A man stands on the road facing South direction. He turns 45 degrees in clockwise direction and 90 degrees in anti-clockwise direction. Which direction is he facing now?

1. A

   South-West

2. B

   East

3. C

   West

4. D

   South-East

Appeared in: RRB Nsg. Superintendent-20 July 2019 (Shift-2)

Explanation

• The man's initial position is facing South.
• The first turn is 45 degrees clockwise. From South, a clockwise rotation moves towards the West, so a 45-degree turn results in the South-West direction.
• The second turn is 90 degrees anti-clockwise from the South-West position. An anti-clockwise turn moves back towards South and then towards East.
• The first 45 degrees of the anti-clockwise turn brings him back to facing South. The remaining 45 degrees of the turn moves him from South to South-East.
• An alternative method is to calculate the net rotation: 90 degrees anti-clockwise minus 45 degrees clockwise equals a net 45-degree anti-clockwise turn. A 45-degree anti-clockwise turn from South is South-East.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option A: South-West is the direction the man is facing after the first turn (45 degrees clockwise from South), but it is not the final direction after the second turn.
• Option B: To face East from the starting position of South, the man would need to make a single 90-degree anti-clockwise turn. The combination of turns does not result in this direction.
• Option C: To face West from the starting position of South, the man would need to make a single 90-degree clockwise turn. The combination of turns does not result in this direction.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Directional Sense and Rotation as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
• This question assesses logical and spatial reasoning, which are crucial cognitive skills for problem-solving in any professional field, including nursing.
• The ability to mentally visualize spatial relationships and sequences is fundamental for tasks like navigating a hospital, positioning patients, and understanding anatomical relationships.
• What if the second turn was also 45 degrees anti-clockwise? The net movement would be zero (45 clockwise - 45 anti-clockwise = 0), and the man would end up facing his original direction, South.

How to Approach the Question

• First, establish the starting point. The man is facing South.
• Visualize a compass or draw a simple diagram with the four cardinal directions (N, S, E, W) and the four intercardinal directions (NE, SE, SW, NW).
• Process the first movement: a 45-degree clockwise turn from South. Clockwise moves from South towards West. A 45-degree turn places the direction exactly at South-West.
• From this new position (South-West), process the second movement: a 90-degree anti-clockwise turn. Anti-clockwise moves from SW back towards South and then towards East.
• Break down the 90-degree turn: 45 degrees brings you back to South, and the next 45 degrees takes you to South-East.
• Alternatively, calculate the net rotation: (90° anti-clockwise) - (45° clockwise) = 45° net anti-clockwise rotation. Apply this single rotation to the starting direction (South) to find the final direction (South-East).

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Directional Sense and Rotation
• Stem keywords: facing South, turns 45 degrees, clockwise, 90 degrees, anti-clockwise
• Lead-in keywords: Which direction

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