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Light (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Physics): Exam Questions

Exam code: 0625 & 0972

4 hours63 questions

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11 mark

The diagram shows white light passing through a prism.

q1-easy-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

Which of the following gives colours in the correct order from A to B?

  • Red, green, violet

  • Red, violet, green

  • Violet, red, green

  • Violet, green, red

Choose your answer

21 mark

A teacher has a clock mounted in such a way that students can only see its reflection in a plane mirror.

The diagram shows the reflection of the clock.

q2-easy-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

What time is shown on the clock?

  • 05:40

  • 07:40

  • 07:20

  • 06:20

Choose your answer

31 mark
q3-easy-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

An object is placed in front of a mirror. Where is the image formed, and is the image real or virtual?

 

Image location

Image type

A

X

real

B

X

virtual

C

Y

real

D

Y

virtual

    Choose your answer

    41 mark

    When light passes from a denser material into a less dense material

    • light slows down and bends toward the normal

    • light slows down and bends away from the normal

    • light speeds up and bends toward the normal

    • light speeds up and bends away from the normal

    Choose your answer

    51 mark

    Identify the correct definition of the critical angle.

    • The critical angle is the angle of incidence when the angle of refraction is exactly 90° and light is refracted along the boundary

    • The critical angle is the angle of refraction when the angle of incidence is exactly 90° and light is refracted along the boundary

    • The critical angle is the angle of incidence when the angle of reflection is exactly 90° and light is reflected along the boundary

    • The critical angle is the angle of incidence when the angle of refraction is exactly 90° and light is reflected along the boundary

    Choose your answer

    61 mark

    A parallel beam of light is incident on a plane mirror.

     Which diagram shows how the beam is reflected by the mirror?

    Four diagrams labelled A to D illustrate light refraction through prisms. Diagrams A and D show light dispersion into a spectrum with shaded areas.

      Choose your answer

      71 mark

      A card is placed in front of a plane mirror so that its label is facing the mirror, as shown.  

      Diagram showing a plane mirror above a card with a label, viewed by an observer positioned to the left, illustrating reflection concepts.

      The label is shown. 

      Bold letters 'Ci' inside a black-bordered rectangle on a white background, suggestive of a chemical element or symbol representation.

      How does the image of the label formed by the mirror appear to the observer?

      Four rectangles labelled A, B, C, and D, each containing a rotated "iC" in black. Each "iC" has different orientations within the rectangles.

        Choose your answer

        81 mark

        Extended Tier Only

        A thin converging lens can produce both real and virtual images. 

        Which row describes a real and a virtual image? 

         

        real image

        virtual image

        A

        rays converge to form the image

        image can be projected onto a screen

        B

        rays converge to form the image

        image cannot be projected onto a screen

        C

        rays diverge to form the image

        image can be projected onto a screen

        D

        rays diverge to form the image

        image cannot be projected onto a screen

          Choose your answer

          9
          Sme Calculator          1 mark

          A student draws a diagram to show the directions of a light ray reflecting off a plane mirror.

          image

          What are the correct terms for the lines drawn?

          normal

          incident ray

          reflected ray

          A

          1

          2

          3

          B

          1

          3

          2

          C

          2

          1

          3

          D

          2

          3

          1

            Choose your answer

            11 mark

            Which of the diagrams below shows both the correct position of the image, and the correct path the light rays must have taken to the eye?

            q1-medium-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

              Choose your answer

              21 mark
              q2-medium-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

              Which of the images correctly shows the focal length of the thin converging lens?

                Choose your answer

                31 mark

                A physics teacher demonstrates dispersion for her class. She asks the students to draw a diagram of the dispersion.

                The diagrams show four examples of what different students drew. One of them is correct. Which one?

                q3-medium-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

                  Choose your answer

                  41 mark

                  Extended tier only

                  Which diagram correctly shows the formation of a real image on a screen?

                  q4-medium-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

                    Choose your answer

                    51 mark

                    The diagram shows a ray of light inside a perspex rod. 

                    Perspex has a critical angle of 42o.

                    q5-medium-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

                    Which row in the table correctly states whether there is any light reflected from the surface, and whether there is any light refracted out of the perspex rod?

                     

                    Light reflected?

                    Light refracted?

                    A

                    yes

                    yes

                    B

                    yes

                    no

                    C

                    no

                    yes

                    D

                    no

                    no

                      Choose your answer

                      61 mark

                      A boy sees a fish in a lake. 

                      Which labelled path is taken by the light travelling from the fish to the boy’s eye?

                      Diagram showing light refraction in water. A man stands on a cliff observing angles of light, labelled A to D, refracting from a fish underwater.

                        Choose your answer

                        71 mark

                        Which diagram shows the formation of a real image of an object O placed in front of a converging lens?

                        Four diagrams showing ray paths through convex lenses. A: Diverging rays. B: Parallel rays. C: Converging rays. D: Crossing rays at the focal point.

                          Choose your answer

                          81 mark

                          Extended Tier Only

                           Which statement describes monochromatic light?

                          •  light that never diffracts

                          •  light that has a single frequency

                          • light that spreads out when shone through a glass prism

                          •  light that travels at the same speed in all materials

                          Choose your answer

                          91 mark

                          Extended Tier Only

                          An object is placed 8.0 cm from a thin converging lens of focal length 5.0 cm.

                          Diagram of a converging lens with an object 8 cm from the lens, focus point F marked 5 cm from the lens on the principal axis.

                          Which statement about the image formed by the lens is correct?

                          • The image is real and inverted.

                          •  The image is real and upright.

                          •  The image is virtual and inverted.

                          •  The image is virtual and upright.

                          Choose your answer

                          101 mark

                          Extended Tier Only

                          A ray of light travels through transparent plastic to air.

                          Ray diagram showing refraction from transparent plastic to air, with incident angle θ, labels for materials, and a note indicating it is not to scale.

                          The ray of light enters the air travelling parallel to the surface of the plastic. The refractive index of the plastic is 1.25.

                          What is angle θ ?

                          • 37°

                          • 39°

                          • 51°

                          • 53°

                          Choose your answer

                          111 mark

                          Extended Tier Only

                          The speed of light in air is 3.0 cross times 108  m/s. 

                          The critical angle for light in a transparent plastic material placed in air is 37°. 

                          What is the speed of light in the plastic material?

                          • 1.8 cross times 108  m/s

                          • 2.4cross times 108 m/s

                          • 3.8 cross times108 m/s

                          • 5.0 cross times 108 m/s

                          Choose your answer

                          12
                          Sme Calculator                          1 mark

                          Which diagram shows the dispersion of white light by a glass prism?

                          diagram

                            Choose your answer

                            13
                            Sme Calculator                            1 mark

                            The diagram shows a ray of light entering a glass block.

                            diagram

                            Which calculation gives the refractive index of the glass?

                            • fraction numerator sin space 40 degree over denominator sin space 25 degree end fraction

                            • fraction numerator sin space 40 degree over denominator sin space 65 degree end fraction

                            • fraction numerator sin space 50 degree over denominator sin space 25 degree end fraction

                            • fraction numerator sin space 50 degree over denominator sin space 65 degree end fraction

                            Choose your answer

                            11 mark

                            Extended tier only

                            The diagram shows light passing from air into glass. A number of angles have been labelled on the diagram.

                            q1-hard-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

                            Which of the equations could be used to correctly calculate the refractive index, n, of the glass?

                            • fraction numerator sin space P over denominator sin space S end fraction

                            • fraction numerator sin space Q over denominator sin space R end fraction

                            • fraction numerator sin space P over denominator sin space R end fraction

                            • fraction numerator sin space Q over denominator sin space S end fraction

                            Choose your answer

                            21 mark

                            Extended tier only

                            Below is a ray diagram showing the image formed by a thin, converging lens.

                            q3-hard-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

                            Which of the following statements about the image is correct?

                            • The image is virtual and can be seen by eye Y.

                            • The image is inverted and can be seen by eye Y.

                            • The image is real and can be seen by the eye at X.

                            • The image is virtual and can be seen by eye X.

                            Choose your answer

                            31 mark

                            Extended tier only

                            Light enters a flat water surface at an angle of 27 o.

                            The refractive index of water is 1.33.

                            At what angle does the light ray refract?

                            • 0.34 o

                            • 20.3 o

                            • 20.0 o

                            • 37.0 o

                            Choose your answer

                            41 mark

                            Extended tier only

                            A ray of light is shone into a semi-circular glass block so that it makes an angle of 48° with the rear, flat edge of the block as shown.

                            q4-hard-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

                            Calculate the refractive index of the glass.

                            • 0.023

                            • 1.49

                            • 2.38

                            • 1.35

                            Choose your answer

                            51 mark

                            Extended tier only

                            The diagram shows an object positioned close to a thin converging lens (inside the focal distance). Three light rays are shown leaving the object and passing through the lens.

                            q5-hard-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

                            Which row in the table correctly describes the properties of the image? 

                             

                            location

                            size

                            real / virtual

                            A

                            to the left of O

                            reduced

                            real

                            B

                            to the right of O

                            enlarged

                            virtual

                            C

                            to the left of O

                            enlarged

                            virtual

                            D

                            at O

                            the same as O

                            real

                              Choose your answer

                              61 mark

                              The diagram shows a ray of light being totally internally reflected at the boundary between substances A and B.

                              q6-hard-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

                              Which row in the table must be true?

                               

                              Angle of incidence

                              Substance A

                              A

                              greater than critical angle

                              greater refractive index than B

                              B

                              greater than critical angle

                              smaller refractive index than B

                              C

                              less than critical angle

                              greater refractive index than B

                              D

                              less than critical angle

                              smaller refractive index than B

                                Choose your answer

                                71 mark

                                The image below shows white light being split into its constituent colours by a glass prism.

                                q7-hard-mcq-3-2-light-cie-igcse-physics

                                Why does a prism cause white light to be dispersed?

                                • Light towards the red end of the spectrum slows down less than light towards the violet end of the spectrum as it moves through the glass

                                • Light towards the red end of the spectrum slows down more than light towards the violet end of the spectrum as it moves through the glass

                                • The frequency of the light towards the red end decreases more than the frequency of light towards the violet end of the spectrum

                                • The frequency of the light towards the violet end decreases more than the frequency of light towards the red end of the spectrum

                                Choose your answer

                                81 mark

                                An object is placed in front of a converging lens. The lens has a focal length f. 

                                In which labelled position should the object be placed in order to produce a real image that is smaller than the object? 

                                Diagram of four arrows labelled A to D placed on a horizontal line showing distance from a convex lens, indicating focal length f and 2f.

                                  Choose your answer

                                  9
                                  Sme Calculator                                  1 mark

                                  An object O is placed at point P near to a thin converging lens. The diagram shows three rays from the top of O passing through the lens. Each point F is one focal length from the centre of the lens. Each point 2F is two focal lengths from the centre of the lens.

                                  image

                                  The object O is moved to point Q on the diagram.

                                  Which type of image is produced when the object O is at point Q?

                                  • inverted and the same size as the object

                                  • inverted and enlarged

                                  • upright and the same size as the object

                                  • upright and enlarged

                                  Choose your answer