Twenty years hence Ron will be five times as he was 36 years ago, his present age is:  Ops:   A. 65 years    B. 40 years    C. 48 years    D. 50 years

1. Break Down the Problem

Let Ron's present age be $x$. According to the problem, we have two scenarios:

• Twenty years hence (in the future), Ron's age will be $x + 20$.
• Thirty-six years ago (in the past), Ron's age was $x - 36$.

This results in the equation: $x + 20 = 5(x - 36)$

2. Relevant Concepts

We will use algebra to solve for $x$. We will apply the distributive property and basic algebraic operations to isolate $x$.

3. Analysis and Detail

Start by expanding the equation:

1. Distribute the 5: $x + 20 = 5x - 180$

2. Rearrange to isolate $x$: $20 + 180 = 5x - x \\ 200 = 4x$

3. Divide each side by 4: $x = \frac{200}{4} = 50$

4. Verify and Summarize

To verify, let's check Ron's age:

• Present age: $50$
• Age in 20 years: $50 + 20 = 70$
• Age 36 years ago: $50 - 36 = 14$
• Five times the age 36 years ago: $5 \times 14 = 70$

Both calculations confirm that both expressions for his age match.

Final Answer

Ron’s present age is $\boxed{50}$ years.