Julia is five years older than her sister Babs, and their ages add up to 31. How old is Babs?

Question

Responses
A 1010
B 1313
C 1616
D 1919
E 2222

Answer 1

Let's denote Babs' age as \( x \). Since Julia is five years older than Babs, her age can be represented as \( x + 5 \).

According to the problem, their ages add up to 31. Therefore, we can write the equation:

\[ x + (x + 5) = 31 \]

Simplifying this, we get:

\[ 2x + 5 = 31 \]

Now, subtract 5 from both sides:

\[ 2x = 26 \]

Next, divide both sides by 2:

\[ x = 13 \]

So, Babs is 13 years old.

Thus, the answer is B 1313.