Refraction of Light at Plane Surfaces Quiz - ICSE Class 10 Physics

Free practice quiz: Refraction of Light at Plane Surfaces (ICSE Class 10 Physics). 50 multiple-choice questions with answers and explanations. Play online, no sign-up needed.

This ICSE Class 10 Physics practice quiz has 50 multiple-choice questions on Refraction of Light at Plane Surfaces, and 50 of them come with an explanation. Try the 5 sample questions below (tap an option to check yourself), then play the full quiz online. No sign-up needed.

Sample questions

1. When light travels from a rarer medium to a denser medium, it bends:

   1. away from the normal
   2. towards the normal
   3. parallel to the normal
   4. It does not bend
   Show answer

   Answer: B. towards the normal

   According to Snell's Law, when light enters a denser medium (higher refractive index), its speed decreases, causing it to bend towards the normal.

2. The phenomenon of twinkling of stars is due to:

   1. Reflection of light by atmospheric particles
   2. Refraction of light by atmospheric layers of varying densities
   3. Scattering of light by atmospheric particles
   4. Dispersion of light by atmospheric water droplets
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Refraction of light by atmospheric layers of varying densities

   As starlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, it encounters layers of air with different temperatures and densities. This causes the light to be refracted (bent) repeatedly. The continuous changes in the path of light due to these variations in refractive index lead to the apparent fluctuation in the brightness of stars, which we perceive as twinkling.

3. A ray of light enters a prism from air. If it is incident normally on one face, it:

   1. bends towards the normal
   2. bends away from the normal
   3. travels undeviated
   4. undergoes total internal reflection
   Show answer

   Answer: C. travels undeviated

   When a ray of light is incident normally on a surface (angle of incidence = 0 degrees), it passes through without deviation, regardless of the refractive index of the medium it enters. This is because sin(0) = 0, so sin(r) must also be 0, meaning r = 0.

4. When light travels from water to air, the angle of incidence is 30 degrees. The refractive index of water is 4/3. The angle of refraction will be:

   1. less than 30 degrees
   2. equal to 30 degrees
   3. greater than 30 degrees
   4. such that total internal reflection occurs
   Show answer

   Answer: C. greater than 30 degrees

   Light travels from water (denser) to air (rarer). In this case, the light bends away from the normal. Therefore, the angle of refraction will be greater than the angle of incidence.

5. When light passes from air to a rarer medium, it bends:

   1. towards the normal
   2. away from the normal
   3. parallel to the normal
   4. It does not bend
   Show answer

   Answer: B. away from the normal

   When light enters a rarer medium (lower refractive index), its speed increases. This causes the light ray to bend away from the normal.

More questions in this quiz

Answers and explanations are in the full quiz.

1. The refractive index of a medium is defined as the ratio of:
2. If the speed of light in vacuum is c, and the refractive index of a medium is n, then the speed of light in the medium is:
3. A ray of light strikes a plane mirror at an angle of incidence of 30 degrees. What is the angle of reflection?
4. Which phenomenon causes a straight stick immersed partially in water to appear bent at the surface?
5. The apparent depth of an object in water is less than its real depth. This is due to:
6. If the real depth of a swimming pool is 2 meters and the refractive index of water is 4/3, the apparent depth of the swimming pool is:
7. When light travels from a denser medium to a rarer medium, it bends:
8. The lateral displacement of a ray of light passing through a rectangular glass slab depends on:
9. A ray of light travelling in air enters a liquid. The angle of incidence is 60 degrees and the angle of refraction is 30 degrees. The refractive index of the liquid is approximately:
10. A ray of light passes from medium A to medium B. If the angle of incidence is i and the angle of refraction is r, and the refractive index of medium B with respect to medium A is n_BA, then:
11. When light travels from a rarer medium to a denser medium, the angle of refraction is:
12. A convex lens is used to form a real image. If the object is placed at 2F (where F is the focal length), the image will be formed:
13. The focal length of a plane mirror is:
14. When a ray of light passes through a glass slab, the emergent ray is:
15. Total internal reflection occurs when light travels from:
16. The critical angle for a medium is the angle of incidence for which the angle of refraction is:
17. If the critical angle between two media is C, then the refractive index of the second medium with respect to the first is:
18. Which optical phenomenon is responsible for the formation of rainbow?
19. The deviation produced by a glass prism is minimum when:
20. A lens has a power of +2.0 D. Its focal length is:
21. A concave lens is used to correct which vision defect?
22. When light travels from glass to water (both transparent), refraction will occur.
23. The apparent shift in the position of an object submerged in a liquid is due to the change in optical density, which is a consequence of:
24. Which of the following statements is incorrect regarding the refraction of light?
25. A ray of light is incident on a glass slab at an angle of 45 degrees. If the refractive index of glass is 1.5, the angle of refraction will be approximately:
26. The bending of light through a glass prism is called:
27. A ray of light goes from medium X to medium Y. The refractive index of Y with respect to X is 0.75. This implies that medium Y is:
28. Which of the following is NOT a condition for total internal reflection?
29. A ray of light is incident on a plane mirror. The angle of incidence is measured between the incident ray and the:
30. The speed of light in vacuum is approximately 3 x 10^8 m/s. If the refractive index of diamond is 2.42, what is the speed of light in diamond?
31. When light passes from air to glass, and the angle of incidence is 45 degrees, the angle of refraction is 30 degrees. If this same ray were to pass from glass to air, and the angle of incidence in glass were 30 degrees, what would be the angle of refraction in air?
32. A person wearing spectacles with a concave lens is able to see distant objects clearly. This indicates that the person suffers from:
33. Which of the following terms describes the splitting of white light into its constituent colors when it passes through a prism?
34. The focal length of a convex lens is 10 cm. Where should an object be placed to obtain a real, inverted image of twice the size of the object?
35. The lateral displacement of a light ray passing through a rectangular glass slab is zero if:
36. Which of the following optical instruments uses the principle of refraction?
37. If the refractive index of water is 4/3 and the refractive index of glass is 3/2, then the refractive index of glass with respect to water is:
38. The real depth of a tank is 'd'. If the refractive index of the liquid in the tank is 'n', the apparent depth of the liquid is:
39. A ray of light strikes a plane surface from vacuum and enters into a medium. If the angle of incidence is $i$ and the angle of refraction is $r$, then which of the following is true?
40. When light passes from a denser medium to a rarer medium at an angle of incidence equal to the critical angle, the angle of refraction is:
41. A ray of light passes from a medium A to medium B. If the refractive index of A is $\mu_A$ and that of B is $\mu_B$, and the angles of incidence and refraction are $i$ and $r$ respectively, then Snell's law states:
42. The phenomenon of a mirage is an example of:
43. A convex lens forms a virtual, erect, and magnified image. This happens when the object is placed:
44. The power of a lens is inversely proportional to its:
45. A ray of light travels from a denser medium to a rarer medium. For total internal reflection to occur, the angle of incidence must be:

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