Question

A bookshelf holds 4 different biographies and 5 different mystery novels. How many ways can one book of each type be selected?

1. 1
2. 9
3. 10
4. 20

Short answer

D) There are 20 waysone book of each type can be selected.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1. Given Information.

Given a bookshelf holds 4 different biographies and 5 different mystery novels. One book of each type is to be selected.

Step 2. Calculation.

There are 4 ways to select one of the four different biographies.

And, there are 5 ways to select one of the five different mystery novels.

By the Fundamental Counting Principle, there are$4\times 5=20$ ways to choose one book of each type.

Step 3. Conclusion.

Hence, by Fundamental Counting Principle, there are 20 ways one book of each type can be selected.