Twenty workers can complete a piece of work in 80 days. They worked together for 56 days, and then work stopped for 16 days due t…

Question

Twenty workers can complete a piece of work in 80 days. They worked together for 56 days, and then work stopped for 16 days due to bad weather. How many more men should be employed immediately after the stoppage so that the work is still completed within the original 80 days?

1. A. 60 men
2. B. 40 men (Correct answer)
3. C. 0 men
4. D. 56 men

Correct Answer

Option B — 40 men

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is 40 men.

Key Points

• Total work = 20 workers × 80 days = 1,600 man-days.
• In the first 56 days they complete 20 × 56 = 1,120 man-days, leaving 1,600 − 1,120 = 480 man-days.
• After the 16-day stoppage, the days remaining within the original schedule = 80 − 56 − 16 = 8 days.
• Men required = 480 ÷ 8 = 60, so the additional men needed = 60 − 20 = 40.

Additional Information

• The distractor 60 is the total workforce required, not the extra hires — read the question's wording (*how many more men*) carefully.
• The man-days model assumes every worker contributes equally and that work scales linearly with the number of workers.

*Ministry of Papers worked solution. The Commission has not yet published the official key for this paper; this answer will be reconciled with it on release.*