Question

Naren starts from Point A and drives 7 km towards the west. He then takes a left turn, drives 5 km, turns left and drives 10 km. He then takes a left turn and drives 9 km. He takes a final left turn, drives 3 km and stops at Point P. How far (shortest distance) and towards which direction should he drive in order to reach Point A again? (All turns are 90° turns only unless specified.)

• A. 4 km to the south
• B. 3 km to the north
• C. 1 km to the south
• D. 2 km to the north

Answer 1

Answer:

A. 4 km to the south

To reach Point A again, Naren should drive 4 km towards the south.

1. Tracking East-West Movement

• First move: He goes 7 km West.

• Third move: After turning left twice, he travels 10 km East. This puts him 10 - 7 = 3 km to the East of his starting line.

• Fifth move: After another left turn, he travels 3 km West. This brings him exactly back in line with his starting point alignment 3 km East - 3 km West = 0

2. Tracking North-South Movement

• Second move: He travels 5 km South.

• Fourth move: He turns left and travels 9 km North. Since he was 5 km South, he passes his starting line and ends up 9 - 5 = 4 km to the North of Point A.

Conclusion

Point P is exactly 4 km North of Point A. Therefore, to return to his original starting point (A), he must travel 4 km towards the south.