A man walks down the backside of his house straight 25 metres, then turns to the right and walks 50 metres again; then he turns towards left and again walks 25 metres. If his house faces to the East, what is his direction from the starting point?
- (a) South-East
- (b) South-West
- (c) North-East
- (d) North-West ✓ UPSC's answer
Why the answer is (d)
• The house faces East, so the backside of the house faces West.
• Walking straight 25 metres from the backside means moving 25 metres West.
• Turning right from a Westward direction results in facing North; walking 50 metres moves him 50 metres North.
• Turning left from a Northward direction results in facing West; walking 25 metres moves him another 25 metres West.
• The final position is 50 metres West and 50 metres North of the starting point, which corresponds to the North-West direction.
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) South-East
- South-East implies movement towards the front and right of the house, whereas the man moved away from the house and to the left.
- (b) South-West
- South-West implies movement towards the back and left of the house, but the man moved North (right turn from West) after the initial Westward movement.
- (c) North-East
- North-East implies movement towards the front and left of the house, but the man remained on the backside (West) and never moved East.
Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2020, held on 4 October 2020. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.