SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 21 September 2025, Shift 3 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 5 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.

Select the CORRECT sequence of mathematical signs to sequentially replace the A and B to balance the given equation. 15 A 5 B 4 = 35

(a)×, −
(b)÷, −
(c)+, ×
(d)÷, ×

Answer

Why

Correct — C.
Rule: put each option's signs in, then do × and ÷ before + and − (BODMAS).

With A = + and B = ×:
15 + 5 × 4
= 15 + 20
= 35, as required → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
×, − — ×, − gives 15 × 5 − 4 = 75 − 4 = 71, not 35. Multiplying 15 by 5 first makes the total far too large.
(b)
÷, − — ÷, − gives 15 ÷ 5 − 4 = 3 − 4 = −1, not 35. Dividing first shrinks 15 to 3 before 4 is even used.
(d)
÷, × — ÷, × gives 15 ÷ 5 × 4 = 3 × 4 = 12, not 35. Division and multiplication share a rank and run left to right.

Concept

A sign-substitution item gives the numbers and the result and asks for the operators. Put each option's pair of signs into the blanks and evaluate with the order of operations: × and ÷ first, left to right, then + and −.

The order matters here. Under BODMAS, 15 + 5 × 4 is 35; worked strictly left to right it would be (15 + 5) × 4 = 80.

A quick screen helps. Any option that starts with ÷ turns 15 into 3 before the 4 is used, and 3 with 4 cannot reach 35. That leaves options (a) and (c) to evaluate in full.

Key facts

BODMAS: brackets, orders, then division and multiplication, then addition and subtraction.
15 + 5 × 4 = 15 + 20 = 35, not (15 + 5) × 4 = 80.
× and ÷ are worked left to right: 15 ÷ 5 × 4 = 3 × 4 = 12.

Study next

Sign-substitution items with three or four blanksItems where symbols such as # and @ stand for the four operationsInterchanging two signs or two numbers to balance an equation

Common traps

Working left to right without BODMAS, which turns 15 + 5 × 4 into 80
Doing × before ÷ in 15 ÷ 5 × 4, which gives 15 ÷ 20 instead of 12

18 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.7 is the two-sign version with symbols: 16 # 4 @ 2 = 62, keyed ×, − (option c).

25 Sep 2024, 09:00, Reasoning Q.9 has three blanks: 75 _ 3 _ 17 _ 8 = 0, keyed ÷, −, − (option a).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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