Spatial Awareness Questions and Answers Flashcards

A floor plan shows four rooms arranged in a 2×2 grid. Room A is top-left, Room B is top-right, Room C is bottom-left, Room D is bottom-right. If north is up, which room is directly south of Room B?

Answer: Room D

Room B is top-right (northeast); directly south of it in the grid is Room D (bottom-right/southeast).

During a building search, an officer enters through the north door of a rectangular building and walks straight to the south wall, then turns and walks along the south wall to the east wall. The officer then turns and faces north. Which wall is now to the officer's left?

Answer: East wall

Facing north with the east wall directly behind the officer, the east wall is to the officer's right and the west wall is to the left — wait: officer is at the southeast corner facing north, so west is to the left and east is to the right.

A building diagram shows Exit 1 on the north wall, Exit 2 on the east wall, Exit 3 on the south wall, and Exit 4 on the west wall. An officer inside needs to exit toward a waiting ambulance parked to the west. Which exit should the officer use?

Answer: Exit 4

The ambulance is to the west, so Exit 4 on the west wall is the most direct route.

A three-story building floor plan shows a stairwell in the northwest corner. An officer on the second floor needs to reach the southeast corner of the third floor as quickly as possible. What is the best route?

Answer: Take stairs in the northwest, go to southeast on floor 3

Taking the stairwell to floor 3 and then crossing diagonally to the southeast is the most direct indoor route.

An officer's sketch of a crime scene shows a couch against the north wall, a TV on the east wall, a table in the center, and a broken window on the south wall. Facing south (toward the broken window), which side is the couch on?

Answer: Directly behind

The couch is on the north wall, and when facing south, north is directly behind you.

A cell block diagram shows Cell 1 at the top (north end) and Cell 10 at the bottom (south end), all in a single row. If a guard walks from Cell 10 toward Cell 1, in which direction is the guard walking?

Answer: North

Cell 1 is at the north end, so walking from Cell 10 (south) toward Cell 1 means walking north.

A parking lot diagram shows Row A at the north end and Row E at the south end. Officer's car is in Row C, Spot 4 (middle of the lot). The suspect's vehicle is in Row A, Spot 7. In which general direction must the officer walk to reach the suspect's vehicle?

Answer: North and right

Row A is north of Row C, and Spot 7 is to the right of Spot 4, so the officer walks north and right.