Here’s an algebraic solution:
We can write five equations, one for each row, as follows:
M+1+4+G=28
M+3+5+I=28
A+1+3+C=28
A+4+2+I=28
C+5+2+G=28
Now if we add these five equations together, we get:
2M + 2A + 2G + 2I + 2C + 30 = 140
2(M + A + G + I + C) = 110
M + A + G + I + C = 55
Therefore the answer is 55. (Note that I didn’t need to find out what each variable represents)
