How many cardinal directions are there on a standard compass?

• A. Four
• B. Six
• C. Eight
• D. Twelve

Answer: (C)

Cardinal directions are the four main directions used for general navigation: north, east, south, and west. They form the core reference points people use when giving broad bearings or describing location. The directions like northeast or southwest sit between those cardinals and are called intercardinal (or ordinal) directions. If you count all the commonly used directions on a full eight-point compass, you get eight, but those include both cardinal and intercardinal directions. Since the question asks for cardinal directions, the count is four.