Multiple choice

A woman's current age is given by (4r + 3s) years, where her son's age is 'r' years and her daughter's age is 's' years. The son is four years older than the daughter. If the woman's husband is six years older than her and is 43 years old now, calculate the average age of all family members excluding the daughter.

  1. 23

  2. 26

  3. 27

  4. 29

  5. 33
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Son's age r, daughter's age s = r-4. Woman's age = 4r + 3(r-4) = 7r - 12. Husband's age = 43, so woman's age = 43 - 6 = 37. 7r - 12 = 37 => 7r = 49 => r = 7. Son is 7, daughter is 3. Family members excluding daughter: Woman (37), Husband (43), Son (7). Average = (37+43+7)/3 = 87/3 = 29.

AI explanation

Since the husband is 43 and is six years older than the woman, her present age is 37; therefore 4r plus 3s equals 37. The son is four years older than the daughter, so r equals s plus 4, and substituting this into the woman's age equation gives 4 times (s plus 4) plus 3s equals 37, which simplifies to 7s plus 16 equals 37, meaning s equals 3. The daughter is 3, the son is 7, the woman is 37, and the husband is 43; the average age of the family excluding the daughter is the sum of 7, 37, and 43 divided by 3, which is 87 divided by 3, yielding 29.

Keep practicing — related questions