If ‘A’ stands for ‘÷’, ‘B’ stands for ‘×’, ‘C’ stands for ‘+’ and ‘D’ stands…
2025
If ‘A’ stands for ‘÷’, ‘B’ stands for ‘×’, ‘C’ stands for ‘+’ and ‘D’ stands for ‘−’, what will come in place of the question mark ‘?’ in the following equation?
3 B 24 A 36 D 39 C 31 = ?
Answer: D. −6 — ConceptIn symbol-based mathematical operations, each letter is first replaced by its assigned arithmetic operator. The resulting expression is then evaluated…
- A.
−8
- B.
−4
- C.
−7
- D.
−6
Attempted by 35 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
In symbol-based mathematical operations, each letter is first replaced by its assigned arithmetic operator. The resulting expression is then evaluated using the standard order of operations: multiplication and division before addition and subtraction, with equal-precedence operations performed from left to right.
Application
Use the given substitutions: A = ÷, B = ×, C = +, and D = −.
Replace the letters in 3 B 24 A 36 D 39 C 31 to obtain 3 × 24 ÷ 36 − 39 + 31.
Evaluate multiplication and division from left to right: 3 × 24 = 72, then 72 ÷ 36 = 2.
The expression is now 2 − 39 + 31.
Evaluate addition and subtraction from left to right: 2 − 39 = −37, then −37 + 31 = −6.
Cross-check
The final two terms give a net change of −39 + 31 = −8. Applying this to the earlier value 2 gives 2 + (−8) = −6, which matches the step-by-step evaluation.
Result
Therefore, the value represented by the question mark is −6.