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Science — CBSE Class 10 board question

Q1. [1]
The Phenomena of light involved in the formation of a rainbow in the sky are
  1. A Refraction, dispersion and reflection
  2. B Refraction, dispersion and total internal reflection
  3. C Dispersion, scattering and reflection
  4. D Dispersion, refraction and internal reflection
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2024 31/3/1 Q13
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 06:54 · grounding rag
Model Answer

The correct answer is (A) Refraction, dispersion and reflection.

Water droplets refract and disperse sunlight into its colours, then internally reflect it, and refract it again as it exits — forming a rainbow.

Source: Chapter 10, Section 10.4 Dispersion of White Light by a Glass Prism

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Explanation

The textbook explicitly states: "They refract and disperse the incident sunlight, then reflect it internally, and finally refract it again." The key word is internal reflection, not total internal reflection (which rules out option B). Option A uses the general term "reflection," matching the textbook language. Scattering (option C/D) plays no role in rainbow formation. Remember: the three phenomena are refraction + dispersion + (internal) reflection.

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