Refraction of Light

Multiple Choice Questions: (MCQs)

1. Light travelling from a denser medium to a rarer medium along a normal to the boundary :
(a) is refracted towards the normal (b) is refracted away from the normal
(c) goes along the boundary (d) is not refracted
2. A ray of light passes from glass into air. The angle of refraction will be :
(a) equal to the angle of incidence (b) greater than the angle of incidence
(c) smaller than the angle of incidence (d) 45
3. A ray of light travelling in air goes into water. The angle of refraction will be :
(a) 90 (b) smaller than the angle of incidence
(c) equal to the angle of incidence (d) greater than the angle of incidence
4. The speed of light in air is :
(a) 3 108 cm/s (b) 3 108 mm/s (c) 3 108 km/s (d) 3 108 m/s
5. When a ray of light travelling in glass enters into water obliquely :
(a) it is refracted towards the normal (b) it is not refracted at all
(c) it goes along the normal (d) it is refracted away from the normal
6. A ray of light travelling in water falls at right angles to the boundary of a parallel-sided glass block.
The ray of light :
(a) is refracted towards the normal (b) is refracted away from the normal
(c) does not get refracted (d) is reflected along the same path
7. A ray of light passes from a medium X to another medium Y. No refraction of light occur if the ray
of light hits the boundary of medium Y at an angle of :
(a) 0 (b) 45 (c) 90 (d) 120
8. The refractive indices of four substances P, Q, R and S are 1.50, 1.36, 1.77 and 1.31 respectively.
The speed of light is the maximum in the substance:
(a) P (b) Q (c) R (d) S
9. The refractive indices of four materials A, B, C and D are 1.33, 1.43, 1.71 and 1.52 respectively.
When the light rays pass from air into these materials, they refract the maximum in :
(a) material A (b) material B (c) material C (d) material D
3
10. The refractive index of glass for light going from air to glass is . The refractive index for light
2
going from glass to air will be :
1 4 4 5
(a) (b) (c) (d)
3 5 6 2
11. The refractive indices of four media A, B, C and D are 1.44, 1.52, 1.65 and 1.36 respectively. When
light travelling in air is incident in these media at equal angles, the angle of refraction will be the
minimum :
(a) in medium A (b) in medium B (c) in medium C (d) in medium D
12. The speed of light in substance X is 1.25  108 m/s and that in air is 3  108 m/s. The refractive
index of this substance will be :
(a) 2.4 (b) 0.4 (c) 4.2 (d) 3.75
13. The refractive indexes of four substances P, Q, R and S are 1.77, 1.50, 2.42 and 1.31 respectively.
When light travelling in air is incident on these substances at equal angles, the angle of refraction
will be the maximum in:
(a) Substance P (b) substance Q (c) substance R (d) substance S
14. The refractive index of water is:
(a) 1.33 (b) 1.50 (c) 2.42 (d) 1.36
4
15. The refractive index of water with respect to air is . The refractive index of air with respect to
3
water will be:
(a) 1.75 (b) 0.50 (c) 0.75 (d) 0.25
16. Refractive indices of water, sulphuric acid, glass and carbon disulphide are 1.33, 1.43, 1.53 and
1.63 respectively. The light travels slowest in:
(a) sulphuric acid (b) glass (c) water (d)carbon disulphide
3
17. The refractive index of glass with respect to air is and the refractive index of water with respect
2
4
to air is . The refractive index of glass with respect to water will be:
3
(a) 1.525 (b) 1.225 (c) 1.425 (d) 1.125
18. A convex lens has a focal length of 10 cm. At which of the following position should an object be
placed so that this convex lens may act as a magnifying glass?
(a) 15 cm (b) 7 cm (c) 20 cm (d) 25 cm
19. Which one of the following materials cannot be used to make a lens?
(a) Water (b) Glass (c) Plastic (d) Clay
20. A small bulb is placed at the focal point of a converging lens. When the bulb is switched on, the
lens produces:
(a) A convergent beam of light (b) a divergent beam of light
(c) a parallel beam of light (d) a patch of coloured light
21. An illuminated object is placed at a distance of 20 cm from a converging lens of focal length 15 cm.
The image obtained on the screen is:
(a) upright and magnified (b) inverted and magnified
(c) inverted and diminished (d) upright and diminished
22. An object is placed between f and 2f of a convex lens. Which of the following statements correctly
describes its image?
(a) real, larger than the object (b) erect, smaller than the object
(c) inverted, same size as object (d) virtual, larger than the object
23. Which of the following can make a parallel beam of light when light from a bulb falls on it?
(a) concave mirror as well as concave lens (b) convex mirror as well as convex lens
(c) concave mirror as well as convex lens (d) convex mirror as well as concave lens
24. In order to obtain a real image twice the size of the object with a convex lens of focal length 15
cm, the object distance should be :
 (a) more than 5 cm but less than 10 cm (b) more than 10 cm but less than 15 cm
(c) more than 15 cm but less than 30 cm (d) more than 30 cm but less than 60 cm
25. A converging lens is used to produce an image of an object on a screen. What change is needed
for the image to be formed nearer to the lens?
(a) increase the focal length of the lens
(b) insert a diverging lens between the lens and the screen
(c) increase the distance of the object from the lens
(d) more the object closer to the lens
26. A convex lens of focal length 8 cm forms a real image of the same size as the object. The distance
between object and its image will be:
(a) 8 cm (b) 16 cm (c) 24 cm (d) 32 cm
27. A virtual, erect and magnified image of an object is to be obtained with a convex lens. For this
purpose, the object should be placed:
(a) between 2F and infinity (b) between F and optical centre
(c) between F and 2F (d) at F
28. A burning candle whose flame is 1.5 cm tall is placed at a certain distance in front of a convex lens.
An image of candle flame is received on a white screen kept behind the lens. The image of flame
also measures 1.5 cm. If f is the focal length of convex lens, the candle is placed:
(a) at f (b) between f and 2f (c) at 2f (d) beyond 2f
29. A spherical mirror and a spherical lens each have focal length of, -15 cm. The mirror and the lens
are likely to be:
(a) both concave
(b) both convex
(c) the mirror is concave but the lens is convex
(d) the mirror isconvexbut the lens is concave
30. Linear magnification produced by a convex lens can be :
(a) less than 1 or more than 1
(b) less than 1 or equal to 1
(c) more than 1 or equal to 1
(d) less than 1, equal to or more than 1
31. Magnification produced by a convex lens is always:
(a) more than 1 (b) equal to 1 (c) less than 1 (d) more than 1 or
less than 1
32. In order to produce a magnification of, -3 with a convex lens, the object should be placed :
(a) between optical center and F (b) between F and 2F
(c) at 2F (d) beyond 2F
33. A convex lens produces a magnification of +5. The object is placed :
(a) at focus (b) between f and 2f
(c) at less than 2f (d) beyond 2f
34. If magnification of, -1 is obtained by using a converging lens, the theobjecthas to be placed:
(a) within f (b) at 2f
 (c) beyond 2f (d) at infinity
35. To obtain a magnification of,-0.5 with a convex lens, he object should be plaved :
(a) at F (b) between optical center and F
(c) between F and 2F (d) beyond 2F
36. An object is 0.09m from a magnifying lens and the image is formed 36 cm from the lens. The
magnification produced is:
(a) 0.4 (c) 1.4 (c) 4.0 (d) 4.5
37. To obtain a magnification of, -2 with a convex lens of focal length 10cm, the object should be
placed :
(a) between 5cm and 15 cm (b) between 10cm and 20 cm
(c) at 20 cm (d) beyond 20 cm
38. A convex lens of focal length 15 cm produces a magnification of +4. The object is placed:
(a) at a distance of 15cm (b) between 15 cm and 30 cm
(c) at less than 15 cm (d) beyond 30 cm
39. If the magnification of, -1 is to be obtained by using a converging lens of focal length 12 cm, then
the object must be placed :
(a) within 12 cm (b) at 24 cm (c) at 6 cm (d) beyond 24 cm
40. In order to obtain a magnification of, -0.75 with a convex lens of focal length 8 cm, the object
should be placed :
(a) at less than 8 cm (b) between 8 cm and 16 cm
(c) beyond 16cm (d) at 16 cm
41. The focal lengths of four convex lense P,Q,R and S are 20cm, 15cm ,5 cm and 10 cm resp. The lens
having greatest power is:
(a) P (b) Q (c) R (d) S
42. A converging lens has a focal length of 50 cm. The power of this lens is:
(a) +0.2 D (b) -2.0 D (c) +2.0 D (d) -0.2D
43. A diverging lens has focal length of 0.10 m. The power of this lens will be :
(a) +10.0D (b) +1.0D (c) -1.0D (d) -10.1D
44. The power of the lens is +2.0D. Its focal length should be :
(a) 100cm (b) 50cm (c) 25cm (d) 40cm
45. If the spherical lens has power of, -0.25D, the focal length of this lens will be:
(a) -4cm (b) -400mm (c) -4m (d) -40m
46. The power of a conave lens is 10D and that of a convex lens is 6D. When these two lenses are
placed in contact with each other, the power of their combination will be :
(a) + 16D (b) +4D (c)-16D (d) -4D
47. The power of a converging lens is 4.5D and that of a diverging lens is 3D. The power of this
combination of lens placed closed together is :
(a) +1.5D (b) +7.5D (c) -7.5D (d) -1.5D
48. A convex lens of focal length 10cm is placed in contact with a concave lens of focal length 20cm.
The focal length of this combination of lenses will be :
(a) +10cm (b) +20cm (c) -10cm (d) -20cm
 Answers:
1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (b) 4. (d) 5. (d) 6. (c) 7. (c) 8. (c) 1.33 9. (d) 10. (c) 11. (c) 12. (c) 13. (a)
14. (d) 15. (a) 16. (c) 17. (d) 18. (b) 19. (d) 20. (c) 21. (b) 22. (a) 23. (c)
24. (c) 25. (c) 26. (d) 27. (b) 28. (c) 29. (a) 30. (d) 31. (c) 32. (b) 33. (c) 34. (b) 35. (d) 36.
(d) 37. (b) 38. (c) 39. (b) 40. (c) 41. (c) 42. (c) 43 (d) 44. (b) 45 (c) 46. (d) 47 (a) 48. (b)