Tom and Jerry have one day to work, but two tasks to focus on: building chairs and tables. If Tom spends all day building chairs, he will make 16 chairs. If he instead devotes his day to building tables, Tom will make 4 tables. If Jerry spends his day building chairs, he will make 14 chairs; if he spends the day building tables, he will make 7 tables. If Tom divides his time evenly between activities and acts efficiently, he will produce:
A) 16 chairs and 4 tables.
B) 12 chairs and 3 tables.
C) 8 chairs and 2 tables.
D) 4 chairs and 3 tables.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If Tom divides his time evenly between building chairs and tables, he will spend half of his day on each task.

Half a day of building chairs produces 8 chairs (half of 16). 
Half a day of building tables produces 2 tables (half of 4).

Jerry's productivity is not relevant since he is not splitting his time between tasks. Therefore, the answer is 8 chairs and 2 tables.

Tom and Jerry Have One Day to Work, but Two