Look carefully for the pattern, and then choose which pair of numbers comes…
20252024
Look carefully for the pattern, and then choose which pair of numbers comes next.
42 40 38 35 33 31 28
- A.
25 22
- B.
26 23
- C.
26 24
- D.
25 23
Attempted by 146 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Answer: 26 24
Explanation:
Compute the differences between consecutive terms: 42 → 40 (−2), 40 → 38 (−2), 38 → 35 (−3), 35 → 33 (−2), 33 → 31 (−2), 31 → 28 (−3).
Key pattern: the differences repeat in a 3-step cycle: subtract 2, subtract 2, subtract 3.
Apply the cycle to the last term 28: next subtract 2 → 26, then subtract 2 again → 24.
Therefore the next pair of numbers is 26 and 24.