Multiple choice

A container is full of sugar syrup. 4 gallons of syrup is drawn out of the container and replaced with water. From this water-syrup mixture, 4 gallons of mixture is again withdrawn and replaced with water. The ratio of the sugar syrup to water in the container was then found to be 36 : 13. How many gallons does the container hold?

  1. 8 gallons

  2. 12 gallons

  3. 15 gallons

  4. 28 gallons

  5. 30 gallons
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Let V be the total volume. After two operations, the fraction of syrup remaining is (1 - 4/V)^2. Given this equals 36/(36+13) = 36/49. Thus, 1 - 4/V = 6/7. 4/V = 1/7, so V = 28 gallons.

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