Grade: 10 CBSE Previous Year Questions-Physics

1 Draw a ray diagram to show the path of the reflected ray in each of the following cases. A ray of
light incident on a convex mirror.
(a) strikes at its pole making an angle θ from the principal axis.
(b) is directed towards its principal focus.
(c) is parallel to its principal axis.
2 A student has focused the image of a candle flame on a white screen using a concave mirror. The
situation is as given below:
Length of the flame = 1·5 cm
Focal length of the mirror = 12 cm
Distance of flame from the mirror = 18 cm
If the flame is perpendicular to the principal axis of the mirror, then calculate the following:
(a) Distance of the image from the mirror
(b) Length of the image.
If the distance between the mirror and the flame is reduced to 10 cm, then what would be
observed on the screen? Draw ray diagram to justify your answer for this situation.
3 What is meant by the power of a lens? What is its S.I. unit? Name the type of lens whose power is
positive. The image of an object formed by a lens is real, inverted and of the same size as the
object. If the image is at 40 cm from the lens, what is the nature and power of the lens? Draw ray
diagram to justify your answer.
4 When a concave mirror is placed facing the Sun, the Sun’s rays converge to a point 10 cm from
the mirror. Now, if you place a 2 cm long candles flame 20 cm away on the principal axis of the
mirror, where would you place a screen to obtain the image of the candle? What would see the
size of the image? Draw a ray diagram to justify your answer.
5 A student has to project a three times magnified image of a candle flame on a wall. Name the type
of the lens (converging/ diverging) required for the purpose. If the candle flame is at 6 m from the
wall, find the focal length of the lens
6 A child, while playing with his father’s spectacles burnt a hole in a piece of tissue paper by
focusing the image of the Sun on it.
a) Name the defect of vision his father is suffering from.
b) List two causes of the defect.
c) Draw a ray diagram to show how this defect may be corrected using a suitable lens.
7 (i) Which property of concave mirror is utilized for using them as shaving mirrors?
(ii) Light passes through a rectangular glass slab and through a triangular glass prism. Using
proper ray diagram, explain in what way the direction of the two emergent beams differs with
respect to the incident beam of light.

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 (iii) A concave lens has a focal length of 50 cm Calculate its power.
8 (i) Rohit claims to have obtained an image twice the size of an object with a concave lens. Is he
correct? Give a reason for your answer.
(ii) Where should an object be placed in case of a convex lens to form an image of the same size
as of the object? Show with the help of ray diagram the position and the nature of the image
formed.
(iii) With the help of ray diagram, illustrate the change in position, nature and size of the image
formed if the convex lens in case of (ii) is replaced by concave lens of same focal length.
9

A student observes the above phenomenon in the lab as a white light passes through a prism.
Among many other colours, he observed the position of the two colours Red and Violet. What is
the phenomenon called? What is the reason for the violet light to bend more than the red light?
10

A student has two resistors- 2 Ω and 3 Ω. She has to put one of them in place of R2 as shown in
the circuit. The current that she needs in the entire circuit is exactly 9A. Show by calculation
which of the two resistors she should choose.
11 The refractive index of water with respect to air is 1.33 and that of diamond is 2.42.
(i) In which medium does the light move faster, water or diamond?
(ii) What is the refractive index of diamond with respect to water?
12 In the given circuit, A, B, C and D are four lamps connected with a battery of 60V.

Analyse the circuit to answer the following questions.

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 (i) What kind of combination are the lamps arranged in (series or parallel)?
(ii) Explain with reference to your above answer, what are the advantages (any two) of this
combination of lamps?
(iii) Explain with proper calculations which lamp glows the brightest?
(iv) Find out the total resistance of the circuit.
13 PQ is a current carrying conductor in the plane of the paper as shown in the figure below.

(i) Find the directions of the magnetic fields produced by it at points R and S?
(ii) Given r1> r2, where will the strength of the magnetic field be larger? Give reasons.
(iii) If the polarity of the battery connected to the wire is reversed, how would the direction of the
magnetic field be changed?
(iv) Explain the rule that is used to find the direction of the magnetic field for a straight current
carrying conductor.
14 A ray of light enters into benzene from air. If the refractive index of benzene is 1.50, by what
percent does the speed of light reduce on entering the benzene?
15 For the same angle of incidence in media A, B and C, the angles of refraction are 200, 300 and 400
respectively. In which medium will the velocity of light be maximum? Give reason in support of
your answer.
16 The image of an object formed by a mirror is real, inverted and is of magnification -1. If the image
is at a distance of 30 cm from the mirror, where is the object placed? Find the position of the
image if the object is now moved 20 cm towards the mirror. What is the nature of the image
obtained? Justify your answer with the help of ray diagram.
17 What is meant by power of a lens? You have three lenses L1, L2 and L3 of powers +10D, +5D
and -10D respectively. State the nature and focal length of each lens. Explain which of the three
lenses will form a virtual and magnified image of an object placed 15 cm from the lens. Draw the
ray diagram in support of your answer.
18 Two lamps, one rated 100 W at 220 V and the other 200 W at 220V are connected (i) in series and
(ii) in parallel to electric main supply of 220V. Find the current drawn in each case.
19 The figure below shows three cylindrical copper conductors along with their face areas and
lengths. Compare the resistance and the resistivity of the three conductors. Justify your answer.

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20 (a)What is meant by the term ‘power of accommodation’? Name the component of eye that is
responsible for the power of accommodation.
(b) A student sitting on the back bench in a class has difficulty in reading. What could be his
defect of vision? Draw ray diagrams to illustrate the image formation of the blackboard when he
is seated at the (i) back seat (ii) front seat. State two possible causes of this defect. Explain the
method of correcting this defect with the help of a ray diagram.
21 Define pole of a spherical mirror.
22 State the laws of reflection of light. List four characteristics of the images formed by plane
mirrors.
23 Study the diagram given below and answer the questions that follow:

(a) Why do the iron filings arrange in such a pattern?

(b) What does this pattern demonstrate?
(c) Why do the iron filings near the bar magnet seem to align in the shape of closed curves?
24 Name the type of mirror which facilitates:
(a) Shaving,
(b) Observing large images of the teeth of a patient, and
(c) Observing the rear view in vehicles.
Give reason to justify your answer in each case.
25 Study the ray diagram given below and answer the questions that follow:

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 (a) Is the type of lens used converging or diverging?
(b) List three characteristics of the image formed.
(c) In which position of the object will the magnification be – 1?
26 ‘‘A current carrying straight conductor experiences a force perpendicular to its length and the
magnetic field.’’ Design an activity for the verification of the above-mentioned statement and
describe it with a
labelled diagram.
27 (a) List two disadvantages of using a series circuit in homes.
(b) Calculate the effective resistance between A and B in the circuit given below:

28 (a) Derive the relation for equivalent resistance when three resistors of resistances R1, R2 and R3
are connected in parallel.
(b) Find the minimum resistance that can be made using four resistors, each of 20 .
29 (a) Name two defects of vision. Mention two main causes of each defect.
(b) A person uses spectacles having lenses of focal length – 2.0 m. Determine the nature and
power of the lenses used in his spectacles.
30 (a) To get an enlarged, real, and inverted image of an object by a concave mirror, where should
the object be placed? Draw a labelled ray diagram to justify your answer.
(b) If an object is placed at the center of curvature of this mirror, what will the magnification be
produced?
31 What is a solenoid? Draw the pattern of magnetic field lines due to a current carrying solenoid.
What does the field pattern inside the solenoid indicate? State one use of this field.
32 An object is kept 40 cm in front of a concave mirror of focal length 20 cm. Find the position and
nature of the image. Draw a ray diagram to show the formation of image in this case.
33 We wish to obtain an equal sized inverted image of a candle flame on a screen kept at distance of
4 m from the candle flame.
(a) Name the type of lens that should be used.
(b) What should be the focal length of the lens and at what distance from the candle flame the lens
be placed.
(c) Draw a labelled diagram to show the image formation in this case.

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34 A 5 cm tall object is placed at a distance of 30 cm from a convex mirror of focal length 15 cm.
Find the position, size and nature of the image formed.
35 Consider the following circuit:

What would be the readings of the ammeter and the voltmeter when key is closed? Give reason to
justify your answers.
36 What is electrical resistivity? Derive its SI unit. In a series electrical circuit comprising a resistor
made up of a metallic wire, the ammeter reads 100 mA. If the length of the wire is doubled, how
will the current in the circuit change? Justify your answer.
37 Calculate the total cost of running the following electrical devices in the month of September, if
the rate of 1 unit of electricity is Rs. 6.00. (i) Electric heater of 1000 W for 5 hours daily. (ii)
Electric refrigerator of 400 W for 10 hours daily.
38 (a) What is presbyopia? State its cause. How is it corrected?
(b) Why does the Sun appear reddish early in the morning? Explain with the help of a labelled
diagram.
40 (a) What are magnetic field lines? How is the direction of magnetic field at a point in a magnetic
field determined using field lines?
(b) Two circular coils ‘X’ and ‘Y’ are placed close to each other. If the current in the coil ‘X’ is
changed, will some current be induced in the coil ‘Y’? Give a reason.
(c) State ‘Fleming’s right-hand rule”.
41 Which type of lens is used for the correction of myopia?
42 What is the meaning of the power of accommodation of the human eye?
43 Explain giving reason why the sky appears blue to the observers from the surface of the Earth.
What will be the colour of the sky for an Astronaut staying in an International Space Station
orbiting the Earth? Explain your answer with reason.
44 We know that an electric current through a metallic conductor produces a magnetic field around
it. Explain giving reason whether a similar magnetic field will be produced around a thin beam of
moving (i) alpha (α) particles (He2+) , (ii) neutrons (n).
Name the rule applied to determine the direction of magnetic field produced around a current
carrying straight conductor.
45 Explain the role of an electric fuse joined in series with an electrical appliance. Why should a fuse
with a defined rating not be replaced by one with a larger rating?
46 (a) State the laws of refraction of light.

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 (b) What is meant by absolute refractive index of a medium.
(c) The absolute refractive index of diamond is 2.42. If the absolute refractive index of glass is 1.5
and the speed of light in glass is 2  108 m/s, calculate the speed of light in diamond.
47 (a) State the laws of reflection of light.
(b) List any two characteristics of the images formed by plane mirrors.
(c) An object is placed in front of a spherical mirror of focal length –20 cm at a distance of 30
cm. At what distance from the mirror a screen be placed in order to obtain a sharp image of the
object on it?
48 (a) Define electric power. Express it in terms of potential difference ‘V’ and resistance ‘R’.
(b) An electric motor takes 5.0A from an electric source of 220 V. Determine the power of the
motor and calculate the energy consumed by the motor in kWh, when it runs for 5 hours.
49 An object is placed at a distance of 8 cm in front of a concave mirror of focal length 10 cm. Write
any four characteristics of the image formed.
50 Distinguish between a real and a virtual image. Write two characteristics of the image formed by a
concave mirror when an object is placed in front of the mirror between its center of curvature and
focus.
51 A student needs a lens of power – 0.5 D. for correcting his vision.
(i) Name the defect of vision he is suffering from. Write two causes of this defect.
(ii) What is the nature and focal length of the correcting lens?
52 (a) A student has focused on the screen the image of a 2 cm high candle flame placed at a distance
of 24 cm from a convex lens of focal length 16 cm. Use lens formula to calculate the distance of
the screen from the lens and length of the image formed.
(b) If the distance between the lens and the flame is increased to 32 cm, where would the image
be formed and what would be its size? Give reason to support your answer.
53 (a) Define angle of deviation. Why do different components of white light split up into spectrum
when it passes through a glass prism? How can this spectrum be recombined?
(b) What is a rainbow? State two essential conditions for the observation of rainbow in the sky.
54 Write any four main points of the New Cartesian sign convention for reflection by spherical
mirrors. If according of this convention, the radius of curvature of a spherical mirror is 30 cm,
write the name and focal length of the mirror. An object is placed at a distance of 30 cm from a
concave mirror of focal length 20 cm. At what distance should a screen be situated from the
mirror in order to obtain a sharp image of the object on it.
55 A ray of light is incident on a convex mirror as shown. Redraw the diagram and complete the path
of this ray after reflection from the mirror. Mark angle of incidence and angle of reflection on it.

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56 What is meant by scattering of light? The sky appears blue, and the sun appears reddish at sunrise
and sunset. Explain these phenomena with reason.
57 Draw the following diagram, in which a ray of light is incident on a concave/convex mirror, on
your answer sheet. Show the path of this ray, after reflection, in each case.

58 (a) Draw a ray diagram to show the formation of image by a concave lens when an object is placed
in front of it.
(b) In the above diagram mark the object-distance (u) and the image-distance (v) with their proper
signs (+ve or –ve as per the new Cartesian sign convention) and state how these distances are related
to the focal length (f) of the concave lens in this case.
(c) Find the nature and power of a lens which forms a real and inverted image of magnification –1
at a distance of 40 cm from its optical center.
59 (a) Define the following terms in the context of spherical mirrors:
(i) Pole
(ii) Centre of curvature
(iii) Principal axis
(iv) Principal focus.
(b) Draw ray diagrams to show the principal focus of a
(i) Concave mirror
(ii) Convex mirror.
(c) Consider the following diagram in which ‘M’ is a mirror and ‘P’ is an object and ‘Q’ is its
magnified image formed by the mirror.

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 State the type of mirror ‘M’ and one characteristic property of the image ‘Q’.
60 Why is convex mirror used as a rear-view mirror in vehicles? State any one reason.
61 State two laws of reflection of light.
62 An object is placed perpendicular to the principal axis of a convex lens of focal length 18 cm. The
distance of the object from the lens is 27 cm. Find the position and nature of the image formed.
63 Define the term magnification as referred to spherical mirrors. If a concave mirror forms a real
image 40 cm from the mirror, when the object is placed at a distance of 20 cm from its pole, find
the focal length of the mirror.
64 How does the refraction of light take place in the atmosphere? Explain the reason why stars
appear to twinkle, and the planets do not twinkle.
65 A person is unable to see distinctly the words printed on a newspaper. Name the defect of vision
he is suffering from. Draw ray diagram to illustrate this defect. List its two possible causes. Draw
a ray diagram to show how this defect may be corrected using a lens of appropriate focal length.
66 (a) Draw labelled ray diagrams for each of the following cases to show the position, nature and
size of the image formed by a convex lens when the object is placed
(i) between its optical center (O) and principal focus (F)
(ii) between F and 2F
(b) How will the nature and size of the images formed in the above two cases, (i) and (ii) change,
if the convex lens is replaced by a concave lens of same focal length?
67 State two positions in which a concave mirror produces a magnified image of a given object. List
two differences between the two images.
68 List two properties of the images formed by convex mirrors. Draw ray diagram in support of your
answer.
69 At what distance from a concave lens of focal length 25 cm a 10 cm tall object be placed so as to
obtain its image at 20 cm from the lens. Also calculate the size of the image formed. Draw a ray
diagram to justify your answer for the above situation and label it.
70 If the image formed by mirror for all positions of the object placed in front of it is always virtual
and diminished, state the type of the mirror. Draw a ray diagram in support of your answer. Where
are such mirrors commonly used and why?
71 (a) What is the dispersion of white light? State its cause.
(b) “Rainbow is an example of dispersion of sunlight.” Justify this statement by explaining, with
the help of a labelled diagram, the formation of a rainbow in the sky. List two essential conditions
for observing a rainbow.
72 Suppose you have three concave mirrors A, B and C of focal lengths 10 cm, 15 cm and 20 cm.
For each concave mirror you perform the experiment of image formation for three values of object
distances of 10 cm, 20 cm and 30 cm. Giving reason answer the following:

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(a) For the three object distances, identify the mirror/mirrors which will form an image of
magnification −1.
(b) Out of the three mirrors identify the mirror which would be preferred to be used for shaving
purposes/makeup.
(c) For the mirror B draw ray diagram for image formation for object distances 10 cm and 20 cm.

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