AP CSP 3.5 Exercise 2: Boolean Expressions Applied Challenge

Big Idea 3: Algorithms and Programming · Topic 3.5 · Exercise 2

Boolean Expressions: Applied Challenge

Six expressions to evaluate, including the two De Morgan style rewrites the exam reuses every year.

How this one is different

Every question here can be answered by building the truth table in your head. The distractors are the answers you get by skipping that step.

Applied Practice

6 questions · scenario driven · every answer is recorded for your teacher

Question 1 of 6Trace
If a is 5 and b is 10, what is the value of (a > 3) AND (b < 10)?
Incorrect. A boolean expression evaluates to true or false, not to a number.
Incorrect. Both values are given, so the expression is fully determined.
Incorrect. AND requires both sides to be true, and the second is not.
Correct. a > 3 is true, but b < 10 is false because b equals 10, and true AND false is false.
Question 2 of 6Apply
Which expression is equivalent to NOT (x > 5)?
Incorrect. Equality covers only one value out of the whole range.
Incorrect. This excludes 5 itself, which the original includes.
Correct. The negation of greater than is less than or equal to, because it must cover every value the original excluded, including 5.
Incorrect. This is the wrong direction entirely and overlaps the original.
Question 3 of 6Analyze
Which expression is equivalent to NOT (p AND q)?
Incorrect. This is true only when both are false, which is narrower than the original.
Correct. The original is false only when both are true, so it is true whenever at least one is false, which is exactly NOT p OR NOT q.
Incorrect. This drops the negation entirely and is true in the wrong cases.
Incorrect. Negating only one operand changes the meaning completely.
Question 4 of 6Trace
What does this segment display?
age <- 16 hasPass <- false IF ((age >= 16) OR hasPass) { DISPLAY "allowed" } ELSE { DISPLAY "denied" }
Correct. OR needs only one true operand. age >= 16 is true, so the condition holds regardless of hasPass.
Incorrect. This would require both operands to be false.
Incorrect. The program displays the string in the branch, not the value of the condition.
Incorrect. Every path through this IF and ELSE displays something.
Question 5 of 6Evaluate
A program should admit anyone who is NOT both under 13 and unaccompanied.
Which condition correctly admits a visitor?
Incorrect. This admits every child, which is the opposite of the rule.
Incorrect. Without parentheses this negates only the first comparison and changes the meaning.
Incorrect. This requires both that the visitor is 13 or older and that they are unaccompanied, which turns away accompanied adults.
Correct. The rule negates the whole compound condition, so the NOT wraps the entire AND expression exactly as written.
Question 6 of 6Transfer
A condition is written as (score > 90) AND (score > 50). Which simpler expression is equivalent?
Incorrect. The original excludes exactly 90 rather than selecting it.
Incorrect. Values between 51 and 90 satisfy this but fail the original.
Correct. Any score above 90 is already above 50, so the second test never rejects anything the first accepted. The stricter condition absorbs the looser one.
Incorrect. Thresholds are not added together when conditions are combined.

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