Answer
$(4^2+2)*3=54$
Work Step by Step
$(4^2+2)=18$
$18*3=54$
The Order of Operations is as follows (top to bottom in order of priority).
Parentheses
Exponents
Multiplication/Division
Addition/Subtraction
The proposed answer solves this because the parentheses allow you to focus on the $4^2+2$, multiplying $3$ by the resulting $18$.
