Final answer:
The statement is true; the age requirement for a Representative is 25 years, and for a Senator, it is 30 years, which adds up to 55 years in total as outlined by the U.S. Constitution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that fifty-five is the sum of the age requirements to be either a Representative or a Senator is true. One must be at least 25 years old to be a Representative and at least 30 years old to be a Senator. When you add these two ages together, the sum is indeed 55 years.
These age requirements were established by the U.S. Constitution, which clearly outlines the minimum ages to serve in Congress. For a Representative, in addition to being 25 years of age, one must have been a citizen of the United States for seven years. For a Senator, the requirements include being at least 30 years old and a nine-year citizenship with the United States. Additionally, both must be inhabitants of the state that they wish to represent at the time of their election.