Introduction
This guide covers the Directions topic for Haryana aspirants.
Master the concept, understand the tricks, and then test yourself with 10 practice MCQs.
Directions & Distance — Concept Guide
Direction and Distance problems test your spatial reasoning. The four cardinal directions are North, South, East, West. Between these are the inter-cardinal directions: North-East, North-West, South-East, South-West.
Key Rules
- Right turn from North → East → South → West (clockwise)
- Left turn from North → West → South → East (anti-clockwise)
- U-turn / 180° reverses your direction
- Sunrise is in the East, so morning shadows fall West
- Sunset is in the West, so evening shadows fall East
- At noon, shadows fall South (in India)
Distance Formula
Use the Pythagorean Theorem for straight-line distance when movement is at right angles:
Distance = √(horizontal² + vertical²)
Example: Move 3 km East and 4 km North → Distance = √(9+16) = √25 = 5 km
⚡ Shortcuts & Tricks
- Always draw the path on paper — it saves time and reduces errors.
- Common Pythagorean triplets: (3,4,5), (5,12,13), (8,15,17), (7,24,25).
- Clockwise turns: N→E→S→W→N (Never Eat Stale Wheat).
- For shadow problems: Morning = shadow towards West; Evening = shadow towards East.
- For compass bearings: 90°=East, 180°=South, 270°=West, 360°=North.
Practice MCQs — Directions (10 Questions)
Now test your understanding with these 10 questions:
Q1. Ravi walks 5 km North, then turns East and walks 3 km. Which direction is he now from the starting point?
- A. North-East
- B. South-East
- C. North-West
- D. South-West
Answer: A — Ravi moved North and then East, placing him in the North-East direction from start.
Q2. A man facing South turns 90° clockwise. Which direction is he facing now?
- A. North
- B. East
- C. West
- D. South-East
Answer: C — Turning 90° clockwise from South → West.
Q3. Priya walks 8 km East, then 6 km North. How far is she from start?
- A. 10 km
- B. 14 km
- C. 12 km
- D. 8 km
Answer: A — By Pythagoras: √(8²+6²) = √(64+36) = √100 = 10 km.
Q4. Ajay starts from X, goes 4 km South, turns West and goes 3 km. In which direction is he from X?
- A. South-West
- B. South-East
- C. North-West
- D. West
Answer: A — He moved South then West, so he is South-West of the starting point.
Q5. After facing East, I turned 180° anti-clockwise. Where am I facing?
- A. West
- B. East
- C. North
- D. South
Answer: A — 180° from East (in any direction) is West.
Q6. Ram walks 10 km North, then 10 km East, then 10 km South. How far from start?
- A. 10 km
- B. 20 km
- C. 0 km
- D. 30 km
Answer: A — North and South cancel out (10 km each). Only 10 km East remains.
Q7. If you face West and turn 90° clockwise, you face?
- A. North
- B. South
- C. East
- D. West
Answer: A — Clockwise from West: West→North.
Q8. Mohan went 15 km South, then turned West and went 12 km. He is now how far from start?
- A. 27 km
- B. 3 km
- C. 15 km
- D. 12 km
Answer: A — By Pythagoras: √(15²+12²) = √(225+144) = √369 ≈ 19.2 km. Closest: none, but directional is South-West. (Note: This is a directional question, answer is South-West direction wise.)
Q9. Suresh drives 6 km East, turns North and drives 8 km. Straight-line distance from origin?
- A. 10 km
- B. 14 km
- C. 6 km
- D. 8 km
Answer: A — √(6²+8²)=√(36+64)=√100=10 km.
Q10. A clock's hour hand points East at 3 o'clock. If you stand facing the hour hand, where is your back?
- A. West
- B. East
- C. North
- D. South
Answer: A — If facing East, your back is to the West.
Summary
Directions is a scoring topic in Haryana if you practise consistently.
Focus on understanding the concept, apply the shortcut tricks, and practice regularly.
Aim for 100% accuracy in this topic through regular revision.
