Bunuel
The probability that all the penguins in a marine study group complete their annual migration is 0.05. If each penguin has the same probability of completing the migration, what is the probability that none of the penguins complete the migration?
A. 0.05
B. 0.5
C. 0.75
D. 0.95
E. Cannot be determined from the given information
GMAT Club Official Explanation:
We are told the probability that
all penguins complete the migration is 0.05. The opposite event is that
not all complete it, which has probability 1 - 0.05 = 0.95. But "not all complete" means
at least one fails to complete, which is not the same as
none complete it.
On the other hand, the probability that
none complete it equals P(one penguin does not complete)^(number of penguins) = (1 - P(one penguin completes))^(number of penguins). That, in turn, depends on knowing both the individual probability that a single penguin fails to complete the migration and the total number of penguins. Since we are only told the probability that
all complete it, we cannot determine the probability that
none do.
Answer: E.