Six painters could paint a building in 10 days. After 4 days, 2 painters leave. The remaining painters work at the same rate. How many days in total does the job take?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. 13

  1. Step 1: The job is 6 × 10 = 60 painter-days. Step 2. After 4 days, 24 painter-days are done and 36 remain. Step 3. 4 painters finish 36 painter-days in 9 days, so the total is 4 + 9 = 13 days. Answer: 13. Why not the others: 9: This is the number of days after the painters leave, not the total. 10: This ignores the painters who left. 16: This assumes 3 painters finish the remaining work, 12 days, after the first 4 days.

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