Directions & Distance
17 Class 6 IMO Mathematics Olympiad practice questions on directions & distance, part of the Analytical Reasoning topic area. Every question below includes the correct answer and a full explanation.
Practice this topic interactively →1. Priya faces West and turns 180°. Which direction is she facing now?
- A.North
- B.South
- C.East
- D.West
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Answer: C. East
A 180° turn always reverses direction: West becomes East.
2. Facing East, Vijay turns left. Which direction does he now face?
- A.North
- B.South
- C.East
- D.West
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Answer: A. North
Facing East, a left turn (counterclockwise) faces North.
3. A boy walks 20 m West, then turns right. Which direction is he now facing?
- A.North
- B.South
- C.East
- D.West
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Answer: A. North
Facing West, a right turn (clockwise) faces North.
4. Facing South, if you turn 90° clockwise, which direction do you face?
- A.North
- B.South
- C.East
- D.West
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Answer: D. West
Clockwise from South is West.
5. Sonal is facing East. She turns 90° clockwise, then 180°. Which direction is she facing now?
- A.North
- B.South
- C.East
- D.West
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Answer: A. North
East + 90° clockwise = South. South + 180° = North.
6. Facing South, Priya turns left twice. Which direction is she facing now?
- A.North
- B.South
- C.East
- D.West
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Answer: A. North
Each left turn moves 90° counterclockwise: South → East → North.
7. Amit walks 6 km East, then 6 km West, then 4 km South. In which direction is he from his starting point?
- A.North
- B.South
- C.East
- D.West
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Answer: B. South
The East and West legs cancel out, leaving him 4 km South of the start.
8. Facing North, Karan turns right three times (each turn 90°). Which direction is he facing now?
- A.North
- B.South
- C.East
- D.West
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Answer: D. West
Each right turn is 90° clockwise: North → East → South → West.
9. Meena walks 10 m South, then turns left. Which direction is she now facing?
- A.North
- B.South
- C.East
- D.West
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Answer: C. East
Facing South, a left turn (counterclockwise) faces East.
10. A cyclist rides 12 km East, then 12 km West, then 5 km North. How far and in which direction is she from the start?
- A.5 km North
- B.5 km South
- C.5 km East
- D.5 km West
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Answer: A. 5 km North
The East and West legs cancel out, leaving her 5 km North of the start.
11. Riya is facing North. She turns right, walks 20 m, turns left, walks 15 m, then turns left and walks 20 m. In which direction is she now from her starting point?
- A.North
- B.South
- C.East
- D.West
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Answer: A. North
Facing North → right turn faces East, walk 20 (east 20). Left turn faces North, walk 15 (north 15). Left turn faces West, walk 20 (west 20, cancelling the east 20). Final position is straight north of the start.
12. A man walks 10 m East, then 10 m North, then 10 m West. How far is he from the start, and in which direction?
- A.10 m North
- B.10 m South
- C.10 m East
- D.20 m North
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Answer: A. 10 m North
East 10 and West 10 cancel out, leaving 10 m North of the start.
13. Rohan starts walking North for 8 m, turns right and walks 8 m, turns right again and walks 8 m. In which direction is he from the starting point?
- A.North
- B.South
- C.East
- D.West
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Answer: C. East
Tracking position: North 8, East 8, South 8 brings him to a point 8 m due East of the start (the North and South legs cancel).
14. A man walks 8 m North, turns left, walks 8 m, turns left again, walks 8 m. How far is he from the start, and in which direction?
- A.8 m North
- B.8 m South
- C.8 m East
- D.8 m West
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Answer: D. 8 m West
North then left (West) then left again (South) brings him to a point 8 m West of the start (the North and South legs cancel).
15. Rani starts at point A, walks 6 m East to B, then 8 m North to C. What is the shortest (straight-line) distance from A to C?
- A.10 m
- B.12 m
- C.14 m
- D.16 m
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Answer: A. 10 m
This forms a right triangle with legs 6 m and 8 m. The straight-line distance is √(6²+8²) = √100 = 10 m.
16. Two friends start from the same point. One walks 9 m North and the other walks 12 m East. What is the distance between them now?
- A.13 m
- B.14 m
- C.15 m
- D.16 m
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Answer: C. 15 m
This forms a right triangle with legs 9 m and 12 m. The distance is √(9²+12²) = √225 = 15 m.
17. A child faces East and turns left twice. Which direction is the child facing?
- A.South
- B.East
- C.North
- D.West
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Answer: D. West
Each left turn is 90° counterclockwise: East → North → West.