SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 14 September 2025, Shift 2 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 3 of 100

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 11 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. From 2025 the candidate response sheet prints every question and option as a picture, so the text here is transcribed from those pictures for this shift and checked against them independently; where the layout carries meaning, the picture is shown as well. Each answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. SSC released a tentative key for challenge and later its final one, both only to candidates behind a login, and the sheet does not say which of the two it carries. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

If '÷' means '+', '−' means '×', '+' means '−' and, '×' means '÷', then which of the following equations is CORRECT?

(a)42 × 28 − 30 ÷ 48 + 45 = 45
(b)42 × 28 − 30 ÷ 48 + 45 = 40
(c)42 × 28 − 30 ÷ 48 + 45 = 50
(d)42 × 28 − 30 ÷ 48 + 45 = 48

Answer

Why

Correct — D.
Rule: swap each sign for its meaning, then apply BODMAS.

42 × 28 − 30 ÷ 48 + 45 becomes 42 ÷ 28 × 30 + 48 − 45.

Divide: 42 ÷ 28 = 1.5
Multiply: 1.5 × 30 = 45
Add: 45 + 48 = 93
Subtract: 93 − 45 = 48 → option (d).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
42 × 28 − 30 ÷ 48 + 45 = 45 — 45 is the running value after 42 ÷ 28 × 30. The + 48 and − 45 still have to be applied, and they take it to 48.
(b)
42 × 28 − 30 ÷ 48 + 45 = 40 — 40 is not what the left side gives. After substitution it works out to 93 − 45 = 48, so this equation is false by 8.
(c)
42 × 28 − 30 ÷ 48 + 45 = 50 — 50 misses by 2. The substituted left side ends 93 − 45 = 48.

Concept

A sign-substitution item gives a code for the four operators. Rewrite the whole expression with the real signs first, and only then calculate, using BODMAS: division and multiplication before addition and subtraction, each pair worked left to right.

Here all four options have the same left side, so one evaluation settles them. The option whose right side equals that value is the true equation.

The code runs one way: the sign printed in the equation is replaced by the sign it 'means'. So the '×' in the equation becomes '÷', and the '÷' becomes '+'.

Key facts

The code here is ÷ → +, − → ×, + → − and × → ÷.
Division and multiplication share a rank and are worked left to right: 42 ÷ 28 × 30 = 45.
The substituted expression 42 ÷ 28 × 30 + 48 − 45 equals 48.

Study next

Sign-interchange items: which two signs must be swapped to make an equation trueSymbol-substitution items that ask for a value rather than a true equationBODMAS when a division gives a decimal part-way through the chain

Common traps

Reading the code backwards, so the '+' in the equation becomes '÷' instead of '−'
Stopping at 45 after the multiplication, which is itself an option

15 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.24 asks the same 'which equation is correct?' question, but each option there has its own left side, so each must be worked (keyed 16 / 2 + 4 − 1 × 3 = 6).

14 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.24 uses a sign code to ask for a value instead: 20 + 5 × 2 − 10, keyed 99.8.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Numerical Operations — all 92 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.