WBCS.LIVE practice question

The average age of a committee consisting of 8 members is 40 years. A member aged 55 years retired and was immediately replaced by a new member aged 39 years. What is the new average age of the committee?

Solve this multiple-choice question and check the correct answer with its explanation below.

Answer options

  1. 39 years
  2. 38 years
  3. 37.5 years
  4. 38.5 years

Correct answer and explanation

Correct answer: 38 years

Explanation: ✅ Correct Answer: B) 38 years 📚 Explanation: The outgoing member is 55 years old and the incoming member is 39 years old. This creates a total aggregate drop in the committee's combined age of 55 - 39 = 16 years. Since there are exactly 8 members in the committee, this total drop decreases the overall average by 16 ÷ 8 = 2 years per person. The new average is 40 - 2 = 38 years.