Multiple choice

Ellie is playing with cards that have letters written on them from A to Z. She wants to form a three-letter word, with or without meaning, with some conditions. She wants the first letter of the word to be M or J, the second letter a vowel, and the third letter from Q to W but not a vowel. How many possible ways are there in which Ellie could form such a word?

  1. 50

  2. 54

  3. 60

  4. 66

  5. 72
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

First letter: M or J (2 choices). Second letter: Vowel (A, E, I, O, U - 5 choices). Third letter: Q to W (Q, R, S, T, U, V, W) excluding vowels. Vowels in that range: U. So, Q, R, S, T, V, W (6 choices). Total = 2 * 5 * 6 = 60.

AI explanation

We use the fundamental principle of multiplication to find the total arrangements by multiplying the independent choices for each letter. There are 2 choices for the first letter (M or J), 5 choices for the second letter vowel (A, E, I, O, U), and 6 choices for the third letter (Q, R, S, T, V, W). Multiplying these gives 2 x 5 x 6 = 60 possible ways to form the word, resulting in 60.

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