1. The problem is to simplify the expression $7 - 2 \times 6$. 2. According to the order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS), multiplication is performed before subtraction. 3. First, calculate the multiplication part: $2 \times 6 = 12$. 4. Now substitute back into the expression: $7 - 12$. 5. Perform the subtraction: $7 - 12 = -5$. 6. Therefore, the simplified value of the expression $7 - 2 \times 6$ is $-5$.