Question

A clock is set to show the correct time at $12:00$ noon. Immediately, due to some mechanical defect, both the minute hand and the hour hand started moving in the reverse direction (anticlockwise direction). What is the correct time when this clock shows $08:25$?
A. $04:25$
B. $03:25$
C. $07:25$
D. $07:35$
E. $03:35$

Answer 1

Hint: When the hands are moving anticlockwise, we can assume the time shown in the mirror is a mirror image of actual time.

When the hands are moving anticlockwise, we can assume the time shown in the mirror is a mirror image of actual time.
Assume that there is a line drawn between $12$ and $6$ on the clock, this can be a line of symmetry. When we take the mirror image of this clock, the hands that are on the right side of this line will appear equidistant on the left side of the line and vice-versa.
The time indicated is $08:25$, the hour mid-way after $8$ and the minute hand on $5$.
Its mirror image will become, the hour mid-way before $4$ and the minute hand on $7$, i.e. $03:35$
Option E is the correct answer.

Note: In this question, we have been with the correct time as 12:00 noon, after some time due to some defect the clock started moving in reverse direction, so we took a line of symmetry drawn between 12 and 6 and took the mirror image of the clock which will tell the actual time.