Last visit was: 23 Apr 2026, 14:33 It is currently 23 Apr 2026, 14:33
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
bmwhype2
Joined: 21 Jan 2007
Last visit: 08 Mar 2010
Posts: 1,333
Own Kudos:
5,554
 [15]
Given Kudos: 4
Location: New York City
Posts: 1,333
Kudos: 5,554
 [15]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
14
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
bkk145
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Last visit: 23 Feb 2014
Posts: 645
Own Kudos:
1,801
 [2]
Posts: 645
Kudos: 1,801
 [2]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
jimjohn
Joined: 19 Aug 2007
Last visit: 25 Apr 2014
Posts: 108
Own Kudos:
242
 [5]
Posts: 108
Kudos: 242
 [5]
3
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 23 Apr 2026
Posts: 109,785
Own Kudos:
810,855
 [3]
Given Kudos: 105,853
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 109,785
Kudos: 810,855
 [3]
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
If a music class consists of 4 girls and 7 boys, how many ways can a group of 3 be formed if it must include at least one boy?

A. 155
B. 158
C. 161
D. 165
E. 172


REVERSE APPROACH:

The number of groups with at least one boy is equal to the total number of groups of 3 that can be formed from 11 students minus the groups consisting solely of girls:

\(C^3_{11}-C^3_4=161\).

DIRECT APPROACH:

The number of groups with at least one boy is the sum of the groups with one boy (and 2 girls), the groups with 2 boys (and 1 girl), and the groups with 3 boys:

\(C^1_{7}*C^2_4+C^2_{7}*C^1_4+C^3_{7}=161\).


Answer: C
User avatar
dianamao
Joined: 25 Jun 2011
Last visit: 14 Jul 2013
Posts: 23
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 7
Location: Sydney
Posts: 23
Kudos: 2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Awesome. Thanks Bunuel!

Cheers,
Diana
User avatar
JeffTargetTestPrep
User avatar
Target Test Prep Representative
Joined: 04 Mar 2011
Last visit: 05 Jan 2024
Posts: 2,974
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 1,646
Status:Head GMAT Instructor
Affiliations: Target Test Prep
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 2,974
Kudos: 8,710
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
bmwhype2
The music class consists of 4 girls and 7 boys. How many ways can a group of 3 be formed if it has to include at least one boy?

A. 155
B. 158
C. 161
D. 165
E. 172


We can determine the number of ways a group of 3 that includes at least 1 boy can be formed from 4 girls and 7 boys using the following formula:

Total number of ways to form a group of 3 - number of ways to form the group with no boys

Total number of ways to form a group of 3 is 11C3 = 11!/[3!(11-3)!] = (11 x 10 x 9)/3! = (11 x 10 x 9)/(3 x 2 x 1) = 11 x 5 x 3 = 165

Number of ways to form the group with no boys = 4C3 = 4!/[3!(4-3)!] = (4 x 3 x 2)/3! = 4

Thus, the total number of ways to select the group with at least 1 boy is 165 - 4 = 161.

Answer: C
User avatar
bumpbot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 09 Sep 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 38,962
Own Kudos:
Posts: 38,962
Kudos: 1,117
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Automated notice from GMAT Club BumpBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.
Moderators:
Math Expert
109785 posts
Tuck School Moderator
853 posts