OACP Spatial Reasoning and Map Reading — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are traveling north on King Street and turn right at the next intersection. What direction are you now heading?
- North
- South
- East (Correct answer)
- West
Correct answer: East
When traveling north and turning right, you rotate 90 degrees clockwise on the compass: North → East. A right turn always adds 90 degrees clockwise to your current heading.
Question 2: A suspect flees west on Dundas Street for two blocks, then turns south on Spadina Avenue and runs one block. Relative to the starting point, the suspect is now located in which direction?
- Northeast
- Northwest
- Southeast
- Southwest (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Southwest
Moving west then south places the suspect to the southwest of the original location. West movement shifts the suspect away from the east; south movement shifts the suspect away from the north — combining both gives a southwest direction.
Question 3: A police map uses a scale of 1 cm = 500 metres. You measure 6 cm between the station and the crime scene. What is the actual distance?
- 500 m
- 1,500 m
- 3,000 m (Correct answer)
- 6,000 m
Correct answer: 3,000 m
Multiply the map measurement by the scale factor: 6 cm × 500 m/cm = 3,000 m. The scale ratio converts map distance to real-world distance.
Question 4: On a grid map, streets run east–west numbered 1st, 2nd, 3rd… increasing southward. Avenues run north–south lettered A, B, C… increasing eastward. An officer at B–3rd receives a call at D–1st. What is the general direction of travel required?
- Northeast (Correct answer)
- Southeast
- Northwest
- Southwest
Correct answer: Northeast
From B to D is two avenues east; from 3rd to 1st is two streets north (lower numbers are further north on this map). Combining east and north gives a northeast direction of travel.
Question 5: An officer faces south and makes two consecutive 90-degree clockwise turns. What direction is the officer now facing?
- North (Correct answer)
- East
- South
- West
Correct answer: North
Starting south: first 90-degree clockwise turn → West; second 90-degree clockwise turn → North. Two quarter-turns clockwise from south equals north.
Question 6: You are standing at the northwest corner of an intersection and cross diagonally to the opposite corner. Which corner are you now at?
- Northeast corner
- Southeast corner (Correct answer)
- Southwest corner
- Northwest corner
Correct answer: Southeast corner
The corner directly opposite (diagonal) the northwest corner is the southeast corner. Crossing diagonally reverses both the north/south and east/west positions simultaneously.
OACP Spatial Reasoning and Map Reading
You are traveling north on King Street and turn right at the next intersection.
What direction are you now heading?