Time, Speed and Distance Question 2 - CAT 2025
Ankita walks from A to C through B, and runs back through the same route at a speed that is 40% more than her walking speed. She takes exactly 3 hours 30 minutes to walk from B to C as well as to run from B to A. The total time, in minutes, she would take to walk from A to B and run from B to C, is:
Step-by-Step Explanation
Analyze the Speeds:
Let Ankita's walking speed be 5x. Her running speed is 40% faster:
Running Speed = 1.40 × 5x = 7x
The ratio of her walking speed to running speed is 5 : 7.
Analyze the Time Scaling:
Since time is inversely proportional to speed over a fixed distance:
t ∝ 1/s
Walking Time : Running Time = 7 : 5
Map individual segments:
Segment BC: We are given that walking from B to C takes 3 hours 30 minutes = 210 minutes.
Running from B to C = 210 × 5/7 = 150 minutes
Segment AB: Running from B to A takes 3 hours 30 minutes = 210 minutes.
Walking from A to B = 210 × 7/5 = 294 minutes
Calculate total combined time:
Total Time = Walking (A to B) + Running (B to C)
Total Time = 294 + 150 = 444 minutes
Correct Answer: 444
💡 FundaMakers Tip:
Avoid computing physical distances when the problem deals entirely with speed shifts. Use the inverse time ratio (7 : 5) directly on the segment baselines. This allows you to scale the time durations up or down in one step.