Okay, we are tasked with adding 2161 and 5281. Let's begin!

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 1 & 1 in column 1 and get 2.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 6 & 8 in column 2 and get 14.
We'll write down the last digit 4 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 1 & 2 in column 3 and get 4.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 2 & 5 in column 4 and get 7.

So, 2161 + 5281 = 7442.

