Answer :

Sure, let's find the mean of the numbers given: 24, 29, 30, 21, and 26.

1. Sum of the numbers: First, we add all the numbers together.
[tex]\[ 24 + 29 + 30 + 21 + 26 = 130 \][/tex]

2. Number of elements: Next, we count the total number of elements in the list, which are 5 numbers.

3. Calculate the mean: To find the mean, we divide the sum of the numbers by the total number of elements.
[tex]\[ \text{Mean} = \frac{130}{5} = 26 \][/tex]

4. Select the correct answer: Looking at the answer choices provided:
- A) 23
- B) 24
- C) 25
- D) 26

The correct answer is D) 26.

So, the answer is:
[tex]\[ \boxed{26} \][/tex]