SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 16 September 2025, Shift 3 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 25 of 75

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 the sum of 11 and 40 is multiplied by 5, what is the result?

(a)240
(b)255
(c)265
(d)270

Answer

Why

Correct — B.
Rule: find the sum first, then multiply it.

Sum: 11 + 40 = 51
Multiply: 51 × 5 = 255 → option (b).

Check by distributing: 11 × 5 + 40 × 5 = 55 + 200 = 255.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
240 — 240 is 48 × 5. It needs the sum to be 48, but 11 + 40 = 51.
(c)
265 — 265 is 53 × 5. It needs a sum of 53, but 11 + 40 = 51.
(d)
270 — 270 is 54 × 5, which needs a sum of 54. The sum is 51, so the product is 255.

Concept

The wording sets the order: the sum of 11 and 40 is multiplied by 5 means (11 + 40) × 5, with the sum in brackets.

Without the brackets, 11 + 40 × 5 would follow BODMAS and give 11 + 200 = 211, a different number. Turning the words into brackets is the step that decides the item.

All four options are multiples of 5 (240 = 5 × 48, 265 = 5 × 53, 270 = 5 × 54), so a divisibility check cannot separate them. The sum has to be right.

Key facts

The sum of a and b multiplied by c is (a + b) × c.
(11 + 40) × 5 = 51 × 5 = 255.
Multiplication distributes over addition: (a + b) × c = a × c + b × c.

Study next

Word statements turned into bracketed expressionsBODMAS with brackets and mixed operatorsQuick multiplication by 5: multiply by 10, then halve

Common traps

Dropping the brackets and computing 11 + 40 × 5 = 211

12 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.25 is the same template: the sum of 28 and 22 multiplied by 8, keyed 400.

18 Sep 2025, 09:00, Reasoning Q.24 asks for the sum of 31 and 19 multiplied by 9, keyed 450.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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