Government of Tamilnadu

Department of Employment and Training

Course : RRB

Subject : Reasoning

Topic : Problem on ages

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 PROBLEMS ON AGES

Age is the time passed since birth. Hence, age clarifies the exact date or year of birth. In
this chapter, questions are based on ages and are mostly compared with age of other persons.
Concepts of relative age i.e, age of two persons like father-daughter, mother-son, uncle-cousin,
or any pair of persons is given. To solve the questions, some clues regarding their ages is given
in the question itself. We need to determine the answer using those clues.

Steps:

If the present age of ‘A’ is ‘x’ years, then

‘n’ years ago => Age of ‘A’ was (x-n) years.

‘n’ years after => Age of ‘A’ will be (x+n) years.

In general, at the starting of the solution we have to assume the present age of one person.

It is better to assume the present age = ‘x’ years.

So its better to assume the age of the younger person = ‘x’ years.

If the present age ‘A’ and ‘B’ are ‘x’ and ‘y’ years respectively, then

‘n’ years ago => Age of ‘A’ and ‘B’ were (x-n) and (y-n) years respectively.

‘n’ years after => Age of ‘A’ and ‘B’ will be (x+n) and (y+n) years respectively.

Examples:

1) Lina got married 8 years ago. Today her age is 9/7 time her age at the time of her
marriage. At present her daughter’s age is 1/6 of her age. What was her daughter’s age 3
years ago?

Answer:

Let’s assume present age of Lina = x yrs.

Hence, x = (x-8) * 9/7 => x=36 years.

So present age of daughter = 1/6 * 36 => 6 years.

3 years age of daughter = 6-3 = 3 years

2) The age of Rahul and Amit are in the ratio of 8:7. After 10 years the ratio of their ages
will be 13:12. What is the difference in years between their ages?

Lets assume the present age of Rahul and Amit = 8x and 7x

After 10 years,

(8x+10)/(7x+10) = 13/12

We get x=2 years.

So difference in age 8x – 7x = 16 – 14 = 2 years.

3) The sum of the ages of a father and son is 45 years. Five years ago, the product of their
ages was four times the father's age at that time. The present age of father and son ?

Let sons age = x years.

Then fathers age = (45 - x)years.
(x—5)(45—x—5) = 4(45- x - 5)
hence (x—5) = 4 so x = 9
Their ages are 36 years and 9 years.

4) The ages of two persons differ by 16 years. 6 years ago, the elder one was 3 times as old
as the younger one. What is the present age of the elder person ?

Let's take the present age of the elder person = x

and the present age of the younger person = x – 16
(x – 6) = 3 (x-16-6)
=> x – 6 = 3x – 66
=> 2x = 60

=> x = 60/2 = 30

5) Sachin was twice as old as Ajay 10 years back. How old is Ajay today if Sachin will be
40 years old 10 years hence ?

Sachin's age today = 30 years.

Sachin's age 10 years back = 20 years.

Ajay's age 10 years back = 10 years.

Ajay's age today =20 years

6) A person's present age is two-fifth of the age of his mother. After 8 years, he will be one-
half of the age of his mother. How old is the mother at present?

Let the mother's present age be x years.

Then, the person's present age = (2/5 x) years.
=> (2/5 x + 8/2) = 1 (x + 8)
=> 2(2x + 40) = 5(x + 8)
=> x = 40

7) A father said to his son, "I was as old as you are at the present at the time of your birth".
If the father's age is 38 years now, the son's age five years back was ?

Let the son's present age be x years. Then, (38 - x) = x

2x = 38.
x = 19.
Son's age 5 years back (19 - 5) = 14 years
 8) The sum of the present ages of a father and his son is 60 years. Six years ago, father's age
was five times the age of the son. After 6 years, son's age will be ?

Let the present ages of son and father be x and (60 -x) years respectively.
Then, (60 - x) - 6 = 5(x - 6)
54 - x = 5x - 30
6x = 84
x = 14.
Son's age after 6 years = (x+ 6) = 20 years.

9) Ayesha's father was 38 years of age when she was born while her mother was 36 years
old when her brother four years younger to her was born. What is the difference between
the ages of her parents?

Mother's age when Ayesha's brother was born = 36 years.

Father's age when Ayesha's brother was born = (38 + 4) years = 42 years.
Required difference = (42 - 36) years = 6 years.

10) The age of father 10 years ago was thrice the age of his son. Ten years hence, father's age
will be twice that of his son. The ratio of their present ages is ?

Let the ages of father and son 10 years ago be 3x and x years respectively.
Then, (3x + 10) + 10 = 2[(x + 10) + 10]
3x + 20 = 2x + 40
x = 20.
Required ratio = (3x + 10) : (x + 10) = 70 : 30 = 7 : 3.

11) Father is four times the age of his daughter. If after 5 years, he would be three times of
daughter’s age, then further after 5 years, how many times he would be of his daughter’s age?

A. 1.5 times

B. 2 times
C. 2.5 times

D. 3 times

Sol : Option C
Let the daughter's age be x and father's age be 4x.
So as per question, 4x + 5 = 3(x + 5). So x = 10.
Hence present age of daughter is 10 years and present age of father is 40 years.
So after 5 + 5 = 10 years, daughter age would be 20 years and father’s age would be 50 years.
Hence father would be 50/20 = 2.5 times of daughter’s age.

12) Nisha is 15 years elder to Romi. If 5 years ago, Nisha was 3 times as old as Romi, then
find Nisha’s present age.
A. 32.5 years
B. 27.5 years
C. 25 years
D. 24.9 years
Sol : Option B
Let age of Romi be ‘y’
Nisha is 15 years elder than Romi = (y + 15). So Nisha's age 5 years ago = (y + 15 – 5).
Romi's age before 5 years = (y – 5)
5 years ago, Nisha is 3 times as old as Romi
(y + 15 – 5) = 3 (y – 5)
(y + 10) = (3y – 15)
2y = 25 ⇒ y = 12.5
Romi's age = 12.5 years
Nisha's age = (y + 15) = (12.5 + 15) = 27.5 years.

13) One year ago, the ratio of Honey and Piyush ages was 2: 3 respectively. After five years
from now, this ratio becomes 4: 5. How old is Piyush now?

A. 5 years
B. 25 years
C. 10 years
D. 15 years
 Sol : Option C
We are given that age ratio of Honey: Piyush = 2: 3
Honey’s age = 2x and Piyush’s age = 3x
One year ago, their age was 2x and 3x.
Hence at present, Honey's age = 2x +1 and Piyush's age = 3x +1
After 5 years, Honey’s age = (2x +1) + 5 = (2x + 6)
Piyush's age = (3x +1) + 5 = (3x + 6)
After 5 years, this ratio becomes 4: 5. Therefore,
(2x+6) / (3x+6) = 4/5
10x + 30 = 12x + 24 ⇒ x = 3
Piyush's present age = (3x + 1) = (3x 3 + 1) = 10 years
Honey's present age = (2x + 1) = (2x 3 + 1) = 7 years

14) The ratio of the present ages of Pranav and Qureshi is 4:5. Five years ago, the ratio of
their ages was 7:9. Find their present ages? (In years)

A. 40, 50

B. 18, 25

C. 40, 60

D. 20, 25

Sol : Option A
Their present ages be 4X and 5X.
5 years ago, the ratio of their ages was 7:9, then (4X - 5) :( 5X - 5) = 7:9
X = 45 - 35 ⇒ X = 10.
Their present ages are: 40, 50.

15) Dinesh is younger to Roshan by 9 years. If their ages are in the respective ratio of 4:5,
how old is Dinesh?

A. 36 years
B. 23years

C. 29 years

D. Cannot be determined

Sol : Option A
Let Roshan's age be x years.
Then, Dinesh 's age = (x - 9) years.
(x - 9)/x = 4/5
x = 45 Hence, Dinesh's age = (x - 9) = 36 years.

16) The ratio of Sara’s age 4 years ago and Vaishali’s age after 4 years is 1: 1. Presently, the
ratio of their ages is 5: 3. Find the ratio between Sara’s age 4 years hence and Vaishali’s age 4
years ago.

A. 1 : 3

B. 3 : 1

C. 4 : 3

D. 3 : 4

Sol : Option B
Currently, the ratio of their ages is 5: 3. Suppose, their ages are: 5x and 3x.
Sara’s age 4 years ago = 5x – 4
Vaishali’s age after 4 years = 3x + 4
Ratio of Sara’s age 4 years ago and Vaishali's age after 4 years is 1 : 1
Therefore,
(5x - 4) / (3x + 4) = 1/1
Solving, we get x = 4
We are required to find the ratio between Sara’s age 4 years hence and Vaishali’s age 4
years ago.
Sara's age: (5x + 4)
Vaishali's age: (3x – 4)
Putting the value of x, we get:
(5x + 4) / (3x - 4) = 3/1 = 3:1