A man walks down the backside of his house straight 25 metres, then turns to the right and walks 50 metres again; then he turns towards left and again walks 25 metres. If his house faces to the East, what is his direction from the starting point?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) North-West
A house facing East has its back to the West, so he first walks West. A right turn from West points North, and a left turn from North points West again. He ends 50 m West and 50 m North of the start — North-West.
- House faces East, so walking down its backside means walking West: 25 m West.
- Right turn while facing West → facing North: 50 m North.
- Left turn while facing North → facing West: 25 m West.
- Net displacement: 50 m West and 50 m North, so he is North-West of the starting point.
Remember · Fix the first direction carefully (the back of an east-facing house is West), then apply each turn relative to the current heading.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·