Final answer:
By setting up a proportion based on the given information that three bags of salad serve 5 people, we find that 24 bags of salad will serve 40 people.
Step-by-step explanation:
If three bags of salad serve 5 people, we need to determine how many people can be served by 24 bags of salad. To do this, we set up a proportion where 3 bags serve 5 people, and we want to find the number of people served by 24 bags.
We can set up the proportion as follows:
3 bags / 5 people = 24 bags / x people
Now, we cross-multiply to solve for x:
3x = 5 × 24
x = (5 × 24) / 3
x = 120 / 3
x = 40
So, 24 bags of salad will serve 40 people. Thus, the correct answer is option b. 40 people.