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Free Time, Speed and Distance MCQs with Answers

112 Time, Speed and Distance MCQs from Mathematics, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

Problems relate distance, speed and time through the formula distance = speed × time, including unit conversion, average speed, relative speed and motion in opposite or the same direction. Questions may involve trains, boats and streams, where the effective speed changes, so average speed must not be confused with the simple average of two speeds.

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112 questions · page 1 of 6

1. A car covers 240 kilometres in 3 hours. What is its average speed?

  • A. 60 km/h
  • B. 70 km/h
  • C. 80 km/h
  • D. 90 km/h

Explanation: Speed = distance ÷ time = 240 ÷ 3 = 80 km/h. Note that this is average speed; the car’s instantaneous speed may have varied throughout the…

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Correct answer: 80 km/h

2. A lorry covers a distance of 100 km in 2 hours 30 minutes. A car runs with a speed of 55 km/hour. Determine the ratio of their speeds.

  • A. 8:11
  • B. 20:11
  • C. 4:11
  • D. None of These

Explanation: The lorry's time is 2 hours 30 minutes = 2.5 hours, so its speed is 100 km / 2.5 h = 40 km/h.

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Correct answer: 8:11

3. If Arif can read 39 pages of a book in half an hour. How long will It take her to finish a book that is 1287 pages?

  • A. 16 Hours
  • B. 16.5 Hours
  • C. 17 Hours
  • D. 15.5 Hours

Explanation: Arif reads 39 pages in 0.5 hour, so the rate is 39 pages / 0.5 h = 78 pages/h.

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Correct answer: 16.5 Hours

4. A jogger running at 9 kmph alongside a railway track in 240 metres ahead of the engine of a 120 metres long train running at 45 kmph in the same direction. In how much time will the train pass the joɡɡer?

  • A. 3.6 sec
  • B. 18 sec
  • C. 36 sec
  • D. 72 sec

Explanation: Because the jogger and train move in the same direction, their relative speed is 45 km/h - 9 km/h = 36 km/h = 10 m/s.

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Correct answer: 36 sec

5. Two trains are moving in opposite directions 60 km/hr and 90 km/hr. Their lengths are 1.10 km and 0.9 km respectively. The time taken by the slower train to cross the faster train in seconds is_________?

  • A. 36
  • B. 45
  • C. 48
  • D. 49

Explanation: For trains moving in opposite directions, relative speed is 60 km/h + 90 km/h = 150 km/h = 150 x 5/18 = 41.67 m/s.

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Correct answer: 48

6. A train passes a station platform in 36 seconds and a man standing on the platform in 20 seconds. If the speed of the train is 54 km/hr, what is the length of

  • A. 120
  • B. 260
  • C. 240
  • D. 220Educational Resources

Explanation: The train's speed is 54 km/h x 5/18 = 15 m/s. Passing the man takes 20 seconds, so the train length is 15 m/s x 20 s = 300 m; passing the…

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Correct answer: 240

7. A train 240 m long passes a pole in 24 seconds. How long will it take to pass a platform 650 m long?

  • A. 80 Sec
  • B. 89 Sec
  • C. 90 Sec
  • D. 95 Sec

Explanation: The train's speed is 240 m ÷ 24 s = 10 m/s. To pass the platform, it must cover its own length plus the platform length: 240 m + 650 m =…

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Correct answer: 89 Sec

8. A man goes to his office from his house at a speed of 3 km/hr and returns at a speed of 2 km/hr. If he takes 5 hours in going and coming, what is the distance between his house and office?

  • A. 3 km
  • B. 4 km
  • C. 5 km
  • D. 6 km

Explanation: If the one-way distance is d km, the total time is d/3 hours + d/2 hours = 5 hours. Thus 5d/6 = 5, so d = 6 km.

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Correct answer: 6 km

9. A man complete a journey in 10 hours. He travels first half of the journey at the rate of 21 km/hr and second half at the rate of 24 km/hr. Find the total journey in km.

  • A. 121 km
  • B. 242 km
  • C. 224 km
  • D. 112 km

Explanation: Let each half of the journey be x km. The total time is x/21 hours + x/24 hours = 10 hours, so x(45/504) = 10 and x = 112 km; the complete…

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Correct answer: 224 km

10. A man covers a distance of 20 km in 3.5 hours partly by running and partly by walking. If he walks at 4 kmph and runs at 10 kmph, find the distance he covers by walking.

  • A. 10 km
  • B. 8 km
  • C. 12 km
  • D. 9 km

Explanation: Let the walking distance be x km, so the running distance is (20 - x) km.

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Correct answer: 10 km

11. Rayan crosses a 400m bridge in 3 minutes. What is speed?

  • A. 133.33 kmph
  • B. 1.33 kmph
  • C. 4 kmph
  • D. 8 kmph

Explanation: The time is 3 minutes = 180 seconds, so speed = 400 m / 180 s = 2.22 m/s. Converting to kilometres per hour gives 2.22 x 3.6 = 8 km/h.

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Correct answer: 8 kmph

12. How much time does a train 125 metres long running at 60 km/hr take to pass a pole?

  • A. 6s
  • B. 2.08s
  • C. 7.5s
  • D. 8s

Explanation: Convert 60 km/h to metres per second: 60 x 1000/3600 = 16.67 m/s. Passing a pole requires covering the train's length, so time = 125 m /…

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Correct answer: 7.5s

13. Walking 6/7th of his usual speed, a man is 12 minutes too late. What is the usual time taken by him to cover that distance?

  • A. 1 hr 42 min
  • B. 1 hr
  • C. 2 hr
  • D. 1 hr 12 min

Explanation: At 6/7 of the usual speed, the new time becomes 7/6 of the usual time. The delay is therefore 1/6 of the usual time, so usual time = 12…

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Correct answer: 1 hr 12 min

14. Excluding stoppages, the speed of a bus is 54 kmph and including stoppages, it is 45 kmph. For how many minutes does the bus stop per hour?

  • A. 12
  • B. 11
  • C. 10
  • D. 9

Explanation: In one hour, the bus covers 45 km including stoppages, while its running speed is 54 km/h.

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Correct answer: 10

15. There are 21 poles with a constant distance between each pole. A car takes 30 seconds to reach the 16th pole. How long does it take to reach the last pole?

  • A. 39 seconds
  • B. 40 seconds
  • C. 39.38 seconds
  • D. 39.5 seconds

Explanation: Taking the first pole as the starting point, reaching the 16th pole covers 15 equal intervals, while reaching the 21st pole covers 20…

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Correct answer: 40 seconds

16. A person walking at 5/6th of his usual speed is 40 minutes late to his office. What is his usual travel time to his office?

  • A. 3 hours 20 minutes
  • B. 3 hours 15 minutes
  • C. 3 hours 30 minutes
  • D. 3 hours

Explanation: At 5/6 of the usual speed, the travel time becomes 6/5 of the usual time.

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Correct answer: 3 hours 20 minutes

17. A Man travelled a distance of 61 km in 9 hours. He travelled partly on foot at 4 km/hr and partly on bicycle at 9 km/hr. What is the distance travelled on foot?

  • A. 12 km
  • B. 14 km
  • C. 16 km
  • D. 18 km

Explanation: Let the distance travelled on foot be x km, so the bicycle distance is (61 - x) km.

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Correct answer: 16 km

18. A person crosses a 600 m long street in 5 minutes. What is his speed in km per hour?

  • A. 8.2
  • B. 4.2
  • C. 6.1
  • D. 7.2

Explanation: The person covers 600 m in 5 minutes = 300 seconds, so speed = 600 m / 300 s = 2 m/s.

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Correct answer: 7.2

19. Walking at 80% of his usual speed, a man is 10 mins late to his office. Find the usual time taken by hime to reach his office.

  • A. 20 minutes
  • B. 30 minutes
  • C. 40 minutes
  • D. 50 minutes

Explanation: Walking at 80% of the usual speed makes the travel time 1/0.8 = 1.25 times the usual time.

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Correct answer: 40 minutes

20. At 10 a.m. two trains started traveling toward each other from stations 287 miles apart. They passed each other at 1:30 p.m. the same day. If the average speed of the faster train exceeded the average speed of the slower train by 6 miles per hour, which of the following represents the speed of the faster train, in miles per hour?

  • A. 38
  • B. 40
  • C. 44
  • D. 48

Explanation: The trains travel for 3.5 hours, so their combined speed is 287 miles / 3.5 hours = 82 miles per hour.

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Correct answer: 44
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