To attend an examination, Sudhir reaches the school by travelling 5 km towards the south and then, after a sharp left turn, he travels 10 km. He again makes a sharp left turn and reaches in front of the school by travelling another 5 km. In which direction is Sudhir starting point located from the school?

Introduction / Context:
This question describes Sudhir journey to his school with two sharp left turns and asks for the direction of his starting point relative to the school. Rather than tracing the entire route backwards, we can plot the path on a coordinate plane, find the coordinates of the school, and then look back from the school towards the starting point to determine the appropriate direction.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Sudhir starts from a point that we take as the origin.
• He travels 5 km south.
• He then makes a sharp left turn from facing south and travels 10 km east.
• He again makes a sharp left turn from facing east and travels 5 km north to reach the school.
• We need the direction of the starting point as viewed from the school.

Concept / Approach:
We again use the coordinate plane method. Let the starting point be (0, 0). Moving south reduces the y coordinate, moving north increases it, moving east increases x, and moving west decreases x. After finding the coordinates of the school, we compute the vector from the school back to the starting point. The sign of the x and y components in that vector tells us the correct direction.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Take the starting point S as (0, 0). Sudhir walks 5 km south to reach (0, -5). Facing south, a sharp left turn leads east, so he travels 10 km east to reach (10, -5). Facing east, another sharp left turn leads north, so he travels 5 km north to reach (10, 0). This point is the school. Coordinates: starting point at (0, 0) and school at (10, 0). Vector from school to starting point = (0 - 10, 0 - 0) = (-10, 0). A negative x component indicates that the starting point lies to the west of the school.

Verification / Alternative check:
Conceptually, Sudhir goes straight down, then right, then up and ends horizontally displaced from his start. The south and north movements cancel exactly, so the school lies directly east of his starting point. Therefore, when viewed from the school, the starting point is directly to the west.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A: East is the position of the school relative to the starting point, not the other way round.
Option C: North does not match any vertical displacement between the school and starting point.
Option D: South is also incorrect because both points are at the same north south level.
Option E: None of these is wrong because West is explicitly given and correct.

Common Pitfalls:
Many students confuse direction from A to B with direction from B to A. Another frequent error is forgetting that equal south and north distances cancel each other out, leaving only horizontal displacement. Always pay attention to whether the question asks for position of the destination from the source or the source from the destination.

Final Answer:
Sudhir starting point is to the West of the school.