Multiple choice

The sum of ages of two brothers two years agowas 40 years. The ratio of their ages after four yearswould be 8: 5. Find their present ages.

  1. 24 years and 12 years

  2. 32 years and 22 years

  3. 36 years and 24 years

  4. 28 years and 16 years

  5. 20 years and 8 years
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Two years ago, the brothers' total age was 40, so their present total is 44 and their total after four years is 52. If their ages then were 8k and 5k, 13k = 52 gives k = 4. Their present ages were therefore 28 and 16 years.

AI explanation

The sum of the present ages of the two brothers is 40 plus 4, which is 44 years. Let their present ages be 8x and 5x; after 4 years, their ages will be 8x plus 4 and 5x plus 4. According to the given ratio, (8x + 4) divided by (5x + 4) equals 8 divided by 5, so 40x + 20 equals 40x + 32, which is mathematically unsolvable for a valid age. Working backwards from the sum of 44, option D provides present ages of 28 and 16, which sum to 44 and correctly yield a ratio of 32 to 20, or 8 to 5, after 4 years.

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