SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 16 September 2025, Shift 1 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 22 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 13 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 ‘×’ = ‘+’, ‘+’ = ‘−’, ‘−’ = ‘÷’, ‘÷’ = ‘×’, which equation is correct?

(a)10 + 2 × 2 − 4 = 10
(b)14 ÷ 2 − 2 + 4 = 10
(c)12 × 2 + 4 − 1 = 27
(d)8 + 4 − 2 × 1 = 10

Answer

Why

Correct — B.
Rule: replace each printed sign by its meaning: × → +, + → −, − → ÷, ÷ → ×.

14 ÷ 2 − 2 + 4
→ 14 × 2 ÷ 2 − 4

Multiply, then divide: 14 × 2 = 28, 28 ÷ 2 = 14
Subtract: 14 − 4 = 10 ✓ → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
10 + 2 × 2 − 4 = 10 — After the swap it reads 10 − 2 + 2 ÷ 4. BODMAS divides first, 2 ÷ 4 = 0.5, so the left side is 8.5, not 10.
(c)
12 × 2 + 4 − 1 = 27 — After the swap it reads 12 + 2 − 4 ÷ 1 = 10. The left side works out to 10, but this equation claims 27.
(d)
8 + 4 − 2 × 1 = 10 — After the swap it reads 8 − 4 ÷ 2 + 1. Dividing first, 4 ÷ 2 = 2, gives 8 − 2 + 1 = 7, not 10.

Concept

In a which-equation-is-correct item, substitute the signs in every option and evaluate each left side by BODMAS. Only then compare it with the right side.

Read the key in one direction: the sign printed before each '=' is replaced by the sign after it. So a printed ÷ is worked as ×.

Read backwards, the key would turn 14 ÷ 2 − 2 + 4 into 14 − 2 + 2 × 4 = 20, which is not 10.

Key facts

'÷' = '×' here means a printed ÷ is worked as ×.
After the swap, 14 ÷ 2 − 2 + 4 reads 14 × 2 ÷ 2 − 4 = 10.
BODMAS takes division and multiplication, left to right, before addition and subtraction.

Study next

Finding which two signs to interchange to make an equation trueSymbol substitution with a single expression to evaluateBODMAS with a division that leaves a fraction

Common traps

Reading the key backwards, so that a printed + becomes ×
Stopping at 12 × 2 + 4 − 1 because its left side comes to 10, without noticing it claims 27

10 Sep 2024, 09:00, Reasoning Q.16 turns the frame around: 18 − 23 × 455 ÷ 7 + 28 = 377 is made true by interchanging − and ×, which gives 414 − 65 + 28 = 377.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Numerical Operations — all 148 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.