Multiplication and division must be completed before addition and subtraction. 2 + 3 x 7 = 2 + 21 = 23 is the correct answer to the above question.

Do you always have to multiply before adding?

Order of operations tells you to perform multiplication and division first, working from left to right, before doing addition and subtraction.

Why do we multiply before adding?

Students should have answered something in their own words that gets across the concept: Multiplication and division are done before addition and subtraction in order to convert groups of items into subtotals of like items that can be combined for the total.