Answer:
12
Step-by-step explanation:
We will Let X to denote the number of years for which the first life survives; and
Y will denote the number of years for which the second life survives.
Being that we are given the following details about X and Y:
Var(X) = 2; Var(Y) = 10; X and Y are assumed independent.
Thus, the variance of the total number of years that this couple survives is given by:
Var(X+Y) = Var(X) + Var(Y) [The covariance term vanishes because X and Y are independent]
= 2 + 10
= 12