SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 22 September 2025, Shift 1 · Quantitative Aptitude · Question 3 of 98

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 13 September 2026.

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Ajay and Vijay start from the same point and walk at 4 km/h and 5 km/h respectively, in the same direction. What will be the distance between them after 2 hours?

(a)2.5 km
(b)3 km
(c)2 km
(d)4 km

Answer

Why

Correct — C. Walking the same way, the gap between them grows at the difference of their speeds.

Relative speed: 5 − 4 = 1 km/h
Gap after 2 hours: 1 × 2 = 2 km → option (c)

Check with distances: Vijay walks 5 × 2 = 10 km, Ajay walks 4 × 2 = 8 km, and 10 − 8 = 2 km.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
2.5 km — 2.5 km would need the gap to widen at 1.25 km/h for 2 hours. The speeds differ by exactly 1 km/h.
(b)
3 km — 3 km is the gap after 3 hours. At 1 km/h the gap in km equals the hours walked, and they walk for 2.
(d)
4 km — 4 km would need the gap to widen at 2 km/h, twice the real rate of 5 − 4 = 1 km/h.

Concept

Two walkers leaving one point together start with a gap of zero. After that the gap changes at their relative speed.

Same direction: relative speed = difference of the speeds, because each hour the faster walker pulls ahead by that much.

Opposite directions: relative speed = sum of the speeds.

Gap = relative speed × time, so here the gap in km equals the hours walked.

Had they walked in opposite directions, the gap would be (4 + 5) × 2 = 18 km, which is not among the options. The words "in the same direction" decide the setup.

Key facts

Same direction: relative speed = difference of the two speeds.
Opposite directions: relative speed = sum of the two speeds.
For two people starting together from one point, distance apart = relative speed × time.

Study next

Catch-up problems where the slower walker starts earlierMeeting time when two people start from points a fixed distance apartRelative speed of trains on parallel tracks

Common traps

Adding the speeds because both are moving: that is the rule for opposite directions and gives 18 km here.
Stopping at the faster walker's 10 km and forgetting to subtract Ajay's 8 km.

Here the setup is bare: a common start, two speeds, one direction.

Same-direction and towards-each-other relative speeds are combined at 12 Sep 2025, 09:00, Quant Q.20 (two cars 360 km apart) and 20 Sep 2025, 09:00, Quant Q.5 (a thief and a police officer 500 m apart).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Time and distance — all 58 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.