The number of ways in which a committee of 3 ladies and 4 gentlemen can be appointed from a group consisting of 8 ladies and 7 gentlemen, if Mrs. X refuses to serve in a committee if Mr. Y is its member, is

If Mrs. X is selected among the ladies in the committee, then Mr. Y is not selected or if Mrs. X is not selected then Mr. Y can be there in the committee...
So, required number of ways
= ⁸C₃ x ⁶C₄ + ⁷C₃ x ⁷C₄
= [(8 x 7 x 6)/(3 x 2)] x [(6 x 5)/(2 x 1)] + [(7 x 6 x 5)/(3 x 2)] x [(7 x 6 x 5)/(3 x 2)]
= 840 + 1225
= 2065