Family ages and birth-time ages: Ravi’s brother is 3 years older than Ravi. His father was 28 when his sister was born; his mother was 26 when Ravi was born. If the sister was 4 years old when the brother was born, find the father’s and mother’s ages respectively when the brother was born.

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: 32 yr and 23 yr

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This timeline problem relates current ages with ages at births. Build ages relative to Ravi and then rewind to the brother’s birth to get the parents’ ages then.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Brother is Ravi + 3.
  • Sister is 4 years older than brother ⇒ Sister = Ravi + 7.
  • Father was 28 when sister was born; mother was 26 when Ravi was born.


Concept / Approach:
Express father and mother’s current ages in terms of Ravi’s current age R, then subtract the elapsed time back to brother’s birth.


Step-by-Step Solution:

Let R = Ravi now. Brother now = R + 3; Sister now = R + 7.Father now = Sister + 28 = (R + 7) + 28 = R + 35.Mother now = Ravi + 26 = R + 26.Brother’s birth was (R + 3) years ago.Father then = (R + 35) − (R + 3) = 32.Mother then = (R + 26) − (R + 3) = 23.


Verification / Alternative check:

All conditions align when ages are reconstructed.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • Other pairs do not satisfy both parent-birth offsets consistently.


Common Pitfalls:

  • Adding instead of subtracting when going back to the birth event.


Final Answer:
32 yr and 23 yr

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