Direction Sense Basic Problem – UGC NET Question

Starting from the origin, the person first moves 5 km north. Turning right from north leads to east, so they walk 3 km east. Turning right again from east points toward south, and walking 5 km south brings them back to the same north–south line as the starting point. Their final position is directly east of the start, at a distance of 3 km.

Option A:
Option A, 5 km East, would be correct if the eastward movement had been 5 km, but the question clearly states an eastward displacement of only 3 km. Therefore, this overestimates the actual horizontal separation.

Option B:
Option B accurately reflects that the northward and southward movements cancel each other out, leaving only the 3 km eastward shift. Thus, the net displacement is 3 km to the east of the starting point, which matches both the direction and distance required.

Option C:
Option C, 3 km West, reverses the direction of the actual displacement. Since the person walked east, not west, this option contradicts the described path.

Option D:
Option D, 5 km West, is doubly incorrect because it gives the wrong distance and direction relative to the origin. The person never moves west at all.