Multiple choice

The average age of a husband and wife at the time of their marriages was 25 years. A son was born to them two years after their marriage. The present average age of all three of them is 24 years. How many years is it since the couple got married?

  1. 6 years

  2. 5 years

  3. 9 years

  4. 4 years

  5. None of these

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

At marriage, average age of husband and wife was 25 years, so total age was 50 years. Son was born 2 years after marriage. Present average age of all three is 24 years, so total present age is 72 years. Let t be years since marriage. Present ages: husband's age + wife's age + son's age = (50 - 2t for parents combined) + (t - 2) for son = 48 - t + t - 2 = 46. Wait, let me recalculate: if t years have passed since marriage, husband and wife are now (h + t) and (w + t), son is (t - 2). Total: h + w + 2t + t - 2 = 50 + 3t - 2 = 48 + 3t = 72. Therefore 3t = 24, so t = 8 years. Since 8 is not among options 6, 5, 9, or 4, option E (None of these) is correct.