A die is thrown. Which pair of events is mutually exclusive?

'a number less than 3' and 'a number greater than 4'Correct answerYour answer'an even number' and 'a prime number'Correct answerYour answer'a multiple of 3' and 'an odd number'Correct answerYour answer'a number less than 4' and 'a number greater than 2'Correct answerYour answer

Show the answer and explanation

CorrectNot quiteAnswer A

Correct answer: A

Mutually exclusive events have no outcome in common: they cannot happen together.
$\{1, 2\}$ and $\{5, 6\}$ share nothing. The others share 2, then 3, then 3 again.

Worth noting

The chosen pair is mutually exclusive but not exhaustive: 3 and 4 belong to neither.

Concept: Recognising mutually exclusive events
Typical timeTypical: 90 s
Your timeYours: —

The rule this testsThe algebra of events

Practise this chapter →

Ten questions from Probability, at your own pace.

A die is thrown. Which pair of events is mutually exclusive?

Explanation