 : 1.8
b. 1 : 0.6
c. 1 : 0.4
d. 1 : 25
e. 1 : 1.4