In an office (4) new employees join in the first month and (3) more employees join each next month. How many employees join in (6) months?

Correct answer: 69

The numbers of employees joining each month form an AP: \(4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19\). Here, \(a=4\), \(d=3\), and \(n=6\). Therefore, \(S_6=\frac{6}{2}[2(4)+(6-1)3]=3(23)=69\). Hence, 69 employees join in total. Option 72 can result from using the number of terms or the common difference incorrectly. Exam tip: In AP word problems, identify \(a\), \(d\), and \(n\) before applying the formula for \(S_n\).