Solved Examples Direction Sense - General Intelligence and Reasoning

Rules for Directional Sense Test

Let us check out some rules to solve these questions:

• Always note the initial position and the initial facing direction before following the subsequent moves; this prevents confusion when multiple turns are involved.
• Create a simple diagram (roadmap) on paper or in your mind showing successive moves; keep it small and clear - these questions are usually not complicated and do not require elaborate drawings.
• Direction questions involve two main factors: direction and distance. Distance is often used to distract; mark distances on your diagram so you can focus on relative positions.
• If more than one person or object is involved, label them with distinct letters (A, B, C...) or names alphabetically to avoid mix-ups while tracing moves.
• Be careful with left/right turns: left and right are always relative to the current facing direction. Reflection or shadow-type variations commonly cause confusion between left and right or up and down; always mentally fix the current facing first.

Directional Sense Test Questions and Answers

Q1: Directions (1-3): Study the information carefully and answer the questions given below.
Neeraj starts walking from point M towards east direction to reach N, which is 25m east to M. He then takes a right turn and walks 30 m to reach point O. From O, he takes left turn and walks25m to point P, then again, he takes a left turn and walks 20m to point Q. From Q, he takes a left turn and walks 30m to reach point R. He then takes a right turn and walks 15m to reach S and finally takes a left turn to reach point T, which is 20 m away from S.

Q: In which direction is point N with respect to point R?
(a) North-west
(b) South-east
(c) North
(d) North-east

Ans: (d)

Sol.

Place M at the origin. M → N: 25 m east. N is at (25, 0).

N → O: right turn from east means facing south; O is at (25, -30).

O → P: left turn from south means facing east; P is at (50, -30).

P → Q: left turn from east means facing north; Q is at (50, -10).

Q → R: left turn from north means facing west; R is at (20, -10).

Vector from R to N = (25 - 20, 0 - (-10)) = (5, 10) which points to the north-east direction.

Hence N is to the north-east of R. The correct option is (d).

Q2: Study the information carefully and answer the questions given below.
Neeraj starts walking from point M towards east direction to reach N, which is 25m east to M. He then takes a right turn and walks 30 m to reach point O. From O, he takes left turn and walks25m to point P, then again, he takes a left turn and walks 20m to point Q. From Q, he takes a left turn and walks 30m to reach point R. He then takes a right turn and walks 15m to reach S and finally takes a left turn to reach point T, which is 20 m away from S.
Q: Four of the following five belongs to a group based on their directions find the one that does not belong to that group?
(a) M, S
(b) R, O
(c) N, P
(d) P, Q

Ans: (d)

Sol.

• From the coordinates derived earlier: M at (0,0), N at (25,0), O at (25,-30), P at (50,-30), Q at (50,-10), R at (20,-10), S at (20,5), T at (0,5).
• Check the direction relation for each pair:
• M and S: M (0,0) and S (20,5) are not on the same line and lie in different directions relative to each other.
• R and O: R (20,-10) and O (25,-30) lie in different directions relative to one another.
• N and P: N (25,0) and P (50,-30) lie in different directions relative to each other.
• P and Q: P (50,-30) and Q (50,-10) lie on the same vertical line (same x-coordinate); Q is directly north of P, so they are along the same direction (north-south relation).
• Thus the odd pair which does not fit with the "different directions" pattern is P, Q - option (d).

Q3: Study the information carefully and answer the questions given below.
Neeraj starts walking from point M towards east direction to reach N, which is 25m east to M. He then takes a right turn and walks 30 m to reach point O. From O, he takes left turn and walks25m to point P, then again, he takes a left turn and walks 20m to point Q. From Q, he takes a left turn and walks 30m to reach point R. He then takes a right turn and walks 15m to reach S and finally takes a left turn to reach point T, which is 20 m away from S.
Q: How far is point M from point T?
(a) 15m
(b) 20m
(c) 25m
(d) None of these

Ans: (d)

Sol.

• Using the coordinates already found: M at (0,0) and T at (0,5).
• Distance between M and T = |5 - 0| = 5 m (they lie on the same vertical line and are 5 m apart).
• Since 5 m is not among the given options, the correct choice is (d) None of these.

Q4: Fathers and mothers are made to sit in 5 rows and 5 columns all of them facing North.
P is at the center of the arrangement, L is to the immediate right of P, S is just behind L and W is to the North of P. S is in which direction with respect to W?
(a) South
(b) South-West
(c) North-East
(d) None of these

Ans: (d)

Sol.

• Visualise a 5 × 5 grid with all persons facing north. Place P at the centre cell (row 3, column 3).
• L is immediate right of P → L is at (row 3, column 4).
• S is just behind L. Since everyone faces north, behind means south. So S is at (row 4, column 4).
• W is to the north of P → W is at (row 2, column 3).
  From W (row 2, col 3) to S (row 4, col 4) the movement is two rows down (south) and one column right (east) → this is the south-east direction.

• No option lists south-east, so the correct answer is (d) None of these.

Q5: Ajay started walking straight towards South direction. He walked a distance of 15 m and then took a left turn and walked a distance of 13 m. Then he took a right turn and walked a distance of 15 m again. 'Ajay' is facing which direction now?
(a) North-East
(b) South
(c) North
(d) South-West

Ans: (b)

Sol.

• Ajay starts facing south and walks 15 m (orientation: south).
• Then he takes a left turn. From south, left is east; he walks 13 m (orientation: east).
• Then he takes a right turn. From east, right is south; he walks 15 m (orientation: south).
• Therefore Ajay is facing south after the final move. Correct option: (b).

Methods and Quick Tips

• Work with simple coordinates when a path has many turns: take the starting point as (0,0) and use x for east(+)/west(-), y for north(+)/south(-).
• Remember turn rules: from North - left = West, right = East; from East - left = North, right = South; from South - left = East, right = West; from West - left = South, right = North.
• For grid-seating problems consider rows and columns index changes (row increases downward if you imagine top row = 1). Keep consistent convention.
• If distances cancel or add on the same axis, do the arithmetic on that axis only; final distance often reduces to a single axis difference.
• When options do not include the calculated result, double-check coordinates; if correct, answer will be "None of these".

Summary 

Draw compact diagrams, use coordinates for accuracy, follow turn rules carefully and always check whether the final relation is along the same axis (vertical/horizontal) or diagonal (NE, NW, SE, SW).