BECE Mathematics 2010 Paper

Concept:The mangoes are divided in the ratio of their ages, so we simplify $12 : 8$ to $3 : 2$ and then find Esi's proportional share.Explanation:Esi's age is $12$ years and Kwasi's age is $8$ years.Write their ages as a ratio: Esi : Kwasi $= 12 : 8$.Divide both terms by $4$ to simplify: $12 \div 4 = 3$ and $8 \div 4 = 2$.Thus, the simplified ratio is Esi : Kwasi $= 3 : 2$.The total number of parts in the ratio is $3 + 2 = 5$.These $5$ parts represent all $60$ mangoes.So, $1$ part equals $60 \div 5 = 12$ mangoes.Esi's share corresponds to $3$ parts.Therefore, Esi receives $3 \times 12 = 36$ mangoes.Answer:Esi gets $36$ mangoes, which is option C.