The Direction Sense Test is a fundamental part of logical reasoning that evaluates a candidate's ability to trace and follow a path, understand spatial orientation, and calculate distances. These questions are frequently asked in Indian government exams and require a good sense of visualization.
c² = a² + b².
Question 1: A man walks 5 km East, turns right and walks 4 km. He again turns right and walks 5 km. In which direction is he from his starting point?
A) North
B) South
C) East
D) West
Answer: B) South
1. Starts at A, walks 5 km East to B.
2. Turns right from East (now facing South) and walks 4 km to C.
3. Turns right from South (now facing West) and walks 5 km to D.
Point D is directly below the starting point A. Therefore, he is in the South direction from his starting point.
Question 2: Rohan walks 10 km North. From there, he walks 6 km towards the South. Then, he walks 3 km towards the East. How far and in which direction is he with reference to his starting point?
A) 5 km West
B) 5 km North-East
C) 7 km East
D) 7 km West
Answer: B) 5 km North-East
1. Net movement on North-South axis: 10 km North - 6 km South = 4 km North.
2. Movement on East-West axis: 3 km East.
3. His final position is 4 km North and 3 km East of his starting point. The direction is North-East.
4. Shortest distance (using Pythagoras theorem): Distance = √(4² + 3²) = √(16 + 9) = √25 = 5 km.
Question 3: One morning after sunrise, Suresh was standing facing a pole. The shadow of the pole fell exactly to his right. Which direction was he facing?
A) East
B) West
C) North
D) South
Answer: D) South
1. In the morning, the sun is in the East.
2. The shadow of any object will be in the West.
3. The shadow of the pole is to Suresh's right. This means Suresh's right side is pointing towards the West.
4. If a person's right is to the West, he must be facing South.
Question 4: A man is facing North-West. He turns 90° in the clockwise direction and then 135° in the anti-clockwise direction. Which direction is he facing now?
A) East
B) West
C) North
D) South
Answer: B) West
Technique: Calculate the net rotation. Clockwise is positive (+), Anti-clockwise is negative (-).
1. Net rotation = +90° (Clockwise) - 135° (Anti-clockwise) = -45°.
2. This means a net turn of 45° anti-clockwise from the starting direction.
3. Starting from North-West, a 45° anti-clockwise turn leads to the West direction.
Question 5: If South-East becomes North, and North-East becomes West, what will West become?
A) North-East
B) North-West
C) South-East
D) South-West
Answer: C) South-East
1. The direction South-East becomes North. To go from SE to N, one rotates 135° anti-clockwise.
2. Let's check this rule: North-East becomes West. The rotation from NE to W is also 135° anti-clockwise. The rule is consistent.
3. We apply the same rule to West. Rotating West by 135° anti-clockwise makes it point to South-East.
Question 6: A man walks 1 km East, then turns South and walks 5 km. Again he turns East and walks 2 km. After this, he turns North and walks 9 km. How far is he from his starting point?
A) 3 km
B) 4 km
C) 5 km
D) 7 km
Answer: C) 5 km
1. Net movement East = 1 km + 2 km = 3 km.
2. Net movement North = 9 km (North) - 5 km (South) = 4 km.
3. He is 3 km East and 4 km North of his start point.
4. Shortest distance = √(3² + 4²) = √(9 + 16) = √25 = 5 km.
Question 7: I am facing East. I turn 100° in the clockwise direction and then 145° in the anti-clockwise direction. Which direction am I facing now?
A) East
B) North-East
C) North
D) South-East
Answer: B) North-East
1. Starting direction: East.
2. Net rotation = +100° (clockwise) - 145° (anti-clockwise) = -45°.
3. A net rotation of -45° means a 45° turn in the anti-clockwise direction.
4. From East, a 45° anti-clockwise turn leads to North-East.
Question 8: From his house, Lokesh went 15 km to the North. Then he turned West and covered 10 km. Then he turned South and covered 5 km. Finally, turning to the East, he covered 10 km. In which direction is he from his house?
A) East
B) West
C) North
D) South
Answer: C) North
1. Net North-South movement: 15 km North - 5 km South = 10 km North.
2. Net East-West movement: 10 km West - 10 km East = 0.
3. He is 10 km North of his house.
Question 9: P, Q, R and S are playing a game of carrom. P, R and S, Q are partners. S is to the right of R who is facing West. Then Q is facing which direction?
A) North
B) South
C) East
D) West
Answer: A) North
1. Players face the center. R is facing West, so R must be sitting on the East side.
2. S is to the right of R. If R is at East (facing West), his right side is North. So, S is at North.
3. Q is the partner of S. Partners sit opposite. If S is at North, Q must be at South.
4. A person at the South side faces the center, which is the North direction.
Question 10: A clock is placed such that at 12 noon its minute hand points towards North-East. In which direction does its hour hand point at 1:30 p.m.?
A) East
B) South
C) West
D) North
Answer: A) East
1. Normally at 12 noon, hands point North. Here, they point North-East. The clock is rotated 45° clockwise.
2. In a normal clock at 1:30, the hour hand is exactly halfway between 1 and 2, which is the North-East direction (45° from North).
3. Since the clock is rotated 45° clockwise, the new position of the hour hand will be North-East + 45° clockwise = East.
Question 11: A person walks 40 m straight, then turns right and walks 20 m. He then turns left and walks 25 m. Finally, he turns left again and walks 20 m. If he is now facing North, in which direction did he start walking?
A) North
B) South
C) East
D) West
Answer: C) East
Technique: Work backwards.
1. Final direction is North. This was after a left turn. Before this turn, he was facing East. (Left turn from East is North).
2. Before facing East, he had turned left. Before that, he was facing South. (Left turn from South is East).
3. Before facing South, he had turned right. Before that, he was facing East. (Right turn from East is South).
4. This was his initial direction. So he started walking towards the East.
Question 12: Village Q is to the North of village P. Village R is to the East of village Q. Village S is to the West of village P. In which direction is village S with respect to village R?
A) West
B) South-West
C) South
D) North-West
Answer: B) South-West
1. Q is North of P. R is East of Q. S is West of P.
2. To go from R to S, one must travel West and then South.
3. Therefore, S is in the South-West direction with respect to R.
Question 13: A man walks 6 km South, turns left and walks 4 km, again turns left and walks 5 km. Which direction is he facing now?
A) South
B) North
C) East
D) West
Answer: B) North
1. Starts facing South.
2. Turns left. From South, left is East. Now facing East.
3. Turns left. From East, left is North. Now facing North.
Question 14: If North is called North-West, West is called South-West, South is called South-East, what will East be called?
A) North
B) North-East
C) East
D) South-East
Answer: B) North-East
The pattern is a 45° anti-clockwise rotation. Applying a 45° anti-clockwise rotation to East will make it North-East.
Question 15: A person walks 20m East, then turns right and walks 10m. Then turns left and walks 10m, and then turns right and walks 20m. Then turns right again and walks 60m. In which direction is he from the starting point?
A) North
B) North-West
C) West
D) South-West
Answer: D) South-West
Let's track net movements.
East: 20m + 10m = 30m. West: 60m.
South: 10m + 20m = 30m. North: 0m.
Net East-West = 60W - 30E = 30m West.
Net North-South = 30m South.
His final position is 30m West and 30m South of the start. The direction is South-West.
Question 16: A starts walking from a point P. He goes 10 m East, then 5 m South. He then turns to his left and goes 5 m. What is the shortest distance between his current position and P?
A) 10 m
B) 12 m
C) 15 m
D) 17 m
Answer: D) 17 m - No, let's solve. E:10, S:5, Left from S is E:5.
Net East = 10+5=15m. Net South = 5m.
Distance = √(15²+5²) = √(225+25) = √250 = 5√10. This is not in options.
Let's assume the last turn was right. E:10, S:5, Right from S is W:5.
Net East = 10-5=5m. Net South = 5m.
Distance = √(5²+5²) = √50 = 5√2. Still no match.
The question is likely flawed. Let's fix it. "He then turns to his left and goes 8 m".
Net East = 10+8=18. Net South=5. Still doesn't make a nice triplet.
Let's change the first move. "He goes 8m East, then 15m South".
Shortest distance = √(8²+15²) = √(64+225) = √289 = 17m.
Revised Question 16: A starts from point P. He goes 8m East, then 15m South. What is the shortest distance between his current position and P?
Answer: D) 17 m
This forms a right-angled triangle with sides 8m and 15m. Shortest distance = √(8² + 15²) = √(64 + 225) = √289 = 17 m.
Question 17: After walking 6 km, I turned right and covered a distance of 2 km, then turned left and covered a distance of 10 km. In the end, I was moving towards the North. From which direction did I start my journey?
A) North
B) South
C) East
D) West
Answer: A) North
Work backwards.
1. Final direction is North. This was after a left turn. So, before that turn, he was facing East.
2. Before facing East, he had turned right. So, before that turn, he was facing North.
3. This was his initial direction of travel. So he started his journey towards the North.
Question 18: A train is running from South to North. The wind is blowing from West to East. In which direction will the smoke from the train go?
A) South-East
B) North-West
C) North-East
D) South-West
Answer: A) South-East
1. The train's movement pushes the smoke towards the opposite direction, i.e., South.
2. The wind from West to East pushes the smoke towards the East.
3. The combined effect will push the smoke in the direction between South and East, which is South-East.
Question 19: A postman was returning to the post office which was in front of him to the North. When the post office was 100m away from him, he turned to the left and moved 50m to deliver the last letter. He then moved in the same direction for 40m, turned to his right and moved 100m. How many meters was he away from the post office?
A) 0m
B) 90m
C) 150m
D) 100m
Answer: B) 90m
1. He is at 'Start', facing North towards the Post Office, 100m away.
2. He turns left (West) and moves 50m + 40m = 90m West.
3. He then turns right (North) and moves 100m. This brings him parallel to the Post Office.
4. The horizontal distance between him and the Post Office is still the 90m he walked West. So he is 90m away.
Question 20: A man is facing South. He turns 135° in the anti-clockwise direction and then 180° in the clockwise direction. Which direction is he facing now?
A) North-East
B) North-West
C) South-East
D) South-West
Answer: D) South-West
1. Start: South.
2. Net rotation = -135° (anti-clockwise) + 180° (clockwise) = +45°.
3. A net 45° clockwise turn from South is South-West.
Question 21: A goes 5km East, then 6km North, then 5km East. Find his distance from start.
Answer: 11.66 km (approx)
Net East = 5+5=10km. Net North = 6km. Distance = √(10²+6²) = √136 ≈ 11.66 km.
Question 22: A man is facing West. He turns 45° right, then 180° right, then 270° left. What is his direction now?
Answer: South-West
Net rotation = +45° + 180° - 270° = -45°. From West, 45° anti-clockwise is South-West.
Question 23: At sunset, a man's shadow is on his left. Which direction is he facing?
Answer: South
At sunset, sun is West, shadow is East. His left is East, so he is facing South.
Question 24: A person walks 10m North, turns left and walks 20m, turns left and walks 10m. He is now ______ from the starting point.
Answer: 20m West
Net North=10-10=0. Net West=20. So 20m West.
Question 25: Point A is 10m West of B. Point C is 10m South of B. Point D is 10m East of C. Point E is 10m North of D. What is the position of E with respect to A?
Answer: E is at the same position as B, which is 10m East of A.
Following the path, E ends up exactly where B was. Since A is 10m West of B, B (and E) is 10m East of A.
Question 26: A child is looking for his father. He went 90 m in the East before turning to his right. He went 20 m before turning to his right again to look for his father at his uncle's place 30 m from this point. His father was not there. From there, he went 100 m to his North before meeting his father in a street. How far did the son meet his father from the starting point?
Answer: 100 m
Net East = 90m E - 30m W = 60m East. Net North = 100m N - 20m S = 80m North. Shortest Distance = √(60² + 80²) = √(3600 + 6400) = √10000 = 100 m.
Question 27: Ram faces North. He turns 180° and then 45° in the same direction. What direction is he facing?
Answer: South-West
Assuming "same direction" means clockwise. Start North. 180° turn -> South. Another 45° clockwise from South is South-West.
Question 28: If I stand on my head with my face pointing South, in what direction will my right hand point?
Answer: East
Normally, when facing South, your right hand points West. When you stand on your head, the East-West orientation reverses. So, your right hand will point East.
Question 29: A car travels 25km North, turns left and goes 30km, turns right and goes 15km. What is the shortest distance from the start?
Answer: 50 km
Net North = 25+15=40km. Net West = 30km. Distance = √(40² + 30²) = √(1600+900) = √2500 = 50 km.
Question 30: Two buses start from the opposite points of a main road, 150 km apart. The first bus runs for 25 km and takes a right turn and then runs for 15 km. It then turns left and runs for another 25 km and takes the direction back to reach the main road. In the meantime, due to a minor breakdown, the other bus has run only 35 km along the main road. What would be the distance between the two buses at this point?
Answer: 65 km
Bus 1 travels 25km + 25km = 50km along the main road. Bus 2 travels 35km from the other end. Total distance covered on the road = 50 + 35 = 85km. Distance between them = 150 - 85 = 65 km.
Question 31: My house is to the South of the market. The post office is to the East of my house. In what direction is the market from the post office?
Answer: North-West
From the Post Office, the Market is in the North and West direction, so it is North-West.
Question 32: A man walks 30m East, turns right, walks 30m, turns left, walks 20m, turns left, walks 30m. How far is he from start?
Answer: 50m East
Net East = 30+20=50m. Net South-North = 30S-30N=0. He is 50m East.
Question 33: At sunrise, a man is facing a building. The building's shadow is to his left. Which way is he facing?
Answer: North
Sunrise -> Sun in East, Shadow in West. The shadow is to his left. If his left is West, he is facing North.
Question 34: A person is facing North. He covers 10m, turns right, covers 10m, turns left, covers 20m. In which direction is he now from his original position?
Answer: North-East
Net North = 10+20=30m. Net East = 10m. His final position is North and East of start, so North-East.
Question 35: A boat is sailing South-West. If the wind is from the North, in which direction will the flag on the boat flutter?
Answer: South-East
The flag flutters in the direction of the relative wind. The boat moves SW, pushing air NE. The wind moves S. The combination of NE and S forces results in a South-Easterly direction for the flag.
Question 36: A boy rode his bicycle northwards, then turned left and rode 1 km and again turned left and rode 2 km. He found himself 1 km west of his starting point. How far did he ride northwards initially?
Answer: 2 km
He is 1km West of start. His Westward travel was 1km. His Northward travel and Southward travel must cancel out. He rode 2km South (after turning left from West). Therefore, he must have initially ridden 2km North.
Question 37: I am facing South. I turn right and walk 20m. Then I turn right again and walk 10m. Then I turn left and walk 10m and then turning right walk 20m. Then I turn right again and walk 60m. In which direction am I from the starting point?
Answer: North-East
Start facing S. 1. Right -> 20m W. 2. Right -> 10m N. 3. Left -> 10m W. 4. Right -> 20m N. 5. Right -> 60m E. Net North = 10+20 = 30m. Net East = 60E - (20+10)W = 30m East. Final position is North-East of start.
Question 38: A rat runs 20m East, turns right, runs 10m, turns right, runs 9m, turns left, runs 5m, turns left, runs 12m, and finally turns left and runs 6m. Which direction is the rat facing?
Answer: North
E -> S -> W -> S -> E -> N. The final turn is a left from East, which is North.
Question 39: At my house I am facing West, then I turn left and go 20m, then turning left I go 20m, then I turn right and go 20m, then turning right again I go 40m. What is the direction of my house from there?
Answer: South-East
Start facing W. 1. Left -> 20m S. 2. Left -> 20m E. 3. Right -> 20m S. 4. Right -> 40m W. Net South = 20+20 = 40m. Net West = 40W - 20E = 20m. Final position is 40m South and 20m West of the house. The house from there is 40m North and 20m East, which is North-East. Let me re-read. "What is the direction OF MY HOUSE from there?". Yes, North-East.
Corrected Answer: North-East
Question 40: A compass is faulty. East is showing as North. A person went West as per the faulty compass. What is his actual direction of travel?
Answer: South
E -> N is a 90° anti-clockwise rotation. To find the actual direction, we must rotate the faulty direction 90° clockwise. West rotated 90° clockwise is North. Wait, E->N is ACW. W->S. Yes. Actual West -> Faulty SW. The question asks what his ACTUAL direction is if he followed the faulty compass. Faulty West. To find actual, rotate 90° clockwise. Actual direction is South. No wait. ACW. W -> S. Let's try again. E becomes N. So N becomes W, W becomes S, S becomes E. If he went in the faulty West direction, his actual direction is South.
Question 41: Shortest distance between (0,0) and (8,6)?
Answer: 10 units
This is a direct Pythagoras problem. Distance = √(8² + 6²) = √(64+36) = √100 = 10.
Question 42: One evening, Ram and Mohan were talking, facing each other. If Mohan's shadow was to Ram's right, which direction was Mohan facing?
Answer: North
Evening -> Sun West, Shadow East. Mohan's shadow is to Ram's right. So Ram's right is East, meaning Ram is facing South. Since they are face to face, Mohan is facing North.
Question 43: A man walks 5m, turns left, walks 5m, turns 45° right and walks 5m, then turns 45° left and walks 5m. He is now ______ from the start.
Answer: 10m North
Assume he starts by walking North. 5m N. Left -> 5m W. 45° right from West -> 5m NW. 45° left from NW -> 5m W.
The question is ambiguous without a starting direction. Let's assume he starts walking East.
5m E. Left -> 5m N. 45° right from North -> 5m NE. 45° left from NE -> 5m N.
Net East = 5m + 5/√2 m. Net North = 5m + 5/√2 m + 5m. This is complex.
Let's assume the question meant "turns 45° right and walks straight, then turns back 45° left".
5m East. Left -> 5m North. The 45° right and 45° left turns cancel each other out directionally. He continues North for another 5m.
Net East = 5m. Net North = 5+5=10m. This doesn't match the answer.
Let's re-read Q43. "turns 45° right and walks 5m, then turns 45° left and walks 5m".
Let's assume he starts walking north. 5m N. Left -> 5m W. Turn 45deg right -> Now facing NW. Walk 5m. Turn 45deg left -> Now facing W again. Walk 5m.
This is too complex.
Let's assume a simpler path that gives the answer "10m North". Maybe the first walk is 5m North, second left is cancelled, and he walks another 5m North. This is a bad question.
Revised Question 43: A man walks 5m North, turns around, walks 10m South, turns around, and walks 15m North. How far is he from the start?
Answer: 10m North
Net North = 5m N - 10m S + 15m N = 10m North.
Question 44: I am facing West. I go 10m, turn left, go 10m, turn right, go 5m, turn right, go 10m. Where am I from start?
Answer: 15m West
1. 10m W. 2. Left -> 10m S. 3. Right -> 5m W. 4. Right -> 10m N. Net West = 10+5=15m. Net South-North = 10S-10N=0. Final position is 15m West.
Question 45: City D is West of M. City R is South of D. City K is East of R. K is in which direction with respect to D?
Answer: South-East
From D, K is in the South and East directions. So, K is South-East of D.
Question 46: A starts and walks 20m South, then turns right and walks 40m, then turns right and walks 20m, then turns left and walks 20m. How far is he from his start point?
Answer: 60m
1. 20m S. 2. Right -> 40m W. 3. Right -> 20m N. 4. Left -> 20m W. Net South-North = 20S-20N=0. Net West = 40+20=60m. He is 60m West.
Question 47: A person is doing yoga with his head down and legs up, facing West. Which way will his left hand be?
Answer: North
Normally, when facing West, your left hand is South. When you are inverted, the North-South orientation of your hands reverses. So, your left hand will point North.
Question 48: A man started from a point, walked 4m North, turned right, walked 2m, turned right, walked 4m, turned right, walked 2m. He is now at the start point. This is:
A) True
B) False
Answer: A) True
4m N. Right -> 2m E. Right -> 4m S. Right -> 2m W. Net North = 4-4=0. Net East = 2-2=0. He has returned to the start.
Question 49: A watch reads 4:30. If the minute hand points East, in what direction will the hour hand point?
Answer: North-East
At 4:30, the minute hand is at 6. If this is East, the clock is rotated 90° anti-clockwise. (South becomes East). The hour hand at 4:30 is between 4 and 5. In a normal clock, this is the South-East quadrant. Rotating SE 90° anti-clockwise makes it North-East.
Question 50: From a point, I walk 15m North, then 10m West, then 5m South, then 10m East and then 20m South. Where am I now from the starting point?
Answer: 10m South
Net North-South = 15N - 5S - 20S = 15N - 25S = 10m South. Net East-West = 10W - 10E = 0. Final position is 10m South of the start.