Concept:Time spent = arrival time − departure time. When the journey crosses 12:00 noon, split it at noon so am and pm times are not mixed.
Given:Left at 9:45 am, arrived at 4:15 pm.
Solution:Part 1, 9:45 am to 10:00 am:
15 minutes.
Part 2, 10:00 am to 12:00 noon:
2 hours.
So 9:45 am to noon =
2 h
15 min.
Part 3, 12:00 noon to 4:15 pm:
4 h
15 min.
Total =
2 h
15 min +
4 h
15 min =
6 h
30 min (since
15+15=30 minutes, no carry into hours).
Key point: Subtracting the clock numbers directly (
4:15−9:45) gives a negative value; always split at noon or use the 24-hour clock (
16:15−09:45=6 h
30 min).
Answer:Option C (6 hours 30 minutes)