Department of Physics

Multiple choice questions

Chapter 1
Electric charges and fields

1. Apparatus to detect charge on body is

a) Microscope b) telescope
c) electroscope d) travelling microscope

2. In practice, which of the following is not used as unit coulomb

a) 1mC b) 1μc
c)1C d) 1nC

3. Unit of volume charge density is

a) C/m b) C/m3
c)Cm d) C/m2

4. If a glass rod is rubbed with silk, it acquires positive charge because

a) protons are added to it b) protons are removed from it
c) electrons are added to it d) electrons are removed from it

5. If q1q2 > 0, what is the nature of force between the two charges?
a) attractive in nature b) repulsive in nature
c) no force between them d) None of the above

6. If q1q2 < 0, what is the nature of force between them?

a) attractive in nature b) repulsive in nature
c) no force between them d) none of the above

7. When the distance between two charged particle is halved, the force between them
becomes
1 1
a) 4 𝑡ℎ b) 2
c) double d) four times

8. Dimensions of ℇo are
a) [M-1L-3T4A2] b) [M0L-3T3A3]
c) [M-1L-3T3A3] d) [M-1L-1TA2]
9. An electric filed can deflect
a) X-rays b) neutrons
c) α- particle d) γ- rays

10. If an electric dipole is kept in a uniform electric field then it will experience
a) a force b) a couple and moves
c) a couple and rotatesd) a force and moves

11. The tangent drawn at a point on a line of electric force shows the
a) intensity of gravity field b) intensity of magnetic field
c) intensity of electric field d) direction of electric field

12. If electric field flux coming out of a closed surface is zero, the electric filed at the surface
will be
a) zero b) same at all places
c) dependent upon the location d) none of the above

13. Electric lines forces

a) exist everywhere b) are imaginary
c) exist only in the immediate vicinity of electric charges d) none of the above

14. If electric filed is uniform then the electric lines of forces are
a) divergent b) convergent
c) circular d) parallel

15. The electric field inside a spherical shell of uniform surface charge density is
a) zero b) non zero
c) proportional to the distance from the centre d) none of the above

16. Charges reside on the

a) outer surface of the charged conductor
b) inner surface of the charged conductor
c) inner as well as outer surface of charged conductor
d) none of the above

17. A point charge is kept at the centre of metallic insulated spherical shell
a) electric field outside the sphere is zero b) electric field inside the sphere is zero
c) net induced charge on sphere is zero d) electric potential inside sphere is zero

18. SI unit of permittivity is

 a) C2m2N2 b) C2m-2N-1
c) C2m2N-1 d) C-1m2N-2

19. A body can be negatively charged by

a) giving excess of electrons to it b) removing some electrons from it
c) giving some proton to it d) removing some neutrons from it

20. Torque acting on electric dipole of dipole moment → placed in uniform electric field E is
𝑃
a) → → b) → .→
𝑃× 𝐸 𝑃 𝐸
→
c) → → → d) →. 𝑃𝑃2
𝑃×(𝐸× 𝑃) 𝐸

Chapter 9
Ray Optics

1. An object is placed at the principal focus of a convex mirror. The image will be at
a) Centre of curvature b) Principal focus
c) Infinity d) No image formed

2. According to sign convention, in ray optics

a) all distances are taken positive
b) all distances are taken negative
c) all distances in the direction of incident ray are taken positive
d) all distances in the direction of incident ray are taken negative

3. Transmission of light in optical fibre is due to

a) scattering b) diffraction
c) refracted d) multiple total internal reflection

4. Which of the following is not due to total internal reflection?

a) Working of optical fibre
b) Difference between apparent and real depth of a pond
c) Brilliance of diamond
d) Mirage on hot summer days

5. The reddish appearance of rising and setting of sun is due to

a) reflection of light b) diffraction of light
c) scattering of light d) dispersion of light

6. For relaxed eye, the magnifying power of a microscope is

𝑣 𝐷 𝑣 𝑓
a) 𝑜 × b) 𝑜 × 𝑒
𝑢𝑜 𝑓𝑒 𝑢𝑜 𝐷
𝑢𝑜 𝐷 𝑢𝑜 −𝐷
c) 𝑣 × 𝑓 d) 𝑣 × ( 𝑓 )
𝑜 𝑒 𝑜 𝑒
7. If the focal length of objective lens is increased then magnifying power of
a) microscope will decrease but that of telescope decrease
b) microscope and telescope both will increase
c) microscope and telescope will decrease
d) microscope will decrease but that of telescope will increase

8. Focal length of a mirror is given by

𝑅
a) f = 4 , R = radius of curvature b) f = R2
𝑅
c) f = 2 d) f = R

9. Magnification for spherical mirrors ‘m’ is given by

𝑣 𝑢
a) 𝑢 b) 𝑣
𝑣 𝑢
c)− 𝑢 d)− 𝑣

10. Refraction is
a) Change of direction of propagation of light at the interface of two media as light
passes from one medium to another medium
b) none of the above
c) reversal of direction of propagation of light
d) the change of direction of propagation of light

11. According to Snell’s law,

a) the ratio of angle of incidence to the angle of refraction is constant.
b) the ratio of the tangent of the angle of incidence to the tangent of angle of
refraction is constant.
c) the ratio of sine of angle of incidence to the sine of angle of refraction is constant
d) the ratio of cosine of angle of incidence to the cosine of angle of refraction in
constant

12. TIR can take place only if light is travelling from

a) rarer to denser medium b) no two media
c) denser to rarer medium d) any two media

13. Rainbow is formed due to

a) refraction and absorption b) dispersion and focusing
c) refraction and scattering d) dispersion and total internal reflection

14. Dispersion is the phenomenon of

a) splitting of light into electric and magnetic fields
b) variation of refractive index from glass to glass
 c) scattering of light from various molecules
d) splitting of light into its component colors

15. The bluish color predominates in a clear sky, since blue

a) has a shorter wavelength than red and scattered much more strongly
b) has a shorter wavelength than red and is scattered much less strongly
c) is radiated much more
d) has a longer wavelength than red and is scattered much more strongly

16. For a rectangular slab, refraction takes place at

a) three interfaces b) four interfaces
c) two interfaces d) one interface

17. Whenever light travels from denser medium to rarer medium

a) it bends away from the normal b) it bends towards the normal
c) it passes undeviated d) it always reflects back

18. The phenomenon of light bending due to change of medium is called

a) reflection b) refraction
c) dispersion d) TIR

19. The image which can be obtained on a screen is called

a) a virtual image b) a real image
c) either a real or a virtual image d) neither a real nor a virtual image

20. The distance between the focus and the pole of the mirror is called
a) focal length b) radius of curvature
c) principle axis d) diameter of curvature

21. If a ray of light goes from rarer medium to a denser medium, will it bend towards the
normal or away from it?
a) bends away from the normal b) bends towards the normal
c) goes undeviated d) is reflected back

22. What causes chromatic aberration?

a) marginal rays
b) central rays
c) difference in radii of curvature of its surface
d) variation of focal length of lens with color

23. The rays of different colors fail to converge at a point after going through a
converging lens. This defect is called
a) spherical aberration b) distortion
c) coma d) chromatic aberration

24. Which of the following signifies Snell’s law?

 sin 𝑖 sin 𝑟
a) sin 𝑟 = constant b) sin 𝑖 = constant
c) sini + sinr = constant d) none of the above

25. Which of the following color of white light deviated most when passes through a
prism?
a) light travels from rarer to denser medium
b) light travels from denser to rarer medium
c) light travels in air only
d) light travels in water

26. Which of the following color of white light deviated the most when passes through a
prism?
a) red light b) violet light
c) yellow light d) both a & b

Chapter 10
Wave optics

1. Wave front is
a) locus of points which are in same phase b) wave envelope
c) wave moving forward d) locus of points having same period

2. The idea of secondary wavelets for the propagation of a wave was first given by
a) Newton b) Huygens
c) Maxwell d) Fresnel
3. What is the geometrical shape of wave front of light diverging from a point source of
light?
a) plane wave front b) spherical wave front
c) cylindrical wave front d) elliptical wave front

4. Shape of wave front emitted by a light source in the form of narrow slit is
a) cylindrical b) spherical
c) plane d) elliptical

5. A plane wave front passes through a convex lens, the geometric shape of wave front that
emerges is
a) plane b) diverging spherical
c) converging spherical d) none of these

6. Which of the following is the path difference for destructive interference?

𝜆
a) n(λ+1) b) (2n+1)2
𝜆
c) nλ d) (n+1)
2

7. Which of the following is the phase difference for destructive interference?

a) (2n+1)π b) 2nπ
𝜋
c) nπ d) (2n+1)2

8. Which phenomenon doesn’t establish the wave nature of light?

a) interference b) diffraction
c) polarization d) photoelectric effect

9. Distance between two consecutive bright or dark fringes is called

a) fringe width b) wavelength
c) wave number d) slit width

10. The phenomenon of bending of light around the corner of obstacle is called
a) interference b) diffraction
c) polarization d) refraction

11. Coherent sources are sources emitting light waves with

a) zero or constant phase difference b) same amplitude waves
c) varying phase difference d) same frequency waves

12. On which of the following factor(s), resolving power of microscope depends?

 a) wavelength of light b) semi-vertical angle
c) RI of the medium d) all of the above

13. On which of the following factor(s), resolving power of telescope depends?

a) wavelength of light b) diameter of objective
c) both a & b d) distance of the object

14. How does the resolving power of microscope depend on the wavelength of light used?
a) directly proportional b) independent
c) inversely proportional d) inversely as 4th power of wavelength

15. How do you increase resolving power of a telescope?

a) by increasing diameter of objective lens b) by decreasing wavelength of light
c) both a & b d) by changing the observatory angle

16. Which method is not used for getting plane polarised light?
a) reflection b) refraction
c) scattering d) total internal reflection

17. Polarization of light confirms

a) longitudinal nature of light b) transverse nature of light
c) magnetic vibrations in light d) non-mechanical wave nature

18. At polarizing angle of incidence the angle between reflected and refracted rays is
a) o0 b) 900
c) 1800 d) 450

19. Polaroid’s are not used to

a) produce plane polarised light b) see 3D pictures and movies
c) improve color contrast in oil paintings d) deviate ray of light through 900

20. Brewster’s law states mathematically as

a) n = cos θp b) n = tan θp
c) n = cot θp d) n = sin θp (where θp is Brewster’s angle)