Sujit is three times as old as his son, and his daughter is 3 years younger than the son. If the sum of the ages of these three people 3 years ago from now was 88 years, then Sujit's present age (in years) is

The correct option is 60.

To find Sujit's present age, we can set up an algebraic equation based on the relationships given in the problem.

Step 1: Define the variables for their present ages
Let the present age of the son be $x$ years.
According to the problem:

• Sujit is three times as old as his son, so Sujit's present age is $3x$ years.
• His daughter is 3 years younger than the son, so the daughter's present age is $x-3$ years.

Step 2: Determine their ages 3 years ago
To find their ages 3 years ago, we subtract 3 from each of their present ages:

• Sujit's age 3 years ago: $3x-3$ years
• Son's age 3 years ago: $x-3$ years
• Daughter's age 3 years ago: $(x-3)-3=x-6$ years

Step 3: Set up the sum equation
The sum of their ages 3 years ago was 88 years. We can write this as:
$(3x-3)+(x-3)+(x-6)=88$

Step 4: Solve for $x$
Combine the like terms on the left side of the equation:
$5x-12=88$
Add 12 to both sides of the equation:
$5x=100$
Divide both sides by 5:
$x=20$
So, the son's present age is 20 years.

Step 5: Calculate Sujit's present age
Now, substitute the value of $x$ back into the expression for Sujit's present age:
$3x=3\times 20=60$
Therefore, Sujit's present age is 60 years.