The following table shows the results of a survey of authors by a (fictitious) publishing company: $$\begin{array} { | l | l | l | l | }
\hline & \text { New Authors } & \begin{array} { l }
\text { Established } \
\text { Authors }
\end{array} & \text { Total } \
\hline \text { Successful } & 5 & 25 & 30 \
\hline \text { Unsuccessful } & 15 & 55 & 70 \
\hline \text { Total } & 20 & 80 & 100 \
\hline
\end{array}$$ Consider the following events:
S: An author is successful; U: An author is unsuccessful; N: An author is new; and E: An author is established.
Which of the following pairs of events are mutually exclusive:

A)N and S
B) both S and E, and N and E
C) S and E
D) both S and E, and N and S
E) N and E

Question

The following table shows the results of a survey of authors by a (fictitious) publishing company: $$\begin{array} { | l | l | l | l | } 
\hline & \text { New Authors } & \begin{array} { l } 
\text { Established } \
\text { Authors }
\end{array} & \text { Total } \
\hline \text { Successful } & 5 & 25 & 30 \
\hline \text { Unsuccessful } & 15 & 55 & 70 \
\hline \text { Total } & 20 & 80 & 100 \
\hline
\end{array}$$   Consider the following events:
S: An author is successful; U: An author is unsuccessful; N: An author is new; and E: An author is established.
Which of the following pairs of events are mutually exclusive:
 
A)N and S
B) both S and E, and N and E
C) S and E
D) both S and E, and N and S
E) N and E

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mutually exclusive events are those that cannot happen at the same time. From the table, it's clear that authors can be both new and successful (N and S) or established and successful (E and S), so these pairs are not mutually exclusive. However, an author cannot be both new and established at the same time, making N and E mutually exclusive.

The Following Table Shows the Results of a Survey of Authors