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Answer: (A) M+5
Explanation
In an arithmetic progression, the average of n consecutive terms is the middle value. For five consecutive even numbers, the average M corresponds to the third term. Let the numbers be x, x+2, x+4, x+6, x+8. Thus, M = x+4. When the next five even numbers (x+10, x+12, x+14, x+16, x+18) are included, the set contains ten terms. The average of ten consecutive terms in an arithmetic progression is the mean of the two middle terms, which are the fifth and sixth terms. The fifth term is x+8 and the sixth term is x+10. The new average is ((x+8) + (x+10))/(2) = x+9. Since M = x+4, the new average x+9 can be written as (x+4) + 5, which equals M+5. More generally, for any arithmetic progression with a common difference d, if k subsequent terms are added, the average increases by (k × d)/(2). In this case, d=2 and k=5, leading to an increase of (5 × 2)/(2) = 5.