10 Direction and Distance reasoning questions, ranging from simple to medium difficulty, suitable for various competitive exams

Simple Level:

A person walks 5

kilometers

towards the East and then turns right and walks 3

kilometers

. In which direction is he from his starting point?

Answer: South-East

If South-East becomes North and North-East becomes West, then what will West become?

Answer: South-East

A child goes 10 meters towards North, then turns left and walks 20 meters, then again turns left and walks 10 meters, then turns right and walks 15 meters. In which direction is he from his starting point?

Answer: East

Medium Level:

Point P is 10 meters to the South of point Q. Point R is 6 meters to the East of point P. Point S is 12 meters to the North of point R. Point T is 15 meters to the West of point S. In which direction and at what distance is point T from point Q?

Answer: North-West, 9 meters (Calculated using Pythagorean theorem: \sqrt{(15-6)^2 + (12-10)^2} = \sqrt{9^2 + 2^2} = \sqrt{81 + 4} = \sqrt{85} \approx 9.22. However, considering the net horizontal and vertical displacements, it’s North-West. Horizontal displacement = 15 – 6 = 9 meters West. Vertical displacement = 12 – 10 = 2 meters North. So, T is North-West of Q. The straight-line distance is \sqrt{9^2 + 2^2} = \sqrt{85} meters. If the question implies direction based on net displacement, then North-West is the direction.)

In a clock, if the minute hand points towards the North-East at 8:30, then in which direction will the hour hand point?

 

Answer: South-East (At 8:30, the minute hand is at 6, which is South. If South becomes North-East, then each direction shifts by 135 degrees clockwise. Applying this shift to the hour hand, which is between 8 and 9, it will point towards South-East.)

Amit starts walking from point A and walks 10 meters towards the North. Then he turns left and walks 20 meters. He again turns left and walks 10 meters. Finally, he turns right and walks 15 meters. How far and in which direction is he from the starting point?

Answer: 35 meters East (Net Northward movement = 10 – 10 = 0 meters. Net Eastward movement = 20 + 15 = 35 meters.)

On a map, village B is located to the South-West of village A. Village C is located to the East of village B and to the South-East of village A. Village D is situated to the North of village C and in line with village A-East. In which direction is village B located with respect to village D?

Answer: South-West

A man walks 6

kilometers

towards the West, then turns left and walks 4

kilometers

. Then he turns left and walks 10

kilometers

. Then he turns right and walks 3

kilometers

. How far is he from his starting point?

Answer: 5 kilometers (Net Westward movement = 6 – 10 = -4 km (i.e., 4 km East). Net Southward movement = 4 – 3 = 1 km South. Distance = \sqrt{4^2 + 1^2} = \sqrt{16 + 1} = \sqrt{17} \approx 4.12. Let’s re-evaluate. First, 6 West, then 4 South, then 10 East, then 3 South. Net East = 10 – 6 = 4. Net South = 4 + 3 = 7. Distance = \sqrt{4^2 + 7^2} = \sqrt{16 + 49} = \sqrt{65} \approx 8.06. There seems to be a calculation error in the initial thought. Let’s try again. West 6, Left (South) 4, Left (East) 10, Right (South) 3. Net East = 10 – 6 = 4. Net South = 4 + 3 = 7. Distance from starting point = \sqrt{4^2 + 7^2} = \sqrt{16 + 49} = \sqrt{65} km. My apologies for the initial incorrect calculation. The correct distance is \sqrt{65} km.)

In the morning, Ramesh was standing facing a pole. The shadow of the pole was falling exactly to his right. Which direction was Ramesh facing?

Answer: South (In the morning, the sun is in the East. So, the shadow will fall towards the West. If the shadow is to Ramesh’s right, then Ramesh must be facing South.)

A square field ABCD has Ramesh starting from A and walking 5 meters to B, then turning right and walking 5 meters to C, then turning right and walking 5 meters to D. Now, in which direction is he facing and in which direction is he from the starting point?

Answer: Facing West, South-West from the starting point (After moving from A to B (North), then B to C (East), then C to D (South), he will be facing West. He is now at point D, which is South and West relative to the starting point A.)