In a question paper there are five questions to be attempted and answer to each question has two choices – True (T) or False (F). It is given that no two candidates have given the answer to the five questions in an identical sequence. For this to happen the maximum number of candidates is
- A.10
- B.18
- C.26
- D.32
▶ Answer & Explanation
Correct answer: D. 32
Each of the five questions has two independent choices (True or False). To find the total number of distinct sequences of answers possible, we multiply the number of choices for each question. This is a direct application of the multiplication principle. Therefore, the total number of unique ways the five questions can be answered is 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2, which equals 32. This means a maximum of 32 candidates can provide unique answer sequences.
Source: UPSC csat 2016