In the following coded arithmetic expression, "S" denotes "multiplied by", "V" denotes "subtracted from", "M" denotes "added to" and "L" denotes "divided by". What is the value of 96 L 8 S 4 V 16 M 9?

Introduction / Context:
This question uses letters to represent arithmetic operations. You are told what each letter stands for and must evaluate the expression accordingly. These problems test basic arithmetic skill and the ability to translate between symbolic and verbal descriptions of operations.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• "S" denotes "multiplied by".
• "V" denotes "subtracted from".
• "M" denotes "added to".
• "L" denotes "divided by".
• Expression: 96 L 8 S 4 V 16 M 9.
• We will treat "subtracted from" as a standard subtraction in left to right evaluation, as is common in such exam questions.

Concept / Approach:
First replace each letter with its corresponding arithmetic symbol to form a standard expression. Then evaluate using the usual precedence rules: perform division and multiplication first, followed by addition and subtraction from left to right. Although the phrase "subtracted from" normally reverses order in English, in many reasoning questions it is simply used to indicate subtraction between terms of the expression.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Decode the expression: 96 L 8 S 4 V 16 M 9 becomes 96 ÷ 8 × 4 - 16 + 9.Step 2: Perform division and multiplication: 96 ÷ 8 = 12 and 12 × 4 = 48.Step 3: Substitute back: 48 - 16 + 9.Step 4: Now calculate from left to right: 48 - 16 = 32.Step 5: Then 32 + 9 = 41.

Verification / Alternative check:
If we had interpreted "subtracted from" as reversing the order of subtraction, we would effectively compute 16 - 48, leading to a negative value which does not match any of the answer choices given. The exam pattern therefore clearly expects the simpler interpretation where "V" is treated as a normal minus sign between adjacent terms. Under this assumption, the result 41 is obtained consistently.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• 32 and 48 correspond to stopping midway through the calculation or omitting the final addition.
• 37 and 39 would require different arithmetic such as mis dividing or mis subtracting.

Common Pitfalls:
The main confusion here is linguistic: "subtracted from" in pure English implies a reversal of order. In such coding questions though, letters are used more mechanically. Another common error is forgetting to carry out division and multiplication before subtraction and addition, which leads to incorrect intermediate values.

Final Answer:
After decoding and evaluating, 96 L 8 S 4 V 16 M 9 equals 41.