This course has 12 chapters with 12,610 multiple-choice
questions. Each question is tied to a topic from the chapter and comes with the correct answer and an
explanation. Open a chapter to see its topics and a free sample of its questions, or read the sample from the whole book below.
10 sample questions with the correct answer and an explanation. Try to answer each one before reading the explanation.
Q1. Which of these expands by the same amount as a steel rod of equal length for the same temperature rise?
A. Concrete, as both have &alpha(correct answer)
B. A gold rod, since both of them are dense
C. A tungsten rod, since both are very hard
D. A silver rod, since both of them are shiny
Answer: A.Equal α gives equal expansion for equal original length and ΔT; steel and concrete share 1.2 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹. Matching concrete and steel is also why reinforced concrete does not crack.
Q2. A student says heat 'rises'. Which statement best describes what really happens?
A. Heat can only move upward in solids
B. Heat is a substance that always moves upward
C. Cold is a substance that always moves downward
D. Hot fluids rise(correct answer)
Answer: D.Hot fluids become less dense and rise in convection, but heat transfer in general depends only on the temperature difference.
Q3. Which statement about electromagnetic waves is correct?
A. They are longitudinal compression waves of air
B. Their particles vibrate along the direction of travel of the wave
C. Their electric and magnetic fields oscillate at right angles to the direction of travel(correct answer)
D. They are made of vibrating coils like a long spring
Answer: C.In electromagnetic radiation the electric and magnetic fields oscillate perpendicular to the direction of energy propagation, so they are transverse.
Q4. A ray enters an equilateral glass prism and is incident on its first face along the normal. What happens at the first face and at the second face?
A. No bending at the first face; it bends away from the normal at the second face(correct answer)
B. It bends away from the normal at the first face and reflects at the second
C. It bends towards the normal at the first face and again at the second face
D. No bending at either face
Answer: A.At normal incidence there is no deviation at the first face, but the ray meets the second face obliquely and refracts away from the normal (standard knowledge).
Q5. Which statement best distinguishes electric field lines from the path of a moving charge?
A. Lines show force direction; paths depend on motion(correct answer)
B. Field lines always coincide with the path of every charge
C. Field lines are real but paths are imaginary
D. Paths of charges are always straight lines across the field
Answer: A.A charge's actual path may differ from a field line when it has initial velocity (standard knowledge), but the field line always gives the force direction.
Q6. Which components are listed in the learning outcomes for circuit diagrams?
A. Cells, switches, resistors, thermistors, LDRs, lamps(correct answer)
Q7. What is the effect on the field at a point if current doubles and distance doubles?
A. The field becomes half
B. The field remains about the same(correct answer)
C. The field becomes double of its earlier value
D. The field becomes zero
Answer: B.Stronger current compensates the weaker field at greater distance (standard knowledge, B is proportional to I/d).
Q8. A fire alarm design drives the alarm output through an AND gate from the smoke and heat sensors, yet the alarm should sound when either smoke or heat is detected. Which gate would match this requirement?
A. An OR gate(correct answer)
B. A NOR gate with both inputs 1
C. A NOT gate
D. An AND gate
Answer: A.The text and the Brain Teaser describe OR logic for the alarm, so an AND gate for the alarm (as the book's circuit diagram labels it) is inconsistent with the text.
Q9. Which branch of science studies the structure of atoms, their constituents and how they interact with light and energy?
A. Nuclear physics
B. Fluid mechanics
C. Thermal physics
D. Atomic physics(correct answer)
Answer: D.Atomic physics deals with the structure of atoms, their constituents (electrons, protons, neutrons) and their interaction with light and energy.
Q10. Cyclones in the northern hemisphere turn anticlockwise because the Earth rotates
A. Around the Moon every month, which pulls the air into the low
B. Around the Sun once a year, which cools the air into the low
C. From east to west, which deflects moving air in the northern hemisphere to the left so that it circles clockwise out of the low region and away from the centre of the storm
D. From west to east, which deflects moving air in the northern hemisphere to the right so that it circles anticlockwise into the low(correct answer)
Answer: D.From west to east, which deflects moving air in the northern hemisphere to the right so that it circles anticlockwise into the low.
Practice the full Physics question bank
Choose a chapter or topic, take timed or instant-feedback practice exams and see which topics need more work.