Answer:
9
Step-by-step explanation:
The first sentence of the problem can be interpreted two ways. The way that makes the second sentence work out correctly is ...
'a larger number is 5 less than 3 times a smaller number'
Using x for the smaller number, the two equations that can be written are ...
Adding 4 times the first equation to the second, we get ...
4(3x -y) + (x +4y) = 4(5) +(97)
13x = 117 . . . . . simplify
x = 9 . . . . . . . . divide by 13
The smaller number is 9.