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Reasoning questions are a part of almost all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, RRB, PSC etc. They are of two types – verbal reasoning questions and non-verbal reasoning questions. Verbal reasoning questions are those questions in which data is provided in the paragraph in the form tables, charts or codes and you have to find the right answer based on the provided data by processing the information. Non-verbal reasoning questions are those in which numbers, alphabets and some logical facts are given and we have to find the answer which suits the logic. One such verbal reasoning question is questions on directions. In this article, we will see some of the tips and tricks to solve direction test questions in reasoning.
Basic Concepts, Tips and Tricks to Solve Direction Test Questions in Reasoning
Direction questions are one of the easiest topics to score in reasoning. The questions test our knowledge and sense of direction. To solve the question, you should first draw diagrams based on the data provided in the question. To draw the diagram, you need to know the four directions and the four cardinal directions. Here are some of the basic concepts you need to know.
- The four directions are North, South, East, West.
- The four cardinal directions are North-East, North-West, South-East, South-West. If the direction that the person is facing is not mentioned, assume it as North.
- If a man is standing facing the North, then his shadow will be to the left at the time of sunrise and to the right at the time of sunset.
- There will not be any shadow at 12:00 noon as the sun is vertically overhead.
- If a man stands facing east, his shadow at sunrise will always be towards west.
- If a man stands facing west, his shadow at the time of sunset will always be towards east.
- Pythagoras theorem: If ‘b’ is the base of a right-angled triangle and ‘a’ its height, then the hypotenuse ‘c’ is the root of the squares of sides ‘b’ and ‘a’.
Types of Problems on Direction
Here are some of the types of problems on direction that you can expect in exams:
1.Starting from home, a man walks 4 km to the south then turns left and walks 5 km. He takes another left turn and walks 4 km. Find the distance between the man and his home. Find the direction to which he is facing.
Answer:
From the diagram, we can understand that he is 5 km away from his home and he is facing North.
2. A man, starting from home, walks 4 km to the west and then turns right and walks 3 km. What will be the minimum distance that he needs to cover to reach home?
Answer:
By using Pythagoras Theorem, we can find out the minimum distance that the man needs to cover to reach home. As per the figure, the minimum distance is equal to the hypotenuse of the triangle.
Minimum distance = Sq.root of the sum of the squares of 3 and 4
= 5 km.
3. Anil was standing facing a pole one morning. The shadow of the pole was formed at the left side of Anil. Which direction is he facing?
Answer:
Sun rises in the East and the shadow falls to the West side. It is given that the pole’s shadow falls to the left side of Anil. So he is facing the North side.
4.A is in the East of B which is in the North of C. If D is in the South of C, then in which direction of B, is D?
Answer: 
The point D lies to the South -West of B.
These are some of the type of questions we can expect in the examinations. Practice more of these questions and improve your speed in drawing the figure and finding the answer. Good luck from Team Entri!
