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First read the questions carefully using the Read section. Use the Details button to understand concepts clearly. After completing reading, click Practice Quiz to test yourself.
📘 Study MCQs
Q1. What is the total length of the actual path traveled by an object?
• Displacement
• Distance
• Speed
• Velocity
Answer: Distance
Imagine you walk from your house to a friend’s house by taking a winding road. The total length of that winding road you actually walked on is called distance. It only cares about how much ground you covered, not which way you went. It is always a positive number and is measured in units like metres or kilometres.
Q2. Which quantity has both magnitude and direction?
• Distance
• Speed
• Displacement
• Time
Answer: Displacement
Think of it like this: if you tell someone “my school is 5 kilometres away,” that’s distance. But if you say “my school is 5 kilometres north of here,” you have given both the amount (5 km) and the direction (north). This second, more specific description is displacement. It tells you the shortest straight-line path from start to finish, along with the direction.
Q3. The SI unit of distance and displacement is ______.
• Kilometre
• Metre
• Centimetre
• Second
Answer: Metre
Just like we measure weight in kilograms and time in seconds, scientists worldwide have agreed on a standard system called the International System of Units (SI). In this system, the basic unit for measuring length is the metre. Since both distance and displacement are different types of length measurements, their official SI unit is the metre (m).
Q4. A body moves in a circle and returns to its starting point. What is its displacement?
• Zero
• Equal to the diameter
• Equal to the circumference
• Cannot be determined
Answer: Zero
Imagine you run exactly one full lap around a circular track. You end up exactly where you started. The shortest distance between your starting point and your ending point, when they are the same, is zero. Displacement is that shortest straight-line distance from start to finish. So, because you returned to the start, your displacement is zero.
Q5. Which of the following can never be negative?
• Displacement
• Velocity
• Distance
• Acceleration
Answer: Distance
Distance is simply how much path you have covered. You can’t cover a “negative” amount of path. If you walk 10 metres, the distance is 10 metres, a positive number. Displacement, velocity, and acceleration can be negative because the negative sign tells us about direction. For example, -5 m/s velocity means moving backwards compared to a chosen forward direction.
Q6. What is the term for the distance traveled by an object per unit of time?
• Velocity
• Acceleration
• Speed
• Displacement
Answer: Speed
This is the simplest idea of how fast something is moving. If a car travels 60 kilometres in one hour, we say its speed is “60 kilometres per hour.” Speed answers the question “how fast?” without worrying about “which way?”. It is calculated by dividing the total distance covered by the total time taken.
Q7. What is the SI unit of speed and velocity?
• m/s²
• km/h
• m/s
• mph
Answer: m/s
Since speed is distance (in metres) divided by time (in seconds), the unit becomes “metre per second,” written as m/s. It tells you how many metres the object moves in each second. Velocity uses the same unit because it is also a rate of covering distance, just with added direction.
Q8. Speed in a given direction is called ______.
• Average speed
• Acceleration
• Velocity
• Instantaneous speed
Answer: Velocity
Speed tells you a car is moving at 60 km/h. Velocity tells you that same car is moving at 60 km/h towards the east. The ‘towards the east’ part is crucial. So, velocity is speed with a specific direction attached to it. A change in either the speed or the direction means a change in velocity.
Q9. A car travels 60 km in the first hour and 80 km in the second hour. What is its average speed?
• 60 km/h
• 70 km/h
• 80 km/h
• 140 km/h
Answer: 70 km/h
Average speed is not just an ordinary average; it’s the total journey treated as one trip. First, find the total distance: 60 km + 80 km = 140 km. Then, find the total time: 1 hour + 1 hour = 2 hours. Finally, divide total distance by total time: 140 km ÷ 2 hours = 70 km/h. This means, on average, the car covered 70 kilometres every hour.
Q10. When is the magnitude of average velocity equal to the average speed?
• Always
• Never
• In circular motion
• When an object moves in a straight line without changing direction
Answer: When an object moves in a straight line without changing direction
Remember, distance is the total path length, while displacement is the shortest straight-line from start to finish. If you walk in a straight line from point A to point B and never turn back, the path you take is the shortest possible path. So, the distance you walk equals the magnitude of your displacement. Therefore, average speed (total distance/time) will equal the magnitude of average velocity (displacement/time).
Q11. What type of motion is it when an object covers equal distances in equal intervals of time?
• Non-uniform motion
• Uniform motion
• Circular motion
• Oscillatory motion
Answer: Uniform motion
Think of a clock’s second hand (the one that ticks). In a well-working clock, it covers the same angle (which translates to equal distances along the rim) every second. This steady, unchanging pace is called uniform motion. The key is regularity: if you check after every 2 seconds, it will have moved the same amount each time.
Q12. Which graph for uniform motion is a straight line inclined to the time axis?
• Speed-Time graph
• Velocity-Time graph
• Distance-Time graph
• Acceleration-Time graph
Answer: Distance-Time graph
In uniform motion, speed is constant. This means in equal times, equal distances are added. If you plot distance on the vertical line (y-axis) and time on the horizontal line (x-axis), the points will fall on a straight line that slopes upwards. The steadier the speed, the straighter the line. A steeper slope means a higher speed.
Q13. In non-uniform motion, the speed of the object ______.
• Is constant
• Is zero
• Changes with time
• Is always high
Answer: Changes with time
This is the opposite of uniform motion. Most real-world motion is non-uniform. For example, when a bus starts from a stop, its speed increases (changes). When it approaches the next stop, its speed decreases (changes again). Even if the change is small, if the speed is not perfectly constant, the motion is non-uniform.
Q14. Which device in vehicles measures the distance traveled?
• Speedometer
• Odometer
• Barometer
• Thermometer
Answer: Odometer
You have two main dials on a vehicle’s dashboard. One is the speedometer, which shows how fast you are going at that moment. The other is the odometer, which is a counter that keeps adding up all the kilometres or miles the vehicle has travelled since it was made. It tells you the total distance covered.
Q15. What is the rate of change of velocity called?
• Speed
• Distance
• Acceleration
• Momentum
Answer: Acceleration
Velocity can change in two ways: the object can speed up, slow down, or change direction. Acceleration is the measure of how quickly this change in velocity happens. If velocity changes rapidly, acceleration is high. If velocity changes slowly, acceleration is low. If velocity doesn’t change at all, acceleration is zero.
Q16. What is the SI unit of acceleration?
• m/s
• km/h²
• m/s²
• cm/s
Answer: m/s²
Acceleration is (change in velocity) divided by (time taken). Velocity is measured in m/s. Time is measured in s. So, acceleration = (m/s) / s = m/(s*s) = m/s². It is read as “metre per second squared.” It means the velocity is changing by so many metres per second, every second.
Q17. A car increases its speed from 20 m/s to 30 m/s in 5 seconds. What is its acceleration?
• 1 m/s²
• 2 m/s²
• 5 m/s²
• 10 m/s²
Answer: 2 m/s²
First, find the change in velocity: Final speed – Initial speed = 30 m/s – 20 m/s = 10 m/s. This change happened over a time of 5 seconds. So, acceleration = (Change in Velocity) / Time = (10 m/s) / (5 s) = 2 m/s². This means every second, the car’s speed increased by 2 m/s.
Q18. Negative acceleration is also known as ______.
• Positive acceleration
• Uniform acceleration
• Retardation or Deceleration
• Zero acceleration
Answer: Retardation or Deceleration
Positive acceleration means speed is increasing. Negative acceleration means speed is decreasing. When you apply the brakes of a bicycle, you are creating a negative acceleration to slow it down. This slowing down is specifically called retardation or deceleration. It is acceleration in the opposite direction of motion.
Q19. When an object moves with uniform velocity, its acceleration is ______.
• Positive
• Negative
• Zero
• Constant but non-zero
Answer: Zero
“Uniform velocity” means two things: constant speed AND constant direction. Since the velocity is not changing at all—it is staying the same number and the same direction—the rate of change of velocity is zero. Therefore, acceleration = 0.
Q20. Which of the following is the correct equation of motion?
• v = u + a/t
• v = u + at
• s = u + at
• v² = u² + 2s
Answer: v = u + at
This is the first and most basic equation of motion. It links the final velocity (v) to the initial velocity (u), the acceleration (a), and the time (t) for which it accelerated. It simply says: Final velocity equals the starting velocity plus the extra velocity gained (or lost) due to acceleration over time.
Q21. What does the slope of a distance-time graph represent?
• Acceleration
• Distance
• Speed
• Time
Answer: Speed
The slope of a line on a graph is its “steepness,” calculated as ‘rise over run’ (change in y-axis divided by change in x-axis). On a distance-time graph, ‘rise’ is change in distance and ‘run’ is change in time. (Change in distance) / (Change in time) is the definition of speed. So, the slope directly gives the speed.
Q22. In a velocity-time graph, what does the area under the curve represent?
• Velocity
• Acceleration
• Speed
• Displacement
Answer: Displacement
On a velocity-time graph, the height of a point gives velocity. If you take a small slice of time, the area of that thin slice is (velocity × small time). But velocity × time gives the small distance covered in that small time. When you add up the areas of all these small slices (the total area under the curve), you are adding up all the small distances, which gives the total displacement.
Q23. What is the shape of a speed-time graph for an object moving with constant acceleration?
• A horizontal line
• A vertical line
• A straight line inclined to the time axis
• A curved line
Answer: A straight line inclined to the time axis
Constant acceleration means the speed increases by the same amount every second. If you plot speed against time, you are adding a fixed number to the speed value every time you move one step right on the time axis. This creates a perfectly straight line that slopes upwards. The slope of this line is equal to the acceleration.
Q24. What does a horizontal line on a velocity-time graph indicate?
• Uniform acceleration
• Zero acceleration (constant velocity)
• Increasing acceleration
• Object is at rest
Answer: Zero acceleration (constant velocity)
A horizontal line means that as time goes forward (moving right on the graph), the velocity value stays exactly the same. If velocity is not changing with time, then by definition, acceleration (which is the rate of change of velocity) is zero. The object is moving with a constant velocity.
Q25. When a body moves in a circular path with constant speed, its motion is called ______.
• Uniform linear motion
• Non-uniform motion
• Uniform circular motion
• Oscillatory motion
Answer: Uniform circular motion
“Uniform” refers to the constant speed. “Circular” refers to the shape of the path. So, an object going around a circle at a steady pace, like a stone tied to a string being swung at a constant rate, is in uniform circular motion. It’s uniform because the speed doesn’t change, but it’s not linear because the path is curved.
Q26. Is the velocity constant in uniform circular motion?
• Yes, speed and direction are constant.
• No, only speed is constant.
• No, only direction is constant.
• Yes, it is completely constant.
Answer: No, only speed is constant.
Velocity is a combination of speed and direction. In circular motion, even if the speed is constant, the direction is constantly changing as the object goes around the curve. Since the direction part of velocity is always changing, the overall velocity vector is not constant. This is a very important distinction.
Q27. What is the direction of acceleration in uniform circular motion?
• Tangential to the circle
• Towards the centre of the circle (centripetal)
• Away from the centre of the circle
• Zero, so no direction
Answer: Towards the centre of the circle (centripetal)
Even though the speed is constant, the changing direction means the object is accelerating. This acceleration is always pointed directly towards the centre of the circle. Imagine swinging a stone on a string—your hand at the centre is constantly pulling the stone inward. This inward pull causes the inward (centripetal) acceleration that keeps it moving in a circle.
Q28. Which equation of motion connects initial velocity, acceleration, displacement, and final velocity?
• v = u + at
• s = ut + ½at²
• v² = u² + 2as
• s = (u+v)t / 2
Answer: v² = u² + 2as
This is a very useful equation because it lets you find the final velocity if you know how fast you started (u), how much you accelerated (a), and how far you travelled (s). Notice that time ‘t’ is not in this equation. So, if you don’t know the time but know the distance, this is the equation to use.
Q29. To find the distance covered in the nth second of motion, which equation is used?
• s = ut + ½at²
• S_nth = u + a/2(2n-1)
• v = u + at
• v² = u² + 2as
Answer: S_nth = u + a/2(2n-1)
Sometimes we want to know how far an object moved specifically during its 5th second of travel, not the total distance in 5 seconds. This special formula calculates exactly that. Here, ‘n’ is the second number (like 5 for the 5th second), ‘u’ is initial velocity, and ‘a’ is acceleration.
Q30. A body starts from rest (u=0) with acceleration ‘a’. What is its velocity after time ‘t’?
• v = at
• v = a/t
• v = ½at²
• v² = 2as
Answer: v = at
“Starts from rest” means the initial velocity u = 0. Plug this into the first equation of motion: v = u + at. If u is 0, the equation becomes v = 0 + at, which simplifies to v = at. So, its final velocity is simply the acceleration multiplied by the time it accelerated.
Q31. What type of quantity is distance?
• Vector
• Scalar
• Both scalar and vector
• None
Answer: Scalar
Physical quantities are classified as either scalar or vector. A scalar quantity is fully described by just a number and a unit, like 10 metres or 20 seconds. Distance is like this—it only tells you “how much,” not “which way.” It has magnitude but no direction.
Q32. What type of quantity is velocity?
• Scalar
• Vector
• Both
• None
Answer: Vector
A vector quantity needs both a magnitude (size) and a direction to be fully understood. Saying “50 km/h” is incomplete for velocity. You must say “50 km/h north” to have a proper velocity. The direction is an essential part of its description.
Q33. Which of these is a scalar quantity?
• Displacement
• Velocity
• Acceleration
• Speed
Answer: Speed
Look at the list: Displacement has direction (e.g., 5m east), so it’s a vector. Velocity has direction, so it’s a vector. Acceleration has direction, so it’s a vector. Speed is just a number (like 60 km/h) with no inherent direction. Therefore, speed is the scalar quantity here.
Q34. 1 km/h is equal to ______ m/s.
• 5/18 m/s
• 18/5 m/s
• 1/60 m/s
• 1000/3600 m/s
Answer: 5/18 m/s
To convert, we change kilometres to metres and hours to seconds. 1 km = 1000 metres. 1 hour = 3600 seconds. So, 1 km/h = (1000 metres) / (3600 seconds) = 1000/3600 m/s. When you simplify the fraction 1000/3600 by dividing by 200, you get 5/18. So, 5/18 m/s is the exact value.
Q35. A state of rest is considered a state of ______.
• Constant speed
• Zero velocity
• Negative acceleration
• Uniform motion
Answer: Zero velocity
Rest means not moving. In physics, we describe this by saying the object’s velocity is zero. Zero velocity means both its speed (magnitude) is zero and its direction is undefined because it’s not going anywhere. An object at rest will remain at rest unless a force acts on it.
Q36. If the displacement-time graph of an object is parallel to the time axis, the object is ______.
• Moving with constant speed
• At rest
• Moving with constant acceleration
• In uniform circular motion
Answer: At rest
On this graph, the vertical axis is displacement (position). A line parallel to the time (horizontal) axis means that as time marches forward, the displacement value stays locked at one number. If your position isn’t changing over time, you are not moving. You are at rest.
Q37. A particle is moving with a uniform speed. Is its acceleration necessarily zero?
• Yes, always
• No, not always
• Cannot say
• Only if it’s in a straight line
Answer: No, not always
This is a tricky but important point. If the object is moving in a perfectly straight line with uniform speed, then yes, acceleration is zero. However, if it is moving on a curved path (like a circle) with uniform speed, it is accelerating because its direction is constantly changing. Acceleration arises from a change in velocity, and velocity changes if direction changes.
Q38. A freely falling body is an example of ______.
• Uniform motion
• Non-uniform motion
• Motion with constant velocity
• Motion with zero acceleration
Answer: Non-uniform motion
When you drop something, gravity pulls it down, making it go faster and faster each second. This means its speed is increasing, so its velocity is changing. Any motion where velocity changes with time is called non-uniform motion. In fact, free fall is a special type called “uniformly accelerated motion” because the acceleration due to gravity (g) is constant.
Q39. The distance traveled by a moving body is directly proportional to time. What is the nature of its motion?
• Accelerated
• Uniform
• Non-uniform
• At rest
Answer: Uniform
“Directly proportional” means if you double the time, the distance doubles. If you triple the time, the distance triples. This can only happen if the ratio (distance/time) is a constant number. This constant ratio is the speed. Constant speed means uniform motion.
Q40. A speedometer measures ______.
• Average speed
• Total distance
• Instantaneous speed
• Displacement
Answer: Instantaneous speed
Look at your car’s speedometer. When you press the accelerator, the needle moves up immediately. When you brake, it moves down immediately. It shows your speed at that very instant, not an average over your trip. That’s why it’s called instantaneous speed—the speed right now.
Q41. A body is said to be in motion if its position changes with respect to a ______.
• Fixed point
• Moving point
• Time only
• Speed only
Answer: Fixed point
Motion is relative. Imagine sitting in a moving train. You are at rest relative to your friend next to you, but you are in motion relative to a tree outside the window. To decide if something is moving, we need a reference—a fixed point or observer that we assume is not moving, like a building or a lamp post.
Q42. What is the formula for average velocity?
• Total Distance / Total Time
• Total Displacement / Total Time
• Final Velocity – Initial Velocity
• Initial Velocity + Final Velocity / 2
Answer: Total Displacement / Total Time
Average velocity cares about the net effect of the journey. It asks: “What was your overall straight-line change in position (displacement), and how long did it take you?” So, you take the displacement vector (which includes direction) and divide it by the total time taken. This gives an overall rate and direction of position change.
Q43. If a body moves with constant acceleration, which of the following is true?
• Its speed changes uniformly.
• Its velocity changes uniformly.
• Its distance changes uniformly.
• Its displacement is zero.
Answer: Its velocity changes uniformly.
Constant acceleration means the object gains (or loses) the same amount of velocity in each equal time interval. For example, if acceleration is 2 m/s², then every second, the velocity increases by exactly 2 m/s. This is a uniform, steady change in velocity. The speed might also change uniformly, but only if the object moves in a straight line (no change in direction).
Q44. In a distance-time graph, a steeper slope indicates ______.
• Lower speed
• Higher speed
• Zero speed
• Constant speed
Answer: Higher speed
Slope = speed. A gentle slope means the object covers a small distance in a given time (low speed). A steep slope means it covers a large distance in the same amount of time (high speed). Think of a hill: a steep hill rises a lot over a short horizontal distance.
Q45. What does a negative slope on a velocity-time graph indicate?
• Increasing velocity
• Constant velocity
• Negative velocity
• Deceleration
Answer: Deceleration
On a velocity-time graph, a line sloping downwards from left to right has a negative slope. This means as time increases (going right), the velocity value is getting smaller. The object is slowing down. Whether the final velocity becomes negative or just less positive, this slowing-down process is called deceleration.
Q46. A boy runs 100 m in 20 s. What is his speed?
• 2 m/s
• 5 m/s
• 10 m/s
• 20 m/s
Answer: 5 m/s
This is a direct application of the formula: Speed = Distance ÷ Time. Here, Distance = 100 metres, Time = 20 seconds. So, Speed = 100 m / 20 s = 5 metres per second. This means if he could maintain that pace, he would cover 5 metres every single second.
Q47. A train moving with a velocity of 30 m/s comes to rest in 10 seconds. What is its acceleration?
• 3 m/s²
• -3 m/s²
• 0.3 m/s²
• -0.3 m/s²
Answer: -3 m/s²
Initial velocity, u = 30 m/s. Final velocity, v = 0 m/s (rest). Time, t = 10 s. Acceleration a = (v – u)/t = (0 – 30)/10 = -30/10 = -3 m/s². The negative sign is crucial. It doesn’t mean the acceleration is small; it tells us the acceleration is acting opposite to the direction of motion, causing the train to slow down (decelerate).
Q48. What remains constant in uniform circular motion?
• Velocity
• Acceleration
• Speed
• Displacement
Answer: Speed
The word “uniform” specifically refers to constant speed. The object goes around the circle at a steady pace. However, because it’s a circle, the direction keeps changing, so velocity (which depends on direction) is not constant. The acceleration (centripetal) is also not constant because its direction is always pointing to the centre, which keeps changing relative to the object.
Q49. Which law of motion defines the concept of force?
• Newton’s First Law
• Newton’s Second Law
• Newton’s Third Law
• All of these
Answer: Newton’s Second Law
Newton’s First Law tells us about inertia (what happens when there’s no force). Newton’s Third Law is about action-reaction pairs. Newton’s Second Law gives us the quantitative definition: Force is what causes a change in motion (acceleration), and it is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration (F = m*a).
Q50. The motion of a pendulum is an example of ______.
• Rectilinear motion
• Circular motion
• Periodic motion
• Random motion
Answer: Periodic motion
Watch a pendulum in a clock. It swings from one side to the other and back again. This to-and-fro motion repeats itself over and over at very regular time intervals. Any motion that repeats itself at fixed time intervals is called periodic motion. The time for one complete back-and-forth swing is called its time period.