A man goes 5 km East, turns right and goes 3 km, again turns right and goes 5 km. What direction is he facing?

Appeared in: AIIMS Delhi NO - 2018

Explanation

The man's initial direction of travel is East.
The first right turn changes his direction from East to South.
The second right turn changes his direction from South to West.
The distances traveled (5 km, 3 km, 5 km) are irrelevant to the final direction he is facing.

Option A: East was the starting direction. After two right turns, the man is no longer facing East.
Option C: To face North, the man would have needed to make a left turn from his starting direction of East.
Option D: South is the direction the man was facing after the first right turn. However, he made a second right turn, which changed his direction again.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Directional Sense and Reasoning as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
This type of logical and spatial reasoning is a foundational skill for problem-solving in many contexts.
It assesses the ability to accurately follow a sequence of instructions, which is critical in procedural tasks.
What if the man turned left the second time instead of right? A left turn from South would have made him face East again.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the starting direction, which is East.
Visualize or sketch the cardinal directions (North, East, South, West).
Follow each instruction step-by-step. A 'right turn' corresponds to a 90-degree clockwise rotation.
Track the facing direction after each turn: East -> Right Turn -> South.
Track the next turn: South -> Right Turn -> West.
The final direction after all turns is the answer. The distance traveled in each step does not affect the final direction.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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Practise the full AIIMS Delhi NO - 2018

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.