📚 CBSE Grade-10 Study Guide
HomeScience (086) (AI practice)

Science (086) — AI-generated practice question

AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.

Q1. [2] medium initial-understanding
A ray of light is directed towards the centre of curvature of a concave mirror. Describe the path of this ray after reflection, and explain why it behaves this way.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 01:10 · grounding rag
Model Answer

A ray directed towards the centre of curvature of a concave mirror is reflected back along the same path (it retraces its path).

Reason: The centre of curvature (C) lies on the principal axis, and any line joining C to the mirror surface is a normal (radius) to that surface. So the ray hits the mirror at 0° angle of incidence and is reflected straight back along the same path, in accordance with the laws of reflection.

Explanation

Examiners look for two things: (1) the correct path — retraces itself / reflects back along the same direction — and (2) the reason — the ray strikes the mirror along the normal (radius of curvature), making the angle of incidence = 0°. Mentioning "normal" and linking it to the law of reflection earns full marks. Avoid vague answers like "it bends back."

Previous-year CBSE Grade 10 board exam questions, organised by subject and chapter, each with a model answer — free to read and print.