Spatial Orientation and Map Reading Flashcards

A suspect fled in the direction of 270 degrees on a standard compass. Which cardinal direction does this represent?

Answer: West

On a standard compass, 0°=North, 90°=East, 180°=South, and 270°=West.

An officer must cross a rectangular patrol district from the southwest corner to the northeast corner. The district is 4 blocks tall (north-south) and 6 blocks wide (east-west). What is the shortest grid-route distance?

Answer: 10 blocks

The shortest grid route requires 4 blocks north plus 6 blocks east, totaling 10 blocks.

A location is described as '1 block north of the park' and also '2 blocks south of the library.' How far apart are the park and the library?

Answer: 3 blocks

The location is 1 block above the park and 2 blocks below the library, so the library is 1 + 2 = 3 blocks north of the park.

Officer Kim is facing north, makes a right turn, drives 2 blocks, then makes another right turn. What direction is she now facing?

Answer: South

Facing north → right turn faces east → another right turn faces south.

A witness describes a vehicle traveling 'from the lower-left corner to the upper-right corner' of an intersection. Based on standard map orientation (north at top), which direction was the vehicle heading?

Answer: Northeast

On a standard map, lower-left is southwest and upper-right is northeast, so the vehicle traveled from southwest to northeast.

During a foot pursuit, a suspect runs 5 blocks north, then 5 blocks east, then 5 blocks south. Where is the suspect now relative to where the chase began?

Answer: 5 blocks east of start

The 5 blocks north and 5 blocks south cancel each other out, leaving the suspect exactly 5 blocks east of the starting point.

A road runs diagonally from northwest to southeast. An officer driving toward the northwest makes a 90-degree right turn. What direction is the officer now facing?

Answer: Northeast

Traveling northwest (315°) and turning 90° clockwise adds 90°, yielding 45°, which is northeast.