What will come in the place of ‘?’ in the following equation, if ‘÷’ and ‘–‘ are interchanged and ‘×’ and ‘+’ are interchanged? 37 ÷ 56 – 7 × 2 + 6 = ?

Correct — A. Interchange the signs first, then apply BODMAS.

Given: 37 / 56 - 7 x 2 + 6
Here / becomes -, - becomes /, x becomes + and + becomes x:
37 - 56 / 7 + 2 x 6

Divide: 56 / 7 = 8
Multiply: 2 x 6 = 12
Combine left to right: 37 - 8 = 29, then 29 + 12 = 41, which is option (a).

Why the others are wrong

• (b)
  55 — No arrangement of the four printed signs across these five numbers returns 55. It is a plausible-looking decoy, not the product of any named slip.
• (c)
  47 — 47 comes from a different placement of the signs, 37 + 56 / 7 x 2 - 6, which is not what interchanging / with - and x with + produces.
• (d)
  37 — 37 simply repeats the first number in the line. No arrangement of the four signs across these numbers returns it either.

Two instructions are stacked here. First rewrite the line with the signs exchanged, then evaluate the rewritten line under BODMAS.

Both swaps happen at once and each sign takes its partner's place: every / becomes -, every - becomes /, every x becomes + and every + becomes x.

After the rewrite, division and multiplication are settled before addition and subtraction, and the surviving addition and subtraction then run left to right: 37 - 8 = 29, then 29 + 12 = 41.

Key facts

• After the interchange the line reads 37 - 56 / 7 + 2 x 6.
• 56 / 7 = 8 and 2 x 6 = 12.
• 37 - 8 + 12 = 41.
• The pairs exchanged here are / with - and x with +, not / with x and + with -.

Common traps

• Using the more familiar division-with-multiplication and plus-with-minus pairing out of habit.
• Evaluating the swapped line strictly left to right.
• Exchanging the signs but also moving the numbers, which the instruction does not license.

No directly related past PYQ was found.