Question

In cross-country, a team's score is the sum of the place numbers of the first five finishers on the team. The captain of a team placed second in a meet. The next four finishers on the team placed in consecutive order. The team score was 40. In what places did the other members finish?

(A) The other members finished in 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th places.
(B) The other members finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th places.
(C) The other members finished in 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th places.
(D) The other members finished in 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th places.

Answer 1

The other members finished in 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th places, as determined by solving the equation for the team score.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the places that the other team members finished, we need to solve the equation sum of place numbers = 40, given that the captain placed second. Let's assume the other members placed in consecutive order after the captain as 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. Therefore, the equation becomes 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 = 20. However, this doesn't equal 40, so this assumption is incorrect. Let's try another assumption. If the other members placed in consecutive order after the captain as 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th, then the equation becomes 2 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 = 42. This also doesn't equal 40, so this assumption is incorrect as well. By process of elimination, we can conclude that the correct answer is (D) The other members finished in 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th places.