SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 19 September 2025, Shift 1 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 8 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.

Which two signs should be interchanged to make the given equation CORRECT? 97 × 23 − 18 + 9 ÷ 3 = 66

(a)× and +
(b)× and ÷
(c)÷ and −
(d)+ and −

Answer

Why

Correct — A.
Rule: swap the pair, then solve with BODMAS (× and ÷ before + and −).

Swap × and +: 97 + 23 − 18 × 9 ÷ 3
18 × 9 = 162, and 162 ÷ 3 = 54
97 + 23 = 120
120 − 54 = 66, the right-hand side → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
× and ÷ — × and ÷ gives 97 ÷ 23 − 18 + 9 × 3. 97 ÷ 23 is not even a whole number, and the total is about 13.2, not 66.
(c)
÷ and − — ÷ and − keeps 97 × 23 = 2231: 2231 ÷ 18 + 9 − 3 comes to about 129.9, nowhere near 66.
(d)
+ and − — + and − also keeps 97 × 23 = 2231, giving 2231 + 18 − 3 = 2246. The product has to be broken up to reach 66.

Concept

Sign-swap items give an equation that is false as printed and ask which two signs to exchange. For each pair, rewrite the left side with the two signs exchanged, solve with BODMAS, and compare with the right side.

A quick filter saves time. As printed, 97 × 23 = 2231 already dwarfs 66. Options (c) and (d) leave that product in place, so start with the swaps that move the ×.

The swap that works moves the × onto 18 and 9. Their product, 162, is divided by 3 and subtracted, which is how the left side falls from 2216 as printed to 66.

Key facts

BODMAS: × and ÷ come before + and −, and each pair is worked left to right.
As printed, the left side is 2231 − 18 + 3 = 2216.
After swapping × and +, 18 × 9 ÷ 3 = 54 and 97 + 23 − 54 = 66.

Study next

Interchanging two numbers, not signs, to balance an equationFinding the value after a stated set of sign interchangesSign-meaning codes, such as '+' means '×'

Common traps

Working left to right without BODMAS: 97 + 23 − 18 = 102, then × 9 ÷ 3 gives 306, and option (a) looks wrong
Testing a swap against the printed value 2216 instead of rewriting the expression

10 Sep 2024, 09:00, Reasoning Q.16 asks the same: 18 − 23 × 455 ÷ 7 + 28 = 377 balances when − and × swap, giving 18 × 23 − 455 ÷ 7 + 28.

24 Sep 2024, 12:30, Reasoning Q.5 balances 29 × 145 + 5 − 640 ÷ 15 = 216 by swapping ÷ and +.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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