Physics Give Reason Exam 18

supernotes series
ICSE Class 10
PHYSICS
Mastering Give Reasons
based questions
Written by Surbhi Sharma
Chapter-wise give reasoning based questions with easy to
understand explanations and illustrations. All questions
are based on latest ICSE 10th Syllabus and targeted
towards class of 201 9 - 20 20
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GENIUS WAYS TO LEARN PHYSICS ‘GIVE
REASON’ BASED QUESTIONS
ICSE – 10th
SURBHI SHARMA
2020 Edition
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ICSE Physics - Give Reasons Questions with Answers
Contents
This exclusive Exam18 super notes book is ideal for students who want to secure maximum
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The book emphasizes on Give Reason based questions to enhance your understanding of
core concepts that form base of this subject. Besides showing all the important questions
relevant to ICSE syllabus, this book also explains each answer succinctly to ensure you
understand it thoroughly. Illustrations where required are given for clear explanation.
Questions and Answers are given chapter-wise, and a miscellaneous section is given in the
end.
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INDEX
Sr. No Chapter Page No.
1 Chapter 1: Force, Work, Energy and Power 4
2 Chapter 2: Light 8
3 Chapter 3: Sound 14
4 Chapter 4: Electricity and Magnetism 17
5 Chapter 5: Heat 20
6 Chapter 6: Modern Physics 26
7 Miscellaneous Questions and Answers 28
CHAPTER 1
FORCE, WORK, ENERGY AND POWER
1) Why are the passengers not allowed to stand in a small boat while crossing a river?
Answer: Passengers are not allowed to stand in a small boat because standing raises the
centre of gravity of the boat, due to which line joining the centre of gravity and centre of the
earth may fall outside the base of the boat crossing the river. Hence, the boat can capsize.
2) Why are passengers travelling in a double-decker bus allowed to stand on the lower
deck but not on the upper deck?
Answer: Passengers travelling in the double-decker bus are allowed to sit or stand only on
the lower deck which ensures lowering of the centre of gravity. On the other hand, if the
passengers are standing on the upper deck, the centre of gravity of the bus will be raised to
the extent that the line joining the centre of gravity of the bus and the centre of the earth can
fall outside the base of bus while taking sharp turns and can result in toppling over.
3) Why are the cutting edges of scissors made longer than the cutting edges of the
metal cutter?
Answer: In scissors, cutting edge (load arm) is generally longer than effort arm because the
load (cloth/paper) is of small magnitude than the effort available from hands while in metal
cutter load of metal is very large. Metal is a tough material to cut therefore with smaller
blades it is easier to create more pressure to break through the metal. In order to overcome
this large resistance, effort arm is made longer so that output can be obtained by applying
less effort.
4) Why is a cart loaded with hay more likely to be upset than one loaded with steel?
Answer: When a cart/truck is loaded with hay its centre of gravity is sufficiently raised. At the
same time, the centre of gravity of the cart/ truck loaded with steel gets lowered. When the
hay loaded cart will take sharp turn/or moves on an uneven road, a vertical line passing
through its centre of gravity may go outside the base of the cart/truck and it is more likely to
topple than the cart loaded with steel.
5) Why is heavy luggage loaded near the bottom of a ship?

Answer: A ship is loaded with heavy luggage near the bottom so as to lower down the
centre of gravity. Hence, the line joining the centre of gravity and the centre of the earth
does not fall outside the base of the ships when it pitches or rolls in the sea. Thus, it stays in
stable equilibrium.
6) Why are railway wagons not loaded beyond a certain limit?

Answer: Railway wagons are not loaded beyond a certain limit because if loaded beyond a
certain limit then the centre of gravity of the wagon is raised. Thus, while going around sharp
turns, the line joining the centre of gravity and centre of the earth may fall outside the base
of the wagon which can result in derailment.
7) Why does a coolie carrying the load on his back bend forward?
Answer: A coolie carrying the load on his back has to lean forward to bring down the and
shift the centre of gravity of the load and also of himself as low as possible and keep the
vertical line passing through the centre of gravity of the whole system between his feet. This
ensures he remains in stable equilibrium.
8) Why are the racing cars very broad and very low?
Answer: The racing car is specially designed with a very broad base and very low in height
to keep its centre of gravity very low. So that, when this car takes a sharp turn, at a very high
speed, the vertical line joining its centre of gravity and centre of the earth always falls within
its base, which helps maintain a stable equilibrium.
9) Self-erecting toy or rolly polly doll is made heavier at the base. Give reason?
Answer: Self-erecting toy or rolly polly doll is made curved and heavily loaded at its base so
that its centre of gravity remains lowest in the vertical position. Thus, when it is turned even
through an angle of 900, its centre of gravity is raised and falls within the base of the toy.
When an external force is removed from the toy, it regains its stable equilibrium, and returns
back to its original position i.e., becomes erect.
10) Why does one lean forward while climbing up a hill? Give reason?
Answer: When a person climbs up a hill, he bends himself in the forward direction and
adjusts his centre of gravity in such a way that the vertical line joining the centre of gravity
and the centre of the earth falls within the base of his feet. Thus, the condition of stable
equilibrium is satisfied and the person does not fall. Due to similar reason a person coming
down a hill bends backwards.
While walking straight: The center of mass is at the same position as with the center of
gravity.
CHAPTER 2
LIGHT
1) Why does the sun appear reddish early in the morning?
Answer: In the early morning, the sun is near the horizon. The light has to travel through a
thicker layer of air and longer distance in the earth’s atmosphere. Hence blue light and
shorter wavelengths are scattered away by the particles in the earth’s atmosphere before
reaching our eyes. Hence the light of longer wavelengths reaches our eyes which give rise
to the reddish appearance of the sun.
2) Why does the sky appear dark instead of blue to the passengers at very high altitudes
or to an astronaut?
Answer: When sunlight passes through the atmosphere, the fine particles in the air scatter
the blue colour (shorter wavelength) more strongly than red. The scattered blue light enters
our eyes. If the earth had no atmosphere there would not have been any scattering and the
sky would have looked dark. This is why the sky appears dark to passengers flying at very
high altitudes or to an astronaut.
3) Why are the danger signals red?

Answer: Red colour is used in danger signals as the red light is scattered the least by air
molecules. The scattering of light is found to be inversely proportional to the fourth power of
the wavelength of light. Thus scattering of red light is very much less than that of yellow light.
Therefore red light signals can be seen up to a longer distance. This is why danger signals
are red.
4) Why do people prefer light coloured dresses during summer and dark dresses during
winter?
Answer: White coloured clothes reflect almost all the light incident on it while black clothes
absorb all the light rays incident on it which is converted into heat. This is why people prefer
dark coloured dresses in winter to keep warm.
5) Why do the clouds appear white?

Answer: Dust particles and water droplets present in the atmosphere do not obey Rayleigh’s
scattering law. They scatter all the colours almost equally. Since light travels as waves of
different lengths, each color has its very own unique wavelength. Clouds are white because
their water droplets or ice crystals are large enough to scatter the light of the seven
wavelengths (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), which combine to produce
white light. Thus the clouds appear white.
6) Why does the sky appear blue?

Answer: The scattering of light depends on the wavelength of light. The wavelength of violet
colour so the blue colour is scattered more than the red colour. Due to scattering of blue
light in different directions, the sky appears blue.
7) Why do the stars show the twinkling effect whereas the planets do not?
Answer: The light from stars suffers a series of refraction due to atmospheric layers of
different densities and different refractive indices as they are very far from earth. Due to this
reason, a ray of light starting from a star say ‘S’ bends more and more towards the normal
before reaching the observer on the earth. But the observer sees the star in the direction of
the ray reaching finally in the eye, so the star appears to him at S1 instead of the actual
position which is at S.
On account of change in temperature and density the apparent position of the star
continuously changes which gives the twinkling effect to the star.
But the planets do not twinkle because they are nearer to the earth and subtend a greater
angle at the eye. Hence the amount of light received from them is much larger than the stars.
Therefore, the change in their position and brightness is not noticeable.
8) During sunset and sunrise, the sun is seen even when it is slightly below the horizon.
Explain?
Answer: This is known as the collective phenomena of advanced sunrise and delayed
sunset. Which means that when the light coming from the sun enters the earth’s atmosphere
it suffers refraction from rarer to denser layers up to the earth. Therefore, it bends towards
the normal at successive refractions but to the observer on the earth, it appears to be
coming from a straight line path above the horizon.
So it is seen above the horizon while actually, it is below the horizon due to refraction of light
through the layers of the atmosphere. Similarly, at the time of sunset, it actually sets, i.e.,
goes down below the horizon but appears above the horizon.
Atmospheric refraction effects at sunrise and sunset
CHAPTER 3
SOUND
1) Will the sound be audible if the string is set into vibration on the surface of the moon?
Give a reason for your answer.
Answer: No, sound waves require a material medium for their propagation and on the moon,
there is the absence of a medium. Due to this, we will not be able to hear any audible sound
on the surface of the moon.
2) Why are string instruments provided with the large sound box?
Answer: The vibrating strings on striking produce a very weak sound which cannot be heard.
Therefore, these instruments are provided with a sound box. The strings set into vibration,
produce forced vibrations in the large volume of air in the sound box and thus, loud sound of
the frequency of the vibrating string is produced.
3) Why is an echo not heard when the distance between the source of the sound and
reflecting body is 10 m?
Answer: The sensation of any sound persists in our ear for about 0.1 s after the sound heard
dies off. If the echo is heard within this time interval the original sound and the echo cannot
be distinguished. Therefore, in order to hear an echo distinctly, the minimum distance of the
obstacle from the observer should be 17 m.
Minimum distance should be 17m in order to hear an echo.
4) Two friends were playing on identical guitars whose strings were adjusted to give
notes of the same pitch. Will the quality of the two notes be the same? Give a reason for
your answer.
Answer: Two musical instruments of the same pitch will not have same quality because the
pitch depends on the frequency or wavelength whereas quality depends on the waveform.
Both the guitars emit same fundamental note but subsidiary notes will not be exactly same
due to which the waveform of the two guitars will be different so they will differ in quality.
5) Bats can ascertain distances, directions, nature and size of the obstacle without eyes.
Explain how.
Answer: Bats emit ultrasonic waves of large frequencies which are reflected from the
obstacle in their path while they are flying. This gives them the idea about the distance,
direction, size and nature of the obstacle.
6) When a vehicle is driven at a high speed, sometimes rattling sound is heard. Explain
why.
Answer: When a vehicle is driven at a high speed, sometimes rattling sound is produced
because its body or any other part’s natural frequency matches with the natural frequency of
the piston at that particular speed. Then the body of the vehicle vibrates with large amplitude
and produces the rattling sound.
Tip: Piston is a disk or short cylinder fitting closely within a tube in which it moves up and down against a liquid
or gas, used in an internal combustion engine of a vehicle to derive motion.
7) During lightning, first, we observe light and then hear the sound. Why?
Answer: Lightning and thunder occur at the same time. The time difference we sense is due
to the speed with which sound and light travel. The velocity of sound in air is 332 m s-1
whereas velocity of light is 3 × 108 m s-1. Hence the flash of light is seen much before the
thunder of lightning is heard.
8) A bucket is placed below a water-tap. We can estimate the height of the water level
in the bucket from a distance simply by listening to the sound. How?
Answer: The frequency of a note emitted by an air column is inversely proportional to its
length, i.e., as the length of the air column decreases, the frequency increases, which leads
to the note becoming shrill. As the water level in the bucket rises, the length of the air
column of the bucket goes on decreasing and the sound emitted goes on becoming shriller.
Thus, we can estimate from a distance that bucket has been filled with water.
9) Two astronauts on the surface of the moon cannot talk to each other, why? What
types of hearing aids are required by them?
Answer: This is because the moon has no atmosphere and sound requires a material
medium for its propagation. They require hearing aids capable of transmitting and detecting
electromagnetic waves in order to be audible on the surface of the moon.
CHAPTER 4
ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
1) Why are switches always placed in the live wire?
Answer: If the switch is connected to the neutral wire, the appliance remains connected to
the live wire and is at the supply voltage even when the switch is off. Thus, the person who
comes in contact with the live wire of the appliance may get a fatal shock. To avoid any
accident/danger, the switch must be connected to the live wire.
2) Why do electricians use rubber gloves?

Answer: Electricians wear rubber gloves to protect themselves from electric shocks. Rubber
is a good insulator. It does not allow the current to pass through the electrician’s body and
saves him from electric shocks if accidentally he touches the live wire.
3) Why is fuse always placed in the live wire?

Answer: If the fuse is connected to the neutral wire, due to excessive flow of current, the
fuse may burn and current will stop flowing in the neutral wire but the appliance will remain
connected to the live wire. This means that the current keeps flowing in the appliance. In this
case, if a person touches the appliance, he/she may get a severe shock.
4) Why is soft iron used as a core of the electromagnet in the electric bell?
Answer: A soft iron used inside the coil makes the magnetic field stronger as it becomes the
magnet itself when the current starts flowing. The soft iron used will lose its magnetism as
soon as the current stops flowing, making it a temporary magnet. In this way, the
electromagnet can be switched on and off by turning the electricity on and off. Therefore, in
an electric bell, a soft iron is used as the core of the electromagnet because it becomes
magnetised and as the circuit is broken, it immediately gets demagnetised.
5) Why do we transmit alternating current at high voltage?

Answer: Electricity transmission is done at high voltage, i.e., at low current, the energy loss
due to heating (i2Rt) will be reduced considerably. Besides it, for low current thin wires can
be used and for thin wires less support is required, which makes the transmission
economical. Therefore, the electricity generated at the powerhouse is stepped up to 11KV to
400KV or so for transmission to main substations where it is stepped down to 33KV or so. At
this voltage, it is transmitted to the city substations where it is further stepped down to
220V/440V for supply to the consumer as per their requirements (domestic/commercial).
6) Why is earth pin in a plug made longer and thicker than the other two pins?
Answer: The earth pin in a plug is made longer so that the earth connection is the first to
connect and the last to disconnect. It is made thicker so that even by mistake it cannot be
inserted into the live hole of the socket which may result in electric shocks.
7) Why are thick wires used in the leads of an electric radiator?

Answer: Thick wires are used in high power instruments like electric iron, electric heater,
heating rod, electric radiator because for the given voltage V,
P∞i
Thus, the higher is the power of the electric appliance, larger is the current drawn by it and
for the given voltage V,
P ∞ 1/R,
i.e., if resistance is low, power will be more and for low resistance, the area of cross-section
will be more.
8) Why is the filament of the electric iron or electric kettle put between mica sheets?
Answer: Mica sheet provides perfect insulation on both sides of the filament and the body of
electric iron or electric kettle. It allows free flow of heat.
9) Why is the bulb filled with an inert gas?

Answer: When the current is passed through the filament, it gets heated up to about 25000C
due to which the filament oxidises and evaporates quickly. Thus, to prevent oxidation and
evaporation of filament insert gas like Argon is filled in the bulb after evacuation, to increase
its life. Argon is an inert gas which does not give rise to any chemical reaction and so would
not affect the working of the tungsten filament. At the same time, the pressure of Argon gas
would almost prevent ‘evaporation’ of the filament.
(image below only for reference, will not be asked in exam)
10) Why is tungsten filament used in the bulb?

Answer: Electric bulb is based on the heating effect of the current. Tungsten filament has
some amazing qualities like lower vapour pressure, greatest tensile strength out of all the
metals, high resistivity, high melting point (~ 30000C) and is ductile. This is why it is used as a
filament in the bulb.
CHAPTER 5
HEAT
1) Why does stone lying in the sun get heated up very much, whereas water lying in the
sun for the same duration gets heated very little?
Answer: Water has the specific heat capacity c= 4,200 J/kg K which is about 5 times the
specific heat capacity of the stone. So when the sun shines, water heats up very slowly
whereas the stone heats up very fast. That is why the stone gets heated up very much as
compared to the water.
2) On a hot summer day, the water in a swimming pool remains comfortably cool. Give
reason.
Answer: On a hot summer day when the temperature is 400C and above, the water in a
swimming pool remains comfortably cool (may be around 250C) because of the very high
specific heat of water. The rise in temperature (∆T = Q/mc) is inversely proportional to the
specific heat capacity. So the rise in temperature of the water is very small.
3) Why does atmospheric temperature fall sharply after hailstorm?

Answer: Atmospheric temperature falls sharply after hailstorm because hail is actually ice.
Once it reaches the earth’s atmosphere it melts and thus cools the air. Every kilogram of ice
on melting absorbs 336000 J of heat atmosphere.
4) Why is aluminium best suited for measurement of the temperature of a furnace?

Answer: Aluminium is best suited for measurement of the temperature of a furnace because
amongst metals aluminium has the highest specific heat capacity (c = 900 J kg-1 K-1) due to
which it will transfer more heat than other metals for the same mass and temperature
change.
5) Small islands have moderate temperature changes than large land masses in the
same latitude. Give reason.
Answer: Small islands have much more temperate climate (moderate change in temperature)
than large land masses in the same latitude. As we know that ∆T ∞ 1/c, temperature
variations on land masses are small because of the high specific heat capacity of water. The
coastal regions face the effect of continentality. Places near coasts have a small range of
temperatures because it faces continentality. Seas and oceans have a moderating influence
on the coastal regions. Water has a unique ability to absorb heat and keep it under lock and
key. Therefore, hot air over the land moves up and creates a low-pressure region.
6) Why does a location close to water reservoir affect the air temperature?
Answer: A place close to a large water reservoir is not so hot during summer than those far
away from water reservoirs because water due to its large specific heat capacity absorbs a
large quantity of heat. Similarly, in winter, the water body cools down and gives off a large
quantity of heat and therefore, it is not so cold in winter in such places.
7) Why is wet cloth or pad put on the forehead of a person running a high fever?
Answer: When a person has a fever, his body temperature becomes more than his normal
body temperature. Therefore the doctors recommend putting wet strips of cloth on the
forehead of a person with a high fever. This will result in the water to evaporate and absorb
the heat from the body resulting in cooling and lowering of the body temperature. Thus, it
lowers the temperature of the brain to protect it from any damage due to high temperature.
8) Why do icebergs sometimes reach the equatorial regions?

Answer: Ice has high specific latent heat of fusion of ice. When large sized glaciers get
picked up by the ocean currents, it melts slowly, due to which the icebergs sometimes reach
the equatorial regions in the sea.
9) Why there is year long supply of water in snow-fed rivers?

Answer: In summer, the snow melts slowly on the mountains because every kilogram of
snow requires 336000 J of heat energy in order to form water at 00C. Thus, there is year
long supply of water in snow-fed rivers.
10) Why do we feel cool after hot water bath?

Answer: We feel cool after hot water bath because water being at a higher temperature, the
rate of evaporation becomes fast, thereby giving a sensation of cooling. So after a bath the
water clinging to your skin starts to evaporate. This evaporating water will suck up the heat
energy from the droplets and result in cooling down your body.
11) Why do the exposed water pipes burst during a severe frost?
Answer: Exposed water pipes burst during a severe frost because of expansion of water in
the pipes on freezing and this causes an increase in pressure inside the pipe. When the
pressure gets too high for the pipe to contain, it ruptures.
12) Why do you generally catch a cold if you put on wet clothes for a long time?
Answer: If we wear wet clothes for a long time, it may cause overcooling of the body due to
rapid evaporation of water. Water, while evaporating, takes latent heat from the body thus,
lowers the resistance of the body to cold.
13) Why does heat in summer get very oppressive just after rainfall?
Answer: Heat in summer gets oppressive(meaning: unbearable) especially just after rainfall
because air is almost completely saturated with water vapour. Due to which evaporation of
sweat from our body almost stops and thereby body stops losing heat.
14) Why does the water remain cool in hot summer but not in rainy season in earthen
pitchers?
Answer: In earthen pitchers, water remains cool in hot summer because water oozes out
from the pores of pitcher. It evaporates partly taking heat from the water within the pitcher
and the water in the pitcher loses heat and becomes cool.
But in the rainy season, saturated air with water vapour slows down the rate of evaporation
to a great extent. Thus, the water within the pitcher does not lose heat and hence it does not
keep cool.
15) Why do the surroundings become pleasantly warm when freezing starts in cold
countries?
Answer: In cold countries, when freezing of water starts, it gives out its heat in the process of
cooling up to 00C. This heat makes the surrounding atmosphere less cold or pleasantly
warmer.
16) Does land cool at a slower or faster rate than water? Give one reason for your answer.
Answer: Land cools at a faster rate than water as the specific heat capacity of water (c =
4200 J kg-1 K-1) is about five times the specific heat capacity of land (800 J kg-1 K-1) and for a
given quantity of heat transfer Q and a given mass m, change in temperature ∆T is inversely
proportional to the specific heat capacity.
i.e., (∆T ∞ 1/c)
17) Why does a hot cup of tea cool down on adding sugar to it?
Answer: When you add sugar to a hot beverage(tea) it is likely to dissolve faster. For dissolution
of a compound into liquid, a transfer of heat takes place from liquid to the compound (here,
sugar). As the heat transfers to a hot substance to cold or room temperature substance, some
heat of the tea gets transferred to the sugar, helping in its dissolution into it, thus making it
somewhat cooler. Therefore a hot cup of tea cools down on adding sugar to it because sugar
takes the heat (latent heat of fusion) from the tea and changes its state from solid to liquid.
18) Why does evaporation always produce cooling?
Answer: Evaporation causes cooling - This is due to the fact that all molecules in a liquid do
not have the same energy. Evaporation always produces cooling effect because some heat
is required to evaporate the liquid. The particles of the liquid absorb energy from the
surroundings to regain the energy lost during evaporation. This absorption of energy from
the surroundings make the surroundings cold.
19) How does a desert cooler lower the temperature? Why is it not effective after the
monsoon sets in?
Answer: Desert cooler used in hot dry climate, works on the cooling produced by
evaporation. A pump forces water to trickle through filters fitted on the three sides of a cubic
metal box. A fan draws air from outside through the filters (water-soaked) and sends into the
room. Forced evaporation of water produces cooling. But as the rain starts, it becomes
humid and saturated with and hence, cooling is not produced.
20) Why does the heat supplied to a substance during its change of state not cause any
rise in its temperature?
Answer: When a substance changes from one state, or phase, of matter to another we say
that it has undergone a change of state, or we say that it has undergone a change of phase.
Heat supplied to a substance during its change of state increases the potential energy of its
molecules but no increase in kinetic energy. Since the rise in temperature is dependent on
the kinetic energy of the molecules. Hence, no rise in its temperature takes place during its
change of state.
CHAPTER 6
MODERN PHYSICS
1) Can we use aluminium or steel as a target in X-ray production experiment? If not
give a reason?
Answer: Target should be of a material of high atomic weight and high melting point. If the
metal is of high melting point, it will not melt due to heat developed due to the collision of
electrons. High atomic weight metal will emit X-rays of high energy. This limits the choice of
anode material to chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), and a
few other less commonly used materials for X-ray powder diffraction.
2) Why do doctors wear lead aprons and spectacles while working near X-ray
machine?
Answer: Any test that involves x-rays or radioactive isotopes exposes the people nearby to
potentially harmful radiation. This is especially true for doctors, nurses and technicians who
work around radiation day in and day out. X-rays do not penetrate the lead and thus doctor’s
body is not exposed to X-rays.
3) How are β-rays emitted from a nucleus while it does not contain electrons?
Answer: β-rays are emitted from the nucleus due to conversion of a neutron into a proton, an
electron and antineutrino. This electron is emitted from the nucleus in the form of β-rays.
1
0 n à 11H + 0
-1 e + v
(neutron) (proton) (electron) (antineutrino)
Or
(β-particle)
4) A radioactive substance is oxidised. What change would you expect to take place
in the nature of its radioactivity? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer: There will be no change in the nature of its radioactivity because radioactivity is a
nuclear phenomenon and oxidation does not affect the nucleus of the substance.
5) A mass of lead is embedded in a block of aluminium (2 mm thick). Radiations from

a radioactive source incident on the side of the block produce a shadow on a fluorescent
screen placed beyond the block. The shadow of the block of aluminium is fainter than the
shadow of lead. Give the reason for this difference.
Answer: The shadow of the block of aluminium is fainter than the shadow of the lead
because the α-radiations (least penetrating power) are stopped by aluminium block while β
and γ radiations due to high penetrating power pass through it while lead block does not
allow α, β and γ radiations to pass through it.
6) ‘Radioactive materials as an alternative source of energy must be used wisely’.

Give reasons to justify this statement.
Answer: Radioactive materials as an alternative source of energy must be used wisely
because these materials emit harmful radiations. The emission of harmful radiations cannot
be controlled because the activity of radioactive materials is unaffected by any chemical or
physical change i.e., heating, freezing, applying strong electric or magnetic field or change of
temperature or pressure.
It is true that nuclear power plants are major sources of energy but a large amount of
radioactive materials and radiations escape to the atmosphere.
These materials can cause nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhoea, loss of hair, leukaemia, cancer,
genetic effects and ultimately death. Waste materials are pollutants which create land and
soil pollution. When radiations of these materials enter the human body they kill the living
tissues and cause radiation burns and genetic effects. This is why these materials are kept in
thick lead blocks/containers with a very narrow opening so as to stop radiations coming out
from other directions.
7) A radioactive substance is oxidised. What change would you expect to take place
in the nature of its radioactivity? Give a suitable reason.
Answer: If a radioactive substance is oxidised, no change takes place in the nature of its
radioactivity. If the phenomenon of radioactivity is due to orbital electrons it would have
been affected but it is the property of nucleus. That is why the nature of radioactivity of the
oxidised substance is unaffected.
Miscellaneous Questions and Answers

1) The wires leading the current to an electric bulb are thick while the wire inside the
bulb is very fine. Give reason?
Answer: Filament of the bulb and supply wires are connected in series so the same current
flows in the connecting wires and the bulb. Now we know that thick wires have less
resistance and very fine wires will have a large resistance. Here we also know that heat
produced due to given current is directly proportional to the resistance (H ∞ R). Therefore,
due to less/negligible resistance of the thick supply wires, the connecting wires remain
practically unheated while due to the very large resistance of fine filament, a large amount of
heat is produced in the filament, hence the bulb glows.
2) In a coil carrying current, how will you determine the polarity by seeing the direction of
current? Explain?
Answer: Look at the face of the coil, if the current around that face is in an anticlockwise
direction, the face has north polarity, while if the current at the face is in the clockwise
direction, the face has south polarity. This can be tested by using a compass needle.
3) Why is it advisable to view a TV screen from a distance of about 12 feet?

Answer: In a TV set electrons are accelerated by about 5000V and strike the screen due to
which soft X-rays are produced which can damage our body. These X-rays are absorbed by
a length of few feet of air due to ionization by collisions. Thus, it is advisable to watch TV
from a distance of nearly 10-12 feet.
4) Why hydrogen is considered very efficient cooling gas for enclosed electric generators?
Answer: Due to the high specific heat capacity of hydrogen coupled with its high thermal
conductivity, it is a very efficient cooling gas for enclosed electric generators.
5) Why is steam used for running trains?
Answer: Due to the high specific latent heat of steam, it releases very large amount of heat
energy during condensation which gets converted into mechanical energy of the train.
6) Why is it more economical to transmit electrical energy at high voltage and low
current?
Answer: The loss of energy along the transmission lines is proportional to the square of
current (H ∞ i2). Hence, the transmission of electrical energy is economical at high voltage
and low current.
7) Why is the longer handle of a water pump preferred? Explain.

Answer: Longer the effort arm of the handle of the water pump, lesser is the effort required
to operate the pump because the increase in the effort arm increases the mechanical
advantage.
8) Why does the thoriated tungsten (tungsten coated with carbon and thorium) preferred
as an electron emitter over tungsten?
Answer: Thoriated tungsten is preferred as an electron emitter over tungsten because
thoriated tungsten work function is 2.6eV while pure tungsten work function is 4.52eV.
Thoriated tungsten needs to be heated to only 2000K to emit electrons while tungsten is to
be heated to nearly 2500K.
9) You're in a row boat, which is in a large tank filled with water. You have an anchor on
board, which you throw overboard (the chain is long enough so the anchor rests
completely on the bottom of the tank). Does the water level in the tank rise or fall?
Answer: It will fall. An anchor, by definition, is denser than water. Therefore, its displacement
as mass (when its on the boat) is greater than its displacement as volume (when it's in water).
Therefore, if you throw it overboard, the water level falls.
10) Why will an echo not be heard when the distance between the source of the sound
and the reflecting surface is 10 m?
Answer: Echo will not be heard because minimum distance between the source and the
reflecting surface should be 17 m.
11) How can a person, standing in the middle of a perfectly smooth island of ice, get to a
corner?
Answer: He must throw any object on this person, in a direction opposite to his intended
direction of motion. The reaction force, corresponding to this action, will then make him glide
along the perfectly smooth ice surface and thus take him to the desired corner.
12) How are we able to get a sufficiently loud sound in a bell? Give reason?
Answer: Bells generally have a metal bob which is made to strike a large outer case or gong.
On striking, the bob sets this gong into vibrations. This, in turn, sets a large volume of air into
vibration and this results in the production of a sufficiently loud sound.
13) Why is less effort needed to lift a load over an inclined plane as compared to lifting the
load directly?
Answer: An inclined plane makes work easier by reducing the exertion needed for the job
while increasing the distance over which that exertion is maintained. The angle at which a
load is lifted determines the amount of exertion needed to lift it. Less effort is required to lift
over an inclined plane because for a given height ‘h’ longer is the length ‘l’ of the inclined
plane and smaller is the angle of inclination greater is the mechanical advantage, so less will
be the effort required as we know M.A. = l/h.
14) How will you investigate the existence of the radiation beyond the red and violet
extremes of the spectrum?
Answer: If a blackened bulb thermometer is moved from the violet end towards the red end,
first a steady rise in temperature is observed, but as the thermometer goes beyond the red
end, there is a rapid rise in temperature. This shows the existence of some kind of radiation
producing the heating effect beyond the red of the spectrum.
If the radiations from the red end to the violet end are made to fall on the silver chloride
solution. It almost remains unaffected beyond the violet end of the spectrum.
15) Why is single movable pulley system considered superior to single fixed pulley
system?
Answer: Single movable pulley system is considered superior to single fixed pulley system
because its mechanical advantage is greater than single fixed pulley and hence more load
can be lifted by applying comparatively less effort.
16) Explain, how the human body maintains a constant temperature of about 98.40F even
when the outside temperature may go as high as 1100F?
Answer: When the outside temperature is higher than that of our body, we sweat a lot. As
the ‘sweat’ evaporates, it withdraws its latent heat of vaporisation from our body which,
therefore, cools down. Thus, by sweating a lot and letting this sweat evaporate, our body is
able to stay at a constant temperature of about 98.40F even when the outside temperature
may be as high as 1100F.
17) Why does a stone lying in the sun gets heated up very much, whereas water lies in the
sun for the same duration gets heated very little?
Answer: Water has the specific heat capacity equal to 4200 J/kg, which is about 5 times the
specific heat capacity of the stone. So when the sun shines, water heats up very slowly
whereas the stone heats up very fast. This is why the stone gets heated up very much as
compared to the water.
18) Why is a voltmeter connected in parallel across a conductor in a circuit? If by mistake

a voltmeter is connected in series in a circuit, what will happen?
Answer: A voltmeter is connected in parallel across a conductor in a circuit so as to measure
the potential difference across the ends of the conductor.
If by mistake, a voltmeter is connected in series, due to its high resistance, negligible current
will pass through it and so there will be no deflection of its pointer.
19) Is there any relationship between sunlight and fusion? If so, Give reason?
Answer: Yes, in sun and stars, fusion produced by thermonuclear reactions is the main
source of energy.
20) Explain, why bottled soft drinks are more effectively cooled by cubes of ice than by
iced water?
Answer: Ice needs an amount of heat equal to its latent heat of fusion (i.e., 336 103 J/kg), to
melt and form (ice-cold) water at 00C. Hence each kg of ice is able to withdraw 336 103 J
more heat (from a given ‘hot’ drink) than ice-cold water at 00C. Lumps of ice, therefore,
produce more effective cooling than ice-cold water at 00C.
21) How do frequency and amplitude affect a musical sound?

Answer: In musical sound, if the frequency changes the pitch of the sound changes. With the
increase in the frequency of sound the pitch increases and vice versa.
And if the amplitude changes, the loudness and so the intensity of sound changes. With the
increase in the amplitude the loudness increases and vice versa.
22) How would you show the presence of ultra-violet and infrared rays in the spectrum?
Answer: If a sensitive thermometer was moved along a spectrum, the thermometer showed
a temperature rise even when it was moved in the spectrum. It was concluded that (invisible)
heat radiations present even beyond the red end of the spectrum and named as infrared
radiations. In the presence of ultra-violet radiations, the silver chloride solution becomes dark
brown or black.
23) Why are burns caused by steam more severe than those caused by boiling water at
the same temperature?
Answer: Steam will produce more severe burns than boiling water because steam has more
heat energy than water due to its latent heat of vaporisation. When water goes from gas to
liquid it is undergoing what is called a phase change. Phase changes require a lot more
energy than just a temperature change.
The energy required for water to go from a liquid to a gas is called the heat of vaporization.
When steam (water in the gas phase) hits your skin, a lot of energy will be released as it
condenses into a liquid, undergoing a phase change.
This energy release causes a much worse burn than if the same amount of boiling water
were to hit your skin where it would decrease in temperature (to your skin’s temperature) but
would not have to go through a phase change. T
The loss of energy that is released from steam hitting your skin occurs quickly and in a small
localized area, therefore causing damage to your cells. Besides this, steam being in the
gaseous state goes deeper through the pores of skin thus causing more deep burns.
24) Why weather gets pleasant when freezing starts in cold countries?
Answer: Everyone gram of water on freezing releases 336J of heat. Thus during freezing,
very large amount of heat energy is released in the atmosphere. It is this released energy
which makes the weather pleasant.
25) Explain, why surroundings become pleasantly warm when water in a lake starts
freezing in cold countries.
Answer: In cold countries, surroundings become pleasant when water in lakes starts
freezing, because for every kilogram of water, on freezing, 336000 joules of heat energy is
liberated. This heat energy, when dissipated in the atmosphere makes the weather
moderate and pleasant and also slows down the process of freezing.
26) If, in a central heating system, steam enters a radiator pipe at 1000C and water leaves
the radiator pipe at 1000C, can this radiator pipe heat a room? Give reason.
Answer: In cold countries, in a central heating system, the steam of 1000C enters a radiator
pipe at 1000C and water leaves the radiator pipe at 1000C, room is still heated, though the
temperature of entering steam and outgoing water is the same i.e., 1000C. the main reason is
the high specific latent heat of vaporisation which is liberated when steam condenses into
the water at the same temperature and this heat (2268 × 103 J/kg), hence dissipated in the air
of the room, keeps it warm.
27) Explain the motion of a planet around the sun in a circular path.
Answer: A planet moves around the sun in a circular path for which the force of attraction on
the planet by the sun provides the necessary centripetal force. Planet wants to go in a
straight line unless a force is applied to it. The Sun applies gravitational force but stays in one
place, so planets move and finds force coming from a new direction and keeps turning in its
path due to changed direction.
28) How is sound wave produced in strings fixed at both ends?

Answer: When a string stretched between two fixed points is bowed, struck or plucked,
transverse vibrations travel along the string, these are reflected at the fixed ends and a
standing wave pattern is formed. The vibrations of the string give rise to longitudinal waves
in the air which are transmitted to our ear.
29) Explain, why no tracks are left on the ice during ice skating.
Answer: The weight of the body acts on a very small area of skate, in comparison to that of
ice. Under this high pressure, ice melts to form water below 00C. The water so formed makes
the surface water skating more slippery. But as soon as the skater moves further, the water
does not experience any pressure and re-freezes into ice leaving no track on the ice surface.
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Chapter-wise give reasoning based questions with easy to

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are based on latest ICSE 10th Syllabus and targeted

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Sr. No Chapter Page No.

1 Chapter 1: Force, Work, Energy and Power 4

4 Chapter 4: Electricity and Magnetism 17

6 Chapter 6: Modern Physics 26

7 Miscellaneous Questions and Answers 28

5) Why is heavy luggage loaded near the bottom of a ship?

6) Why are railway wagons not loaded beyond a certain limit?

3) Why are the danger signals red?

5) Why do the clouds appear white?

6) Why does the sky appear blue?

Atmospheric refraction effects at sunrise and sunset

Minimum distance should be 17m in order to hear an echo.

2) Why do electricians use rubber gloves?

3) Why is fuse always placed in the live wire?

5) Why do we transmit alternating current at high voltage?

7) Why are thick wires used in the leads of an electric radiator?

9) Why is the bulb filled with an inert gas?

10) Why is tungsten filament used in the bulb?

3) Why does atmospheric temperature fall sharply after hailstorm?

4) Why is aluminium best suited for measurement of the temperature of a furnace?

8) Why do icebergs sometimes reach the equatorial regions?

9) Why there is year long supply of water in snow-fed rivers?

10) Why do we feel cool after hot water bath?

18) Why does evaporation always produce cooling?

5) ​A mass of lead is embedded in a block of aluminium (2 mm thick). Radiations from

6) ‘Radioactive materials as an alternative source of energy must be used wisely’.

Miscellaneous Questions and Answers

3) Why is it advisable to view a TV screen from a distance of about 12 feet?

5) Why is steam used for running trains?

7) Why is the longer handle of a water pump preferred? Explain.

18) Why is a voltmeter connected in parallel across a conductor in a circuit? If by mistake

21) How do frequency and amplitude affect a musical sound?

28) How is sound wave produced in strings fixed at both ends?

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5) A mass of lead is embedded in a block of aluminium (2 mm thick). Radiations from