SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 21 September 2025, Shift 1 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 4 of 99

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.

Replace special characters with mathematical signs as given in options to make it meaningful equation. 12 $ 4 & 2 = 50

(a)×, +
(b)+, ×
(c)−, ×
(d)÷, +

Answer

Why

Correct — A.
Rule: put the option's first sign in place of $ and its second in place of &, then apply BODMAS.

Option (a): 12 × 4 + 2
Multiply first: 12 × 4 = 48
Then add: 48 + 2 = 50, which matches → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
+, × — 12 + 4 × 2 = 12 + 8 = 20, since the multiplication comes first. Even worked left to right it gives 32, not 50.
(c)
−, × — 12 − 4 × 2 = 12 − 8 = 4. The multiplication is done first, and the result falls far short of 50.
(d)
÷, + — 12 ÷ 4 + 2 = 3 + 2 = 5. Dividing first gives 3, and adding 2 reaches only 5, not 50.

Concept

A symbol-substitution item gives a coded equation and asks which signs make it true. Put each option's signs into the equation in the order listed, then work it out with BODMAS: division and multiplication before addition and subtraction.

Testing the options in turn, 12 × 4 + 2 = 48 + 2 = 50 is the one that balances.

Option (b) holds the same two signs as option (a) in reverse order. Read the first sign as $ and the second as &: reversed, they give 12 + 4 × 2 = 20, not 50.

Key facts

Division and multiplication are done before addition and subtraction (BODMAS).
12 × 4 + 2 = 48 + 2 = 50.
The first sign in an option replaces the first symbol in the equation.

Study next

Symbol substitution with three or four coded symbols in one equationSign-interchange items that swap two signs to balance an equationEquations where two numbers, not digits, are interchanged

Common traps

Working the equation left to right instead of multiplying first
Putting the second sign in place of $, which turns option (a) into option (b)

18 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.7 uses the same wording: 16 # 4 @ 2 = 62, keyed ×, − (option c), since 16 × 4 − 2 = 62.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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