Spatial Orientation
You are given a street map, a corner you are standing on and a corner you have to reach, and four routes described in words. You are asked which is the shortest. The catch is that being shortest is not enough — the description also has to be right.
Two tests, not one
Count the blocks first. Any route that does not double back covers the same number, so several options will tie on distance and the question is not settled yet.
Then read each description as instructions and follow them on the map. A route can be exactly the right length and still name a turn that would take you the wrong way — which means, followed as written, it does not arrive.
Turns are where the marks are
Distance narrows the field; the description decides it.
- Work out the block counts east-west and north-south before you look at any option.
- Check every compass heading against the way the map actually runs.
- Check every turn. Going north and then east is a RIGHT turn; going east and then north is a LEFT.
- A route that ends on the wrong street is not a near miss — it is simply wrong, and it is meant to look like the answer.
A note on how the map is drawn
The guide warns that a map may be printed rotated, and tells you to assume streets are two-way unless it says otherwise. Find north on the map before you decide which way is left.