Top 100 General Physics MCQ Questions with Answers
The 100 most important General Physics questions — pulled from our full bank of 260 General Physics questions, ranked by how frequently they're asked in real exams. Answers and explanations are shown directly below each question.
1.The SI unit of electric charge is:
easy- A.ampere
- B.coulomb Correct Answer
- C.volt
- D.farad
Explanation: One coulomb is the charge carried by one ampere in one second.
Practice more on this topic →2.Two like charges:
easy- A.attract each other
- B.repel each other Correct Answer
- C.do not interact
- D.cancel each other
Explanation: Unlike charges attract.
Practice more on this topic →3.An electron carries a:
easy- A.positive charge
- B.no charge
- C.negative charge Correct Answer
- D.variable charge
Explanation: The proton carries an equal positive charge.
Practice more on this topic →4.The electron was discovered by:
easy- A.Ernest Rutherford
- B.James Chadwick
- C.Niels Bohr
- D.J. J. Thomson Correct Answer
Explanation: Thomson identified it in cathode rays in 1897.
Practice more on this topic →5.The SI unit of potential difference is:
easy- A.ampere
- B.ohm
- C.volt Correct Answer
- D.coulomb
Explanation: One volt is one joule per coulomb.
Practice more on this topic →6.A gold-leaf electroscope is used to:
easy- A.measure current
- B.measure temperature
- C.detect the presence of electric charge Correct Answer
- D.measure mass
Explanation: The leaves diverge when charged.
Practice more on this topic →7.Coulomb's law says the force between two point charges is:
medium- A.proportional to the product of charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance Correct Answer
- B.proportional to the distance
- C.independent of the charges
- D.proportional to the sum of charges
Explanation: F = k q1 q2 / r².
Practice more on this topic →8.The magnitude of the charge on an electron is about:
medium- A.1.6 × 10^-19 C Correct Answer
- B.1.6 × 10^19 C
- C.9.1 × 10^-31 C
- D.6.67 × 10^-11 C
Explanation: 9.1 × 10^-31 kg is its mass.
Practice more on this topic →9.Electric field lines originate from:
medium- A.positive charges Correct Answer
- B.negative charges
- C.neutral bodies
- D.the centre of the Earth
Explanation: They end on negative charges and never cross.
Practice more on this topic →10.The SI unit of electric field strength is:
medium- A.newton per metre
- B.coulomb per volt
- C.newton per coulomb Correct Answer
- D.joule per second
Explanation: It equals volt per metre.
Practice more on this topic →11.The SI unit of capacitance is:
medium- A.henry
- B.weber
- C.tesla
- D.farad Correct Answer
Explanation: One farad is one coulomb per volt.
Practice more on this topic →12.A lightning conductor protects buildings by:
medium- A.absorbing the lightning
- B.reflecting lightning
- C.cooling the air
- D.discharging the charge safely to the ground through a pointed metal rod Correct Answer
Explanation: The pointed end leaks charge and provides an easy path to earth.
Practice more on this topic →13.Inside a charged conductor in electrostatic equilibrium the electric field is:
medium- A.zero Correct Answer
- B.maximum
- C.equal to the surface value
- D.infinite
Explanation: Charges move until the internal field cancels.
Practice more on this topic →14.Potential difference between two points is the:
medium- A.current per unit time
- B.charge per unit area
- C.force per unit mass
- D.work done per unit charge in moving a charge between them Correct Answer
Explanation: V = W/q.
Practice more on this topic →15.Which of the following is a good electrical insulator?
medium- A.copper
- B.rubber Correct Answer
- C.silver
- D.aluminium
Explanation: Rubber has almost no free electrons.
Practice more on this topic →16.A glass rod rubbed with silk becomes:
medium- A.negatively charged
- B.positively charged Correct Answer
- C.uncharged
- D.magnetised
Explanation: Glass loses electrons to silk.
Practice more on this topic →17.Millikan's oil-drop experiment determined the:
hard- A.mass of a proton
- B.speed of light
- C.charge of an electron Correct Answer
- D.gravitational constant
Explanation: It showed that charge is quantised.
Practice more on this topic →18.Quantisation of charge means that any charge is:
hard- A.an integral multiple of the electron charge Correct Answer
- B.any real number times e
- C.always zero
- D.always continuous
Explanation: q = ne, where n is an integer.
Practice more on this topic →19.When capacitors are connected in parallel, the equivalent capacitance is:
hard- A.the reciprocal of the sum
- B.the product of capacitances
- C.the smallest of them
- D.the sum of the individual capacitances Correct Answer
Explanation: C = C1 + C2 + ...
Practice more on this topic →20.A Faraday cage shields its interior from:
hard- A.gravity
- B.external static electric fields Correct Answer
- C.sound
- D.all magnetism
Explanation: A conducting enclosure keeps the field inside it zero.
Practice more on this topic →21.The law of universal gravitation was given by:
easy- A.Galileo Galilei
- B.Johannes Kepler
- C.Isaac Newton Correct Answer
- D.Albert Einstein
Explanation: Newton published it in the Principia in 1687.
Practice more on this topic →22.The value of g on the Earth's surface is about:
easy- A.6.67 m/s²
- B.1.6 m/s²
- C.9.8 m/s² Correct Answer
- D.11.2 m/s²
Explanation: g is the acceleration due to Earth's gravity.
Practice more on this topic →23.The SI unit of the gravitational constant G is:
easy- A.N kg^-1
- B.N m² kg^-2 Correct Answer
- C.N m
- D.m s^-2
Explanation: From F = G m1 m2 / r².
Practice more on this topic →24.Astronauts inside an orbiting satellite experience:
easy- A.double weight
- B.zero mass
- C.no gravity at all
- D.weightlessness Correct Answer
Explanation: They are in continuous free fall around the Earth.
Practice more on this topic →25.The mass of a body on the Moon compared with its mass on Earth is:
easy- A.one-sixth
- B.six times
- C.zero
- D.the same Correct Answer
Explanation: Mass is constant; only weight changes.
Practice more on this topic →26.The value of g on the Moon compared with Earth is about:
easy- A.one-half
- B.one-sixth Correct Answer
- C.double
- D.equal
Explanation: The Moon has less mass and a smaller radius.
Practice more on this topic →27.The value of the gravitational constant G is approximately:
medium- A.6.67 × 10^-11 N m² kg^-2 Correct Answer
- B.9.8 N m² kg^-2
- C.6.67 × 10^11 N m² kg^-2
- D.3 × 10^8 N m² kg^-2
Explanation: It was first measured by Cavendish.
Practice more on this topic →28.The escape velocity from the Earth is approximately:
medium- A.11.2 km/s Correct Answer
- B.7.9 km/s
- C.3 km/s
- D.25 km/s
Explanation: Beyond this speed an object leaves Earth's gravity.
Practice more on this topic →29.The orbital velocity of a satellite close to the Earth is approximately:
medium- A.11.2 km/s
- B.7.9 km/s Correct Answer
- C.3 km/s
- D.30 km/s
Explanation: Escape velocity is √2 times orbital velocity.
Practice more on this topic →30.The value of g is greater at the:
medium- A.equator than at the poles
- B.same everywhere
- C.poles than at the equator Correct Answer
- D.centre of the Earth
Explanation: The Earth bulges at the equator and rotates, reducing g there.
Practice more on this topic →31.The value of g at the centre of the Earth is:
medium- A.maximum
- B.9.8 m/s²
- C.infinite
- D.zero Correct Answer
Explanation: Attractions from all sides cancel.
Practice more on this topic →32.Kepler's second law states that a planet sweeps:
medium- A.equal areas in equal intervals of time Correct Answer
- B.equal distances in equal times
- C.a circle only
- D.areas proportional to its mass
Explanation: This implies faster motion near the Sun.
Practice more on this topic →33.The time period of a geostationary satellite is:
medium- A.12 hours
- B.90 minutes
- C.24 hours Correct Answer
- D.1 week
Explanation: It matches the Earth's rotation period.
Practice more on this topic →34.As we go higher above the Earth's surface, the value of g:
medium- A.increases
- B.stays constant
- C.becomes infinite
- D.decreases Correct Answer
Explanation: g falls with the square of distance from the centre.
Practice more on this topic →35.If the distance between two masses is doubled, the gravitational force becomes:
medium- A.one-fourth Correct Answer
- B.half
- C.double
- D.four times
Explanation: Force is inversely proportional to the square of distance.
Practice more on this topic →36.The escape velocity of a body does not depend on:
medium- A.the mass of the body Correct Answer
- B.the mass of the planet
- C.the radius of the planet
- D.the value of G
Explanation: v = √(2GM/R) contains no term for the object's mass.
Practice more on this topic →37.The height of a geostationary satellite above the Earth's surface is about:
hard- A.400 km
- B.36,000 km Correct Answer
- C.3,600 km
- D.3,60,000 km
Explanation: It orbits above the equator at this height.
Practice more on this topic →38.Kepler's third law states that the square of the time period is proportional to the:
hard- A.square of the orbital radius
- B.cube of the semi-major axis of the orbit Correct Answer
- C.orbital radius
- D.mass of the planet
Explanation: T² ∝ a³.
Practice more on this topic →39.A person of mass 60 kg on the Moon has a weight equal to that of about what mass on Earth?
hard- A.60 kg
- B.360 kg
- C.10 kg Correct Answer
- D.30 kg
Explanation: Lunar gravity is about one-sixth: 60/6 = 10.
Practice more on this topic →40.The time period of a satellite orbiting very close to the Earth is about:
hard- A.24 hours
- B.12 hours
- C.10 minutes
- D.84 minutes Correct Answer
Explanation: T = 2π√(R/g) is about 84 minutes.
Practice more on this topic →41.Newton's first law of motion is also known as the law of:
easy- A.momentum
- B.acceleration
- C.inertia Correct Answer
- D.gravitation
Explanation: The first law says a body stays at rest or in uniform motion unless acted on by a net force, which is the property of inertia.
Practice more on this topic →42.The SI unit of force is the:
easy- A.joule
- B.watt
- C.pascal
- D.newton Correct Answer
Explanation: One newton is the force that gives a 1 kg mass an acceleration of 1 m/s².
Practice more on this topic →43.A passenger lurches forward when a moving bus stops suddenly. This is explained by:
easy- A.the gravity of the Earth
- B.inertia of motion Correct Answer
- C.centripetal force
- D.buoyancy
Explanation: The passenger's body tends to keep moving forward while the bus stops, which is inertia of motion.
Practice more on this topic →44.The product of the mass and the velocity of a body is called its:
easy- A.force
- B.power
- C.impulse
- D.momentum Correct Answer
Explanation: Momentum p = m × v. It is a vector quantity.
Practice more on this topic →45.The recoil of a gun when a bullet is fired is an example of Newton's:
easy- A.third law of motion Correct Answer
- B.first law of motion
- C.second law of motion
- D.law of gravitation
Explanation: The bullet moves forward and the gun gets an equal and opposite push backwards: action and reaction.
Practice more on this topic →46.F = ma is the mathematical form of Newton's:
easy- A.first law of motion
- B.second law of motion Correct Answer
- C.third law of motion
- D.law of gravitation
Explanation: The second law states that the net force equals mass times acceleration.
Practice more on this topic →47.The SI unit of momentum is:
medium- A.kg·m/s²
- B.kg·m²/s²
- C.N·m
- D.kg·m/s Correct Answer
Explanation: Momentum is mass (kg) times velocity (m/s), so its unit is kg·m/s.
Practice more on this topic →48.A force of 10 N acts on a body of mass 2 kg. The acceleration produced is:
medium- A.2 m/s²
- B.5 m/s² Correct Answer
- C.8 m/s²
- D.20 m/s²
Explanation: a = F/m = 10 / 2 = 5 m/s².
Practice more on this topic →49.The impulse of a force acting on a body equals the change in the body's:
medium- A.kinetic energy
- B.velocity
- C.momentum Correct Answer
- D.mass
Explanation: Impulse = force × time = change in momentum.
Practice more on this topic →50.The force of friction acts:
medium- A.in the same direction as the motion
- B.perpendicular to the surfaces
- C.towards the centre of the Earth
- D.opposite to the relative motion between the surfaces Correct Answer
Explanation: Friction opposes the relative motion, or the tendency of motion, between two surfaces in contact.
Practice more on this topic →51.The inertia of a body depends on its:
medium- A.mass Correct Answer
- B.shape
- C.speed
- D.volume
Explanation: Mass is the measure of inertia: a heavier body is harder to start or stop.
Practice more on this topic →52.Compared with sliding friction, rolling friction is generally:
medium- A.more
- B.less Correct Answer
- C.equal
- D.infinite
Explanation: Rolling reduces contact and deformation, which is why wheels and ball bearings reduce friction.
Practice more on this topic →53.The action and reaction forces of Newton's third law act on:
medium- A.the same body
- B.neither body
- C.two different bodies Correct Answer
- D.the ground only
Explanation: Action and reaction are equal and opposite but act on different bodies, so they never cancel each other.
Practice more on this topic →54.A raindrop falling through air eventually reaches a constant speed called its:
medium- A.escape velocity
- B.orbital velocity
- C.terminal velocity Correct Answer
- D.angular velocity
Explanation: At terminal velocity, air resistance balances the weight, so the net force and acceleration are zero.
Practice more on this topic →55.The weight of a 10 kg body on the Earth, taking g = 10 m/s², is:
medium- A.10 N
- B.100 N Correct Answer
- C.1 N
- D.1000 N
Explanation: Weight W = m × g = 10 × 10 = 100 N.
Practice more on this topic →56.The total linear momentum of a system is conserved when the net external force on it is:
medium- A.at its maximum
- B.constant but non-zero
- C.equal to its weight
- D.zero Correct Answer
Explanation: With no net external force the total momentum stays constant; this is the law of conservation of momentum.
Practice more on this topic →57.A force acts on a 5 kg body at rest and gives it a speed of 4 m/s in 0.1 s. The average force is:
hard- A.20 N
- B.50 N
- C.200 N Correct Answer
- D.400 N
Explanation: F = m × Δv / t = 5 × 4 / 0.1 = 200 N.
Practice more on this topic →58.A gun of mass 2 kg fires a bullet of mass 20 g at 100 m/s. The recoil velocity of the gun is:
hard- A.1 m/s Correct Answer
- B.0.1 m/s
- C.10 m/s
- D.100 m/s
Explanation: By conservation of momentum, 0.02 × 100 = 2 × v, so v = 1 m/s in the opposite direction.
Practice more on this topic →59.In a lift moving upward with a uniform acceleration, the apparent weight of a person is:
hard- A.greater than the actual weight Correct Answer
- B.less than the actual weight
- C.equal to the actual weight
- D.zero
Explanation: The floor must push up with R = m(g + a), which is larger than mg, so the person feels heavier.
Practice more on this topic →60.The law of inertia was first formulated by:
hard- A.Galileo Correct Answer
- B.Aristotle
- C.Kepler
- D.Archimedes
Explanation: Galileo recognised inertia from his experiments with inclined planes; Newton later stated it as his first law.
Practice more on this topic →61.The speed of light in vacuum is about:
easy- A.3 × 10^8 m/s Correct Answer
- B.3 × 10^6 m/s
- C.3 × 10^10 m/s
- D.340 m/s
Explanation: This is the maximum speed in nature.
Practice more on this topic →62.The image formed by a plane mirror is:
easy- A.real and magnified
- B.virtual and of the same size Correct Answer
- C.real and diminished
- D.virtual and magnified
Explanation: It is formed as far behind the mirror as the object is in front.
Practice more on this topic →63.Which mirror is used in vehicle headlights?
easy- A.convex mirror
- B.concave mirror Correct Answer
- C.plane mirror
- D.cylindrical mirror
Explanation: A bulb at the focus gives a parallel beam.
Practice more on this topic →64.Which mirror is used as a rear-view mirror in vehicles?
easy- A.concave mirror
- B.convex mirror Correct Answer
- C.plane mirror
- D.parabolic mirror
Explanation: It gives a wider field of view with an erect image.
Practice more on this topic →65.The rainbow is formed due to the:
easy- A.dispersion of sunlight by raindrops Correct Answer
- B.diffraction of sound
- C.polarisation of light
- D.interference of radio waves
Explanation: Refraction, internal reflection and dispersion split white light into colours.
Practice more on this topic →66.Myopia (short-sightedness) is corrected using a:
easy- A.convex lens
- B.concave lens Correct Answer
- C.plane mirror
- D.prism
Explanation: A concave lens diverges rays so the image falls on the retina.
Practice more on this topic →67.According to the law of reflection:
medium- A.the angle of incidence is double the angle of reflection
- B.the angles add to 180 degrees
- C.the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection Correct Answer
- D.there is no relation between the angles
Explanation: The incident ray, reflected ray and normal lie in one plane.
Practice more on this topic →68.Hypermetropia (long-sightedness) is corrected using a:
medium- A.concave lens
- B.cylindrical mirror
- C.convex lens Correct Answer
- D.plane glass
Explanation: A convex lens converges rays before they reach the eye.
Practice more on this topic →69.Snell's law of refraction relates:
medium- A.speed to frequency
- B.mass to charge
- C.wavelength to temperature
- D.sin i / sin r to the refractive index Correct Answer
Explanation: n = sin i / sin r for a ray passing from air into the medium.
Practice more on this topic →70.Optical fibres work on the principle of:
medium- A.total internal reflection Correct Answer
- B.diffraction
- C.polarisation
- D.interference
Explanation: Light stays trapped in the core by repeated total reflections.
Practice more on this topic →71.The sky appears blue because of the:
medium- A.reflection from the sea
- B.absorption by clouds
- C.emission by the Sun in blue only
- D.scattering of light by air molecules Correct Answer
Explanation: Shorter blue wavelengths scatter more than red.
Practice more on this topic →72.The Sun appears red at sunrise and sunset because:
medium- A.the Sun becomes cooler
- B.the Sun emits only red then
- C.blue light is scattered away over the long path through the atmosphere Correct Answer
- D.clouds absorb all other colours
Explanation: Red, the least scattered colour, reaches the eye.
Practice more on this topic →73.The focal length of a plane mirror is:
medium- A.zero
- B.infinity Correct Answer
- C.equal to its size
- D.one metre
Explanation: Parallel rays remain parallel after reflection.
Practice more on this topic →74.The SI unit of the power of a lens is:
medium- A.dioptre Correct Answer
- B.watt
- C.lumen
- D.candela
Explanation: Power is the reciprocal of focal length in metres.
Practice more on this topic →75.A mirage in a desert is caused by:
medium- A.total internal reflection due to varying air density Correct Answer
- B.diffraction of sound
- C.refraction of sound
- D.dispersion of heat
Explanation: Hot air near the ground bends light upward.
Practice more on this topic →76.Which colour has the longest wavelength in visible light?
medium- A.violet
- B.blue
- C.red Correct Answer
- D.green
Explanation: Violet has the shortest.
Practice more on this topic →77.When white light passes through a prism, which colour is deviated the most?
hard- A.red
- B.yellow
- C.green
- D.violet Correct Answer
Explanation: Violet has the highest refractive index in glass.
Practice more on this topic →78.The lens formula is:
hard- A.1/v + 1/u = 1/f
- B.v - u = f
- C.v u = f
- D.1/v - 1/u = 1/f Correct Answer
Explanation: It uses the Cartesian sign convention.
Practice more on this topic →79.A diamond sparkles mainly because of:
hard- A.its high melting point
- B.its hardness
- C.its black colour
- D.total internal reflection inside it Correct Answer
Explanation: Its high refractive index gives a small critical angle.
Practice more on this topic →80.A lens of focal length 50 cm has a power of:
hard- A.+0.5 dioptre
- B.+5 dioptre
- C.+2 dioptre Correct Answer
- D.+50 dioptre
Explanation: P = 1/f = 1/0.5 m.
Practice more on this topic →81.Like magnetic poles:
easy- A.attract each other
- B.have no effect
- C.repel each other Correct Answer
- D.cancel each other
Explanation: North repels north and south repels south.
Practice more on this topic →82.The SI unit of magnetic field (magnetic flux density) is:
easy- A.weber
- B.tesla Correct Answer
- C.henry
- D.gauss only
Explanation: One tesla is one weber per square metre.
Practice more on this topic →83.A freely suspended bar magnet comes to rest along the:
easy- A.east-west direction
- B.vertical direction only
- C.north-south direction Correct Answer
- D.any direction
Explanation: It aligns with the Earth's magnetic field.
Practice more on this topic →84.Oersted discovered that:
easy- A.an electric current produces a magnetic field Correct Answer
- B.a magnet produces gravity
- C.light is a wave
- D.charge is quantised
Explanation: A compass needle deflected near a current-carrying wire.
Practice more on this topic →85.Which of the following is attracted by a magnet?
easy- A.wood
- B.plastic
- C.iron Correct Answer
- D.glass
Explanation: Iron is ferromagnetic.
Practice more on this topic →86.Magnetic field lines outside a bar magnet go from:
easy- A.south pole to north pole
- B.north pole to south pole Correct Answer
- C.east to west
- D.centre to the ends only
Explanation: Inside the magnet they run from south to north, forming closed loops.
Practice more on this topic →87.Fleming's left-hand rule gives the direction of:
medium- A.induced current
- B.electric field
- C.magnetic flux
- D.force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field Correct Answer
Explanation: It is the principle of the electric motor.
Practice more on this topic →88.Fleming's right-hand rule gives the direction of:
medium- A.induced current Correct Answer
- B.force on a charge
- C.magnetic field of a magnet
- D.current in a cell
Explanation: It is used for generators.
Practice more on this topic →89.Electromagnetic induction was discovered by:
medium- A.Hans Oersted
- B.Michael Faraday Correct Answer
- C.James Maxwell
- D.Alessandro Volta
Explanation: Faraday showed that a changing flux induces an emf in 1831.
Practice more on this topic →90.A transformer works on the principle of:
medium- A.self induction only
- B.Ohm's law
- C.photoelectric effect
- D.mutual induction (with alternating current) Correct Answer
Explanation: It does not work with steady direct current.
Practice more on this topic →91.An electric motor converts:
medium- A.electrical energy into mechanical energy Correct Answer
- B.mechanical energy into electrical energy
- C.light into heat
- D.sound into light
Explanation: A generator does the opposite.
Practice more on this topic →92.Which of the following is a ferromagnetic material?
medium- A.copper
- B.gold
- C.zinc
- D.cobalt Correct Answer
Explanation: Iron, cobalt and nickel are the common ferromagnetic metals.
Practice more on this topic →93.The weber is the unit of:
medium- A.magnetic flux Correct Answer
- B.magnetic field
- C.inductance
- D.charge
Explanation: Flux is field times area.
Practice more on this topic →94.Above the Curie temperature a ferromagnetic material becomes:
medium- A.diamagnetic
- B.paramagnetic Correct Answer
- C.a superconductor
- D.a stronger magnet
Explanation: Heat destroys the alignment of magnetic domains.
Practice more on this topic →95.The right-hand thumb rule gives the direction of:
medium- A.the force on a charge
- B.the induced emf
- C.the magnetic field around a current-carrying wire Correct Answer
- D.the electric field
Explanation: Thumb along the current, fingers curl along the field.
Practice more on this topic →96.A step-up transformer has:
medium- A.fewer turns in the secondary
- B.equal turns in both
- C.more turns in the secondary than in the primary Correct Answer
- D.no secondary coil
Explanation: The output voltage is higher than the input.
Practice more on this topic →97.Lenz's law states that the induced current:
hard- A.aids the change in flux
- B.is always zero
- C.is independent of the flux
- D.opposes the change in flux that produces it Correct Answer
Explanation: It reflects conservation of energy.
Practice more on this topic →98.The core of an electromagnet is made of:
hard- A.steel
- B.copper
- C.aluminium
- D.soft iron Correct Answer
Explanation: Soft iron magnetises and demagnetises easily.
Practice more on this topic →99.Permanent magnets are usually made of:
hard- A.soft iron
- B.steel and certain alloys Correct Answer
- C.copper
- D.rubber
Explanation: They retain magnetism for a long time.
Practice more on this topic →100.The magnetic field inside a long current-carrying solenoid is:
hard- A.nearly uniform Correct Answer
- B.zero
- C.strongest at the ends only
- D.random
Explanation: Field lines inside are parallel to the axis.
Practice more on this topic →