Which statement is the contrapositive of 'If it rains, the ground is wet'?

Which statement is the contrapositive of 'If it rains, the ground is wet'?

• A. If the ground is not wet, then it did not rain
• B. If it rains, the ground is wet
• C. If the ground is wet, then it rains
• D. If it did not rain, the ground is wet

Answer: (A)

The contrapositive of a conditional statement flips and negates both parts: if p then q becomes if not q, then not p. Here p is “it rains” and q is “the ground is wet.” So the contrapositive is: If the ground is not wet, then it did not rain. This is why that option is the best answer—it preserves the same truth value as the original statement. The other forms don’t capture the contrapositive: repeating the original isn’t a change, reversing the order gives the converse (if the ground is wet, then it rains), and mixing negation with the antecedent in a different way doesn’t express the contrapositive.

The contrapositive of a conditional statement flips and negates both parts: if p then q becomes if not q, then not p. Here p is “it rains” and q is “the ground is wet.” So the contrapositive is: If the ground is not wet, then it did not rain. This is why that option is the best answer—it preserves the same truth value as the original statement.

The other forms don’t capture the contrapositive: repeating the original isn’t a change, reversing the order gives the converse (if the ground is wet, then it rains), and mixing negation with the antecedent in a different way doesn’t express the contrapositive.