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)U and E
B) both S and N, and U and E
C) U and S
D) S and N
E) none

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)U and E
B) both S and N, and U and E
C) U and S
D) S and N
E) none

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mutually exclusive events are those that cannot happen at the same time. From the table, it's clear that being successful (S) and being unsuccessful (U) are mutually exclusive, as an author cannot be both at the same time.

The Following Table Shows the Results of a Survey of Authors