Sam is 41 and Mala is 37.
Let's invert the teaser and read it like this :
• Sam says I am certainly over 40
• Mala says I am not 38 and you are atmost 4 years older than me
• Now Sam says you are atmost 38
From first statement it is clear that Sam is over 40. Also, from next 2 statements it is clear that Mala is less then 38. Hence the possibilities are :
Sam = 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, ......
Mala = 37, 36, 35, 34, 33, ......
It also says that the difference between their age is maximum 4 years. Hence, there is only one possible pair i.e. 41 and 37, all other combination have differences more then 4.
Hence the answer - Sam is 41 and Mala is 37.
