Matrices and Linear Systems Test
Higher Secondary Level
November 14, 2024
Instructions:
• This test consists of 25 multiple-choice questions.
• Each question has only one correct answer.
• Mark your answers clearly.
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Questions
Q1: If A and B are two n × n matrices, and AB = BA = I (where I is the identity
matrix), which of the following statements is true?
(a) A and B are singular
(b) A and B are inverses of each other
(c) AB is a zero matrix
(d) A is symmetric
Q2: For a non-zero n × n matrix A, if A2 = 0, then A is called a:
(a) Diagonal matrix
(b) Nilpotent matrix
(c) Idempotent matrix
(d) Orthogonal matrix
Q3: If AX = B represents a system of linear equations, and the matrix A is invertible,
then the system has:
(a) No solution
(b) Exactly one solution
(c) Infinitely many solutions
(d) Exactly two solutions
Q4: Consider two matrices A and B such that A × B is defined and A is a 3 × 2 matrix.
Which of the following could be the dimensions of B?
(a) 2 × 3
(b) 3 × 3
(c) 2 × 2
(d) 4 × 2
Q5: In a system of linear equations represented by AX = 0, where A is an m × n matrix,
which of the following is true if A has rank r < n?
(a) The system has only the trivial solution
(b) The system has no solutions
(c) The system has infinitely many solutions
(d) The system has a unique solution
Q6: Which of the following is true about the inverse of a symmetric matrix A (if it
exists)?
(a) The inverse is always symmetric
(b) The inverse is always diagonal
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(c) The inverse is skew-symmetric
(d) The inverse does not exist if A is symmetric
Q7: If A is a square matrix and AT = −A, then A is called a:
(a) Symmetric matrix
(b) Skew-symmetric matrix
(c) Orthogonal matrix
(d) Diagonal matrix
Q8: In the system AX = B, if A is singular, what can be inferred about the solutions
of the system?
(a) The system has no solutions
(b) The system has a unique solution
(c) The system may have infinitely many solutions or none
(d) The system has only the trivial solution
Q9: Which of the following matrices is always invertible?
(a) A square matrix with zero determinant
(b) A square matrix with full rank
(c) A non-square matrix
(d) A symmetric matrix
Q10: For a matrix A, if AT = A, which of the following properties is correct for A?
(a) A is singular
(b) A is symmetric
(c) A is skew-symmetric
(d) A is non-square
Q11: If A is a 3 × 3 matrix such that A + AT = 0, what type of matrix is A?
(a) Symmetric
(b) Skew-symmetric
(c) Orthogonal
(d) Diagonal
Q12: A system of equations represented by AX = 0 has non-trivial solutions if:
(a) A is invertible
(b) The determinant of A is non-zero
(c) The determinant of A is zero
(d) A is a diagonal matrix
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Q13: If A = AT , then the matrix A is said to be:
(a) Skew-symmetric
(b) Symmetric
(c) Singular
(d) Orthogonal
Q14: If A is invertible, then the solution to the system AX = 0 is:
(a) Unique and non-trivial
(b) Trivial (only the zero vector)
(c) Non-unique
(d) Infinitely many
Q15: In a system AX = B with a singular matrix A, which of the following conditions
would indicate that the system has infinitely many solutions?
(a) A has full rank
(b) B = 0
(c) B is in the column space of A
(d) A is invertible
Q16: A square matrix with all diagonal elements equal to one and all other elements zero
is called:
(a) A diagonal matrix
(b) A scalar matrix
(c) An identity matrix
(d) A unit matrix
Q17: The system AX = B has no solution if:
(a) A is singular and B = 0
(b) A is singular and B ̸= 0
(c) A is invertible and B ̸= 0
(d) A is symmetric
Q18: In a system AX = 0, if A has rank r such that r < n, then the system:
(a) Has a unique solution
(b) Has infinitely many solutions
(c) Has no solution
(d) Has exactly one solution for each rank
Q19: A matrix that remains unchanged after transposition is called:
(a) A diagonal matrix
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(b) A symmetric matrix
(c) An identity matrix
(d) An orthogonal matrix
Q20: If a matrix A satisfies A2 = A, then A is called:
(a) Symmetric
(b) Nilpotent
(c) Idempotent
(d) Diagonal
Q21: A square matrix with all entries zero except for the main diagonal is called:
(a) A scalar matrix
(b) A diagonal matrix
(c) A null matrix
(d) A symmetric matrix
Q22: The rank of a matrix is defined as:
(a) The number of non-zero rows in its row echelon form
(b) The number of zero rows in its row echelon form
(c) The number of columns in the matrix
(d) The dimension of the matrix
Q23: If A is a square matrix such that AT = A−1 , then A is called:
(a) Symmetric
(b) Diagonal
(c) Orthogonal
(d) Skew-symmetric
Q24: The matrix equation AX = 0 is called a homogeneous system of linear equations.
Which of the following is true about such a system?
(a) It has no solutions
(b) It has exactly one solution
(c) It always has at least one solution
(d) It has solutions only if A is invertible
Q25: A scalar matrix is always:
(a) Symmetric
(b) Skew-symmetric
(c) Singular
(d) Nilpotent
