Quantitative Literacy Practice Exam 2026 – Comprehensive Preparation Guide

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If a couple has four children, what is the probability of having exactly one girl?

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To determine the probability of a couple having exactly one girl among four children, we first assume that the probability of having a girl or a boy is equal, which is typically 1/2 for each child.

When dealing with multiple births, we can consider each child as an independent event. The total number of children is four, and we are interested in the scenario where there is exactly one girl. The possible arrangements for having one girl and three boys can be represented as follows:

1. Girl, Boy, Boy, Boy (GBBB)

2. Boy, Girl, Boy, Boy (BGBB)

3. Boy, Boy, Girl, Boy (BBGB)

4. Boy, Boy, Boy, Girl (BBBG)

These arrangements show all the different ways in which one girl can occur among four children. Each specific arrangement, such as BGBB, has a probability of occurring calculated as follows:

The probability of having one girl is 1/2, and the probability of having a boy is also 1/2. Therefore, for one specific arrangement like GB, the probability is:

(1/2) * (1/2) * (1/2) * (1/2) = 1

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