Solved Questions

Question 1. In a class of 100 students, 35 like science and 45 like math. 10 like both.
How many like either of them and how many like neither?

Solution:
Total number of students, n(µ) = 100

Number of science students, n(S) = 35

Number of math students, n(M) = 45

Number of students who like both, n(M∩S) = 10

Number of students who like either of them,

n(MᴜS) = n(M) + n(S) – n(M∩S)

→ 45+35-10 = 70

Number of students who like neither = n(µ) – n(MᴜS) = 100 – 70 = 30

The easiest way to solve problems on sets is by drawing Venn diagrams, as shown
below.

Question 2: There are 30 students in a class. Among them, 8 students are learning
both English and French. A total of 18 students are learning English. If every student
is learning at least one language, how many students are learning French in total?
Solution:
The Venn diagram for this problem looks like this.

Every student is learning at least one language. Hence there is no one who fall in the
category ‘neither’.

So in this case, n(EᴜF) = n(µ).

It is mentioned in the problem that a total of 18 are learning English. This DOES NOT
mean that 18 are learning ONLY English. Only when the word ‘only’ is mentioned in
the problem should we consider it so.

Now, 18 are learning English and 8 are learning both. This means that 18 – 8 = 10 are
learning ONLY English.

n(µ) = 30, n(E) = 10

n(EᴜF) = n(E) + n(F) – n(E∩F)

30 = 18+ n(F) – 8

n(F) = 20

Therefore, total number of students learning French = 20.

Note: The question was only about the total number of students learning French and
not about those learning ONLY French, which would have been a different answer,
12.
Finally, the Venn diagram looks like this.
 
 
Question 3: Among a group of students, 50 played cricket, 50 played hockey and 40
played volley ball. 15 played both cricket and hockey, 20 played both hockey and
volley ball, 15 played cricket and volley ball and 10 played all three. If every student
played at least one game, find the number of students and how many played only
cricket, only hockey and only volley ball?
Solution:
n(C) = 50, n(H) = 50, n(V) = 40, n(C∩H) = 15, n(H∩V) = 20, n(C∩V) = 15,
n(C∩H∩V) = 10

No. of students who played at least one game

n(CᴜHᴜV) = n(C) + n(H) + n(V) – n(C∩H) – n(H∩V) – n(C∩V) + n(C∩H∩V)

= 50 + 50 + 40 – 15 – 20 – 15 + 10

Total number of students = 100.

Let a denote the number of people who played cricket and volleyball only.
Let b denote the number of people who played cricket and hockey only.
Let c denote the number of people who played hockey and volleyball only.
Let d denote the number of people who played all three games.

Accordingly, d = n (CnHnV) = 10

Now, n(CnV) = a + d = 15

n(CnH) = b + d = 15

n(HnV) = c + d = 20

Therefore, a = 15 – 10 = 5 [cricket and volleyball only]

b = 15 – 10 = 5 [cricket and hockey only]

c = 20 – 10 = 10 [hockey and volleyball only]

No. of students who played only cricket = n(C) – [a + b + d] = 50 – (5 + 5 + 10) = 30

No. of students who played only volley ball = n(V) – [a + c + d] = 40 – (10 + 5 + 10)
= 15
 

Alternatively, we can solve it faster with the help of a Venn diagram.

The Venn diagram for the given information looks like this.
 

Subtracting the values in the intersections from the individual values gives us the
number of students who played only one game.
Question 4. In a group, there were 115 people whose proofs of identity were being
verified. Some had passport, some had voter id and some had both. If 65 had passport
and 30 had both, how many had voter id only and not passport?

A. 30
B. 50
C. 80
D. None of the above
Ans. B.

Explanation
Let us draw the Venn diagram for the given information.

n(PᴜV) = n(P) + n(V) – n(P∩V)

115 = 65+n(V) – 30

n(V) = 80

People with only voter id = 80-30 = 50

Question 5. Among a group of people, 40% liked red, 30% liked blue and 30% liked
green. 7% liked both red and green, 5% liked both red and blue, 10% liked both green
and blue. If 86% of them liked at least one colour, what percentage of people liked all
three?

A. 10
B. 6
C. 8
D. None

Ans. C.
Explanation:
n(RᴜBᴜG) = n(R) + n(B) + n(G) – n(R∩B) – n(B∩G) – n(R∩G) + n(R∩G∩B)

86 = 40+30+30-5-10-7+ n(R∩G∩B)

Solving this gives 8.

Question 6. In a bank of 320 staffs, 120 speak French, 140 speak English, 170 speak
Arabic, 50 speak both French and English, 35 speak both English and Arabic, 40
speak both French and Arabic. Required; (a) Determine the number of staffs who
speak all the three languages.
Solution.
n(U) = 320, //n(F)= 120, n(E)= 140, n(A)= 170,// n(F n E)= 50, n(E n A)= 35, n(F n
A)= 40// n(F n E n A)=?.// So let n(F n E n A)= X.
THE FORMULA STATED THAT
n(U) = n(F) + n(E) + n(A) – n(F n E) – n(F n A) – n(E n A) + n(F n E n A) where n(F
n E n A) is X
320 = 120 + 140 + 170 – 50 -35 + 40 + X
320 = 430 – 125 + X
320 =305 + X
320 – 305 =X
15 = X
X = 15, Where X is the number of staffs who spokes all the three languages.
So the number of staffs who spokes all the three subject are 15.
Question 7. If A = {X:X is a prime number between 4 and 16} list the subset with
exactly two elements
Ans: here we have A be set of prime numbers between 4 and 16 so the set be X =
{5,7,11,13}
SUBSETS with exactly two elements in above set X = {5,7},{5,11},{5,13},{7,11},
{7,13},{11,13}
Question 8. Out of 45 students questioned, 42 like mathematics or english or both, 27
students like maths and 22 like english.
1) who didn’t like any of the subjects
2) who like maths only
3) both maths and English
Solution.
we have the total number of students questioned (U)=45
the number of students like either mathematics or english n(MuE)=42
the no. of students like mathematics n(M)=27
the no. of students like english n(E)=22
1)the no. of students didn’t like any subject= U-n(MuE) =45-42=3
3)the no. of students like both maths and english = x
n(MuE)=n(M)+n(E)-x
42=27+22-x
42=49-x
x=49-42=7
2)who like math only =n(M)-x =27-7=20

Practice Questions
Question 1. In a survey of 60 newspapers readers, 49 read nation and 30 read Punch,
how many read both papers.
Question 2. 100 students participate in sport or music. 60 participate in sports and 50
participate in music. How many students participate in both activities?
Question 3. In an examination, 60 candidates passed science or maths. If 6 passed
both subjects and 9 more passed maths than science. Find the number of candidates
who passed in each subject.
Question 4. In a survey of 400 students of a school, 100 were listed as smokers and
150 as chewers of Gum, 75 were listed as both smokers and gum chewers. Find out
how many students are neither smokers nor gum chewers.
Question 5. In a survey of the Dhaka city, it was found that 65% of the people
watched the news on BTV, 40% read a newspaper and 25% read a newspaper and
watched the news on BTV. What percent of the people survey neither watched the
news on BTV nor read a newspaper?
Question 6. In a group of students, 38 enjoy video games, 12 enjoy movies and 24
enjoy solving math problems.8 students like all three activities, while 30 only like one
of them. How many students like only two of the three activities?
Question 7. Dhaka city has a total population of 8000000. Out of it 1800000 are
service holders and 1000000 are businessmen while 120000 are in both positions.
Indicate how many people are neither service holders nor businessmen.
Question 8. Let A and B be two finites sets such that n(A) = m and n(B) = n. If the
ratio of number of elements of power sets of A and B is 64 and n(A) + n(B) = 32. Find
the value of m and n.
Question 9. Let U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10} be the universal set. Suppose A = {1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6} and B = {5, 6, 7} are its two subsets. Write down the elements of A - B and A∩B′.
(Here B′ is the complement of B.)

Question 10. A company studies the product preferences of 25,000 consumers. It was
found that each of the products A, B and C was liked by 8000, 7000 and 6000
respectively and all the products were liked by 1500. Products A and B were liked by
3000, products A and C were liked by 2000 and products B and C were liked by 2200.
Check the validity of this study results.
Question 11. A class of 60 students appeared for an examination of Mathematics,
Statistics and Economics. 25 students failed in Mathematics, 24 failed in Statistics, 32
failed in Economics, 9 failed in Mathematics alone, 6 failed in Statistics alone; 5
failed in Statistics and Economics only and 3 failed in Mathematics and Statistics
only. (i)How many students failed in all three subjects? (ii) How many students passed
in all three subjects?
Question 12. In a survey of 25 students it was found that 15 had taken Maths, 12 had
taken Physics and 11 had taken Chemistry, 5 had taken Maths and chemistry, 9 had
taken Maths and Physics, 4 had taken Physics and Chemistry and 3 had taken all the
three subjects. Find the number of students that had taken:
i) Only Chemistry
ii) Physics and Chemistry but not Maths
iii) Only one of the subject
iv) At least one of the subjects
v) None of the subjects
Question 13. A researcher in Kampala city interviewed 150 students in science, 70
were physics students, 50 were registered in chemistry, 90 were biology students, 30
registered in physics and chemistry, 20 registered in chemistry and biology, 30
registered in physics and biology, and 10 registered in chemistry, biology and physics.
Using Venn diagram, find the following:-
a) The number of students registered in two subjects.
b) The number of students registered in only one subject.
c) The number of students registered in none of the three subjects.