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2023/24 AHSMC Part 1 Problem 2

Problem 2 of 16

Alan, Betty, Cece, and Dale are sharing a box of chocolates. They take turns eating one chocolate at a time, and after eating a chocolate, they pass the box to someone among them (other than themselves) who has eaten the fewest chocolates up to that point. After the box is empty, Alan realizes he has eaten four chocolates. The maximum number of chocolates that could have initially been in the box is

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Solution

The maximum possible is if Alan ate 44 chocolates but Betty, Cece and Dale ate 55 each, giving a total of 1919. This is attainable if, whenever the box is passed, Alan is always chosen last among those who have eaten the fewest. The answer is (C).