Direction Sense Test

Subject: Mental Ability | Frequency: 1-2 questions per APPSC paper | Time: 45-60 sec/question

Introduction

Direction sense questions test your ability to trace movements on a compass and calculate distances/directions. APPSC favours distance-direction-from-start and shadow-based problems. The net displacement method (add all North, subtract all South, same for East-West) solves most problems in under 45 seconds.

Core Method

1. Draw the compass — North (up), South (down), East (right), West (left)
2. Mark the starting point as origin
3. Trace each movement — draw arrows with distance labels
4. Track turns correctly:
   • Right turn = 90 degrees clockwise
   • Left turn = 90 degrees anticlockwise
   • About turn = 180 degrees
5. Calculate net displacement — add all N, subtract all S; add all E, subtract all W
6. Shortest distance = sqrt(NS_net^2 + EW_net^2) using Pythagoras
7. Determine final direction relative to start

Turn Table (memorize)

Shadow Rules

Worked Examples — Easy

Q1: A person walks 10 km North, then 5 km East. How far and in what direction from start?

• Net: 10 km N, 5 km E
• Distance = sqrt(100 + 25) = sqrt(125) = 5 sqrt(5) = 11.18 km
• Direction: North-East

Q2: Ramesh walks 5 km South, turns left and walks 3 km. Which direction is he facing?

• Facing South, turns left = faces East
• Answer: East

Q3: A man walks 30m East, turns right 20m, turns right 30m. How far from start?

• 30m E, 20m S, 30m W → Net: 0 E-W, 20m S
• Answer: 20m South of start

Worked Examples — Medium

Q4: Ram walks 10 km N to B, turns right 10 km to C, turns right 10 km to D. Direction of D from A?

• A→B: 10km N; B→C: 10km E; C→D: 10km S
• Net: N-S = 0, E-W = 10km E
• Answer: East, 10 km away

Q5: Person walks 6 km E, turns left 4 km, turns left 8 km. How far from start?

• 6 km E, 4 km N, 8 km W → Net: 2 km W, 4 km N
• Distance = sqrt(4 + 16) = sqrt(20) = 2 sqrt(5) = 4.47 km North-West

Q6: One morning, Ravi walks towards the sun. He turns left, walks, then turns left again. What direction is he facing?

• Morning sun = East → starts East
• Turns left = North → turns left = West
• Answer: West

Worked Examples — Hard

Q7: P walks 6km N, right 2km, right 6km, left 5km, left 3km, right 2km. Shortest distance from start?

• N6, E2, S6, E5, N3, E2
• Net N-S: 6 - 6 + 3 = 3 km N
• Net E-W: 2 + 5 + 2 = 9 km E
• Distance = sqrt(9 + 81) = sqrt(90) = 3 sqrt(10) = 9.49 km

Q8: In the morning, A's shadow falls to the left of B who faces A. In which direction is A from B?

• Morning shadow falls West
• B faces A, shadow falls to B's left → B's left = West → B faces North
• A is to B's North
• Answer: North

Q9: Person walks 8km S, right 6km, right 8km, left 6km. How far from home?

• S8, W6, N8, W6
• Net N-S: -8 + 8 = 0; Net E-W: -6 - 6 = -12 km (12 km W)
• Answer: 12 km West

Shortcuts & Tricks

Common Mistakes

1. Confusing left/right with compass directions — left/right depend on which way you're facing
2. Forgetting turn accumulation — after multiple turns, losing track of current facing direction
3. Shadow direction errors — morning shadow is WEST (not East)
4. Not using Pythagoras — adding distances linearly instead of using vector distance
5. Ignoring "about turn" — about turn = 180 degrees = complete reversal

Exam Strategy

• Always sketch the movement path — net displacement method solves most problems in under 45 seconds
• Shadow problems are free marks if you memorize: morning = shadow West, evening = shadow East
• APPSC keeps difficulty at easy-to-medium
• Time: 45-60 seconds per question
• Negative marking: -0.333 — draw before answering

Practice Questions

1. Walk 5 km N, then 5 km E. Direction from start? → North-East
2. Facing North, turn right, turn right, turn left. Now facing? → East (N→E→S→E? No: N→E→S→E is wrong. N-right→E, E-right→S, S-left→E) → East
3. Walk 10m S, 10m W, 10m N, 10m E. Distance from start? → 0 (back at start)
4. Morning: shadow falls behind you. You face? → East (shadow behind = shadow West = sun East = you face East)
5. Walk 7 km N, 3 km E, 7 km S. Distance from start? → 3 km East

Key Terms / Formulas