The triangles formed by two ladders leaning against a wall are similar. How long is the shorter ladder?

To solve this problem we must use proportions
[tex]\begin{gathered} \text{ }\frac{x}{8}\text{ = }\frac{42}{24} \\ \text{ x = }\frac{8\text{ x 42}}{24} \\ \text{ x = }\frac{336}{24} \\ \text{ x = 14} \end{gathered}[/tex]The length of the shortest ladder is 14.
letter B is the correct answer.