Given a math problem with context and a question and 5 answer choices, the task is to provide the correct answer choice based on the problem. You must choose one of the given answer choices by letter: a, b, c, d, or e; anything else is invalid.

[EX Q]: Problem: the mean proportional between 4 and 16 is ?
Options: a. 12, b. 13, c. 14, d. 15, e. 16
[EX A]: e

[EX Q]: Problem: the population of a town increases 25 % and 40 % respectively in two consecutive years. after the growth the present population of the town is 1750. then what is the population of the town 2 years ago ?
Options: a. a. 750, b. b. 800, c. c. 850, d. d. 900, e. e. 950
[EX A]: b

[EX Q]: Problem: the workforce of company x is 60 % female. the company hired 24 additional male workers, and as a result, the percent of female workers dropped to 55 %. how many employees did the company have after hiring the additional male workers ?
Options: a. 160, b. 220, c. 288, d. 360, e. 420
[EX A]:
c