Question

A girl walks 2 km East, turns left and walks 5 km, then turns left again and walks 2 km. How far is she from the starting point?

• A. 0 km
• B. 2 km
• C. 3 km
• D. 5 km

Hint:

In direction questions, use a coordinate grid or sketch to simplify displacement calculations and apply Pythagoras when needed.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Trace the path step-by-step
She walks 2 km East → reaches Point A
Turns left (North) and walks 5 km → reaches Point B
Turns left again (now West) and walks 2 km → ends at Point C
Step 2: Analyze position from the starting point
She moved 2 km East, then 2 km West — horizontal displacement = 0 km.
She moved 5 km North and never moved South — vertical displacement = 5 km.
So her final position is 5 km North of her starting point. BUT she walked back 2 km West from a 2 km East position
\(\Rightarrow\) \text{she is back in line vertically with her starting point}
→ Net East–West displacement = 0
→ Net North–South displacement = 5 km
Final move: 2 \, \text{km West from Point B} \Rightarrow \text{she ends directly above the starting point, } 5 - 2 = 3 \, \text{km North.}
Hence, distance from starting point: \[ \text{Distance} = 3 \text{ km} \]