ICSE Board

Class X Physics
Gold Series
Sample Paper - 2
Time: 1½ hrs Total Marks: 80

General Instructions:
1. Answers to this paper must be written on the paper provided separately.
2. You will not be allowed to write during the first 15 minutes. This time is to be spent in
reading the question paper.
3. The time given at the head of paper is the time allotted for writing the answers.
4. Attempt all questions from Section I and any four questions from Section II.
5. The intended marks of questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].

Section 1 (40 Marks)

Attempt all questions from this section
Question 1 [10]
(a) Why does the speed of a falling body increase continuously?
(b) Two bodies of equal mass are dropped from a cliff. At any instant, which physical
quantity (momentum, acceleration, kinetic energy and potential energy) will be the
same?
(c) Name a machine which is used to (i) Multiply speed, (ii) Multiply force, (iii) Change
the direction of effort to a convenient direction, (iv) Change the point of application
of effort to a convenient point.
(d) Calculate the length of the arm of a couple if a force of 13 N produces a moment of
couple of 14.3 N m.
(e) A ray of light travels from one medium to another, and it bends. State the condition
when the angle of deviation of the ray is (i) Positive and (ii) Negative.

Question 2 [10]
(a) A ray of light is passed from a transparent medium A to transparent medium B. Does
it
i. Speed up
or
ii. Slow down
State in each case the relation between refractive index (> = <) of both media.
(b) Five immiscible transparent liquids (I, II, III, IV and V) are placed in a rectangular
container of glass with the liquids making layers in the increasing order of their
refractive indices 1.51, 1.53, 1.61, 1.62 and 1.63, respectively, from top of the level in
the container to the bottom. The container is illuminated from the side and a small
glass piece (μ = 1.61) is gently dropped into the container. In which liquid, the
descending glass piece will not be visible?
 (c) A convex lens forms a real image of a point object placed on its principal axis. If the
upper half of the lens is painted black, will the image be shifted? Will the intensity of
the image increase or decrease?
(d) Which material prism is used for obtaining the spectrum of ultraviolet radiation and
why?
(e) A waiter uses a sound pipe to communicate with the chef in the kitchen. Name the
principle on which the sound pipe works. Draw a suitable diagram.

Question 3 [10]
(a) Name the waves which are used in
i. Sound navigation and ranging to find the depth of the sea
ii. Radio detection and ranging to detect the presence of an enemy's aeroplane in its
path
(b) Three equal resistors of resistance r are first connected in series and then connected
in parallel. What will be the ratio of maximum to minimum resistance?
(c) A negative charge released from a point P moves along the line PQ. The potential at
P is 10 V and varies uniformly along PQ. What will be the potential at Q (less than,
equal to or greater than 10 V)?
(d) Resistance of two lamps is in the ratio 4:5. What will be the ratio of their wattage if
both lamps are given the same voltage?
(e) Name the three wires of the cable which are used to supply power to a house from
the city sub-station.

Question 4 [10]
(a) Name two rules used to determine the direction of induced current in a closed
circuit of the coil.
(b) Temperature of a solid body is observed to be constant during a period. Give two
inferences for this period.
(c) When a solid melts or a liquid boils, the temperature does not increase even when
heat is supplied. Where does the energy go?
(d) What is the use of a control grid in an electron gun?
(e) Which reaction is the source of solar energy?
 Section 2 (40 Marks)
Attempt any four questions from this section

Question 5 [10]
(a) A metre scale of mass 0.2 kg is suspended by two strings at each end as shown in the
figure.

A body of mass 0.3 kg is suspended by a weightless string at the 0.3 m mark.

Calculate the tensions in the string by which the metre scale is suspended. (Take g =
10 m/s2)

(b) Determine the nature of work (positive, negative or zero) done on the body in the
following cases:
i. When a body is displaced along a horizontal surface.
ii. A ball falling freely under the action of gravity.
iii. When two similar charges approach each other, and they repel each other.
(c) The following table shows highway code data of braking distance for cars
at different initial speeds:

Initial speed (m/s) 10 15 20 25 30

Braking distance (m) 6 13.5 ? 37.5 54

Plot a graph of the braking distance against ‘square of the initial speed’.
How does the initial kinetic energy of the car
i. Affect the square of the speed while decelerating
ii. Affect the braking distance
Question 6 [10]
(a) The figure given below shows a wire of a rail's electrification system being held taut
by pulleys.

i. By what factor is the force multiplied?

ii. What is the purpose of the pulley P?
iii. Why are pulleys used?
(b) A ray parallel to the principal axis is incident on the convex lens L₁. The ray after
refraction through the lens L₁ is intercepted by concave lens L₂. After refraction, it
appears to meet at point F which serves as the focus for both lenses. Draw a ray
diagram representing the same. If the distance of F from the optical centre of lens L₁
is 30 cm and lens L₂ is 20 cm, give the focal length of both lenses.
(c)

Define refractive index. The figure shows a glass slab of uniform thickness lying
horizontally. Above it is a layer of water. A ray of light AB is incident on the lower
surface of glass which is refracted successively at B, C and D, the points where it
crosses the interfaces. Calculate:
i.  x
ii.  y
iii. Refractive index for light passing from water to glass. Refractive indices of glass
and water are 3/2 and 4/3, respectively.
Question 7 [10]
(a) Name three consequences of total internal reflection.
(b)
i. Match the properties of sound vis-à-vis pitch, quality and loudness with the
quantities of waveform, frequency and intensity.
ii. A pitcher is placed below a running tap of water. As the pitcher fills up, sound
becomes more and more shrill. Why?
(c) Define echo. Two men at a distance of 0.68 km from each other stand at the same
distance from a vertical hillock. One of them fires a shot and the other hears its echo
3 s after hearing the direct sound. Find the distance of the men from the hillock
assuming the velocity of sound to be 340 m/s.

Question 8 [10]
(a) What is meant by the electromotive force of a cell? A cell B of 6 V and negligible
internal resistance is connected to a combination of resistors shown in the figure.
What is the effective value of the resistance connected across the terminals of the
cell? What are the values of current i₁ and i₃?

(b) What is a fuse? Name the materials of the fuse. State any two characteristics of a fuse
wire. How is a fuse inserted in an electric circuit?
(c) Draw a labelled diagram of a DC motor. State two ways to increase the speed of
rotation of the coil.
Question 9 [10]
(a) The temperature of a brass cylinder of mass 100 g was raised to 100°C and
transferred to a thin aluminium can of negligible heat capacity containing 150 g of
paraffin at 11°C. If the final steady temperature after stirring was 20°C, calculate the
specific heat capacity of paraffin. Neglect heat losses. Specific heat capacity of brass
= 380 J g−1 °C−1.
(b) 160 g of molten silver at its melting point 960°C is allowed to solidify at the same
temperature and gives out 16800 J of heat. What is the specific latent heat of silver
in SI unit? If the mean specific heat capacity of silver is 230 J/kg°C, how much
additional heat does it give out in cooling to −40°C?
(c)
i. Why is hydrogen considered a very efficient cooling gas for enclosed electric
generators?
ii. Why is steam used for running trains?

Question 10 [10]
(a) What is the difference between an α-particle and a helium atom? Name two origins
of background radiation.
(b) Give three differences between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission.
(c) In the figure given below, α, β and γ radiations are coming from a radioactive source
placed in a thick lead container and passing through the electrodes as shown in the
figure. Show the deflection of these rays when it is passing through the electrodes
and afterwards.
 ICSE Board
Class X Physics
Gold Series
Sample Paper – 2 Solution

Section 1
Answer 1
(a) The earth attracts the body and so there is acceleration due to gravity acting on it.

(b) When bodies of equal mass are dropped from a cliff, acceleration will be the same at any
instant.

(c)
i. A pair of scissors used to cut the cloth.
ii. A jack used to lift a car.
iii. A single fixed pulley used to lift a bucket full of water from the well.
iv. The wheel of cycle is rotated with the help of a chain by applying a force on the
paddle.

(d) Given:
Force F = 13 N
Moment of couple = 14.3 N m
Length of arm of a couple = ?
14.3 m
Length of arm of couple=  1.1 m
13 N

(e)
i. For positive deviation: The ray of light travels from a rarer medium to a denser
medium
ii. For negative deviation: The ray of light travels from a denser medium to a rarer
medium
Answer 2
(a)
i. Β < A
ii. Β > A

(b) In liquid III, because both have the same refractive index.

(c) The image will not be shifted. Its intensity will decrease.

(d) A quartz prism is used for obtaining the spectrum of ultraviolet radiation because
ordinary glass absorbs ultraviolet radiation.

(e) The sound pipe works on the principle of total internal reflection of sound.

Answer 3
(a)
i. Ultrasonic waves
ii. Radio or microwaves

R max 3r
(b)   9:1
R min r/3

(c) Greater than 10 V, because a negative charge is free to move and will move from a lower
potential region to a higher potential region.

v2
(d) P=
R
1
For constant voltage P 
R
 P1 : P2 = 5 : 4

(e)
i. Live wire
ii. Neutral wire
iii. Earth wire
Answer 4
(a) Two rules used to determine the direction of induced current in a closed circuit of the coil:
1. Lenz's law
2. Fleming's right hand rule

(b) In this period

i. Heat may have been supplied to the body.
ii. Heat may have been extracted from the body.

(c) This hidden energy is used to change the state. It is called latent heat.

(d) A control grid is given a negative potential relative to the cathode in order to repel
electrons and thus to control the number of electrons passing through it.

(e) Nuclear fusion reaction

 Section 2
Answer 5
(a) Let the tensions in the string be T₁ and T₂, respectively.
Mass of the scale = 0.2 kg
Mass of suspended body m₁ = 0.3 kg

(a) According to the principle of moments,

T₁ + T₂ = m₁g + Mg
= (0.3 + 0.2)g
= 0.5 10 = 5 N
Taking moment about point O,
T₂ ⨯ OB − (m1g) ⨯ OA − Mg ⨯ OC = 0
T₂ ⨯ 1 m − 0.3 kg ⨯ 10 m/s2 ⨯ 0.3 m − 0.2 kg ⨯ 10 m/s2 ⨯ 0.5 m = 0
T₂ − 0.9 N − 1 N = 0
T₂ = 1.9 N
T₁ + 1.9 N = 5 N
or T₁ = 3.1 N
(b)
i. Zero as weight is perpendicular to displacement.
ii. Work done by gravitational force is positive.
iii. As force and displacement are opposite to each other, work done is negative.

(c) Braking distance α (Speed)2

From the graph for initial speed, 20 m/s braking distance = 24 m.
Constant retardation (25/3) m/s2 is maintained in all the cases with different initial
speed. This can be checked by evaluating (u2/2S), where u is the initial speed and S is
the braking distance. If the same calculation is carried out for initial speed 20 m/s, then
we arrive at the braking distance of 24 m.
i. Initial kinetic energy affects the square of the speed while decelerating according to
the kinetic equation v2 = u2 − 2as, where u and v are initial speed and speed while
decelerating at distance S.
ii. Braking distance is proportional to initial kinetic energy.
Answer 6
(a)
i. Force is multiplied by 3.
ii. Changes the direction of force.
iii. Pulleys allow the length of wire to change with the temperature and simultaneously
prevent sagging of the wire, maintaining constant tension in the wire.

(b) Focal length of convex lens = 30 cm

Focal length of concave lens = 20 cm

(c) The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence and the sine of the angle of refraction is a
constant for the same pair of media. This constant ratio is called the refractive index of
the second medium with respect to the first. It is represented by the Greek letter 
(mew) or n.
i.
sin 60
aμg 
sin x
sin 60 3 /2 1
sin x=  
a g 3/2 3
 1 
x=sin 1    35.26
0

 3
sin x  w 4/3 8 
w   g w    
g
sin y  9 3/2 9 
ii.
 sin x
sin y=
g w
(1/ 3) 9
=   0.6495
8/9 8 3
y  40.500
1 1 9
iii. g     1.125
w
g w 8/9 8
Answer 7
(a)
i. A crack in a glass vessel often shines like a mirror.
ii. A diamond sparkles when viewed from certain directions.
iii. Optical fibre is used to transmit a light signal over a long distance with negligible loss
of energy.
(b)
i. Pitch–frequency, Quality–waveform, Loudness–intensity
ii. As the pitcher is filled, the length of the air column decreases continuously, and the
1
frequency of sound increases ( ν α 𝑙 ).

(c) An echo is the sound heard after reflection from a rigid obstacle such as a wall of a
building.
Let A fire the shot,
Time taken by sound to reach B directly is
d 680 m
t1   2 s
v 340 m/s

Time for reflected sound,

t₂ = t₁ + 3 = 2 s +3 s = 5 s
2x
But t 2 
v
vt 340 m/s  5 s
or x= 2   850 m
2 2
Answer 8
(a) Electromotive force of a cell is defined as the maximum potential difference between
the two electrodes of a cell when the cell is in an open circuit.
Resistance along CDE = 10 Ω + 5 Ω = 15 Ω
Since CDE is parallel with 5 Ω resistance in CE
So, combined resistance between C and E is given
15  5  75
R    3.75
15 +5  20
V 6V
Current i1    0.44 A
R 13.75 
Since 15  is parallel to 5 
0.44  5 5
 i3   0.44   0.11 A
15  5 20

(b) A fuse is a short piece of wire made of an alloy of lead and tin to safegaurd the circuit
and the appliances connected with the circuit from being damaged due to short circuit
and overload. The fuse has high resistivity and low melting point. It is always connected
to the live wire in the circuit.

(c)

Speed of rotation of the coil can increase by increasing the

i. Strength of current
ii. Number of turns in the coil
iii. Area of the coil
iv. Strength of the magnetic field
Answer 9
(a) Let the specific heat capacity of paraffin be C.
According to the question,
Heat given out by brass cylinder = Heat received by paraffin
100 g  380 Jg 1 0C1  (100  20) 0C  150 g  C  (20-11)0C
100  380  80 1 0 1
C= Jg C
150  9
3040000
=  2251.85 Jg 1 0C1
1350

(b) Let the specific heat of silver be L.

According to the question,
160 g × L = 16800 J
16800 J
L= = 150 J/ g = 105000 J/ kg
160 g
Heat given out by silver in cooling from 960C to −40C
= 0.160 kg × 230 J/kg C × (−10 − 960)C
= −36,800 J (Here the −ve sign shows that heat is released)

(c)
i. The high specific heat capacity of hydrogen coupled with its high thermal conductivity
renders it a very efficient cooling gas for enclosed electric generators.
ii. Due to high specific latent heat of steam, it releases a large amount of heat energy
during condensation which gets converted to mechanical energy of the train.
Answer 10
(a) α-particle is a doubly ionised helium atom.
Origins of background radiation:
i. Cosmic radiation
ii. Radioactive rocks
iii. Radioactive potassium and carbon in the body
iv. X-rays from television screens

(b)
Nuclear Fission Nuclear Fusion
Neutrons are bombarded on a heavy Two light nuclei combine to form a
nucleus. Due to this, the heavy heavy nucleus at very high
nucleus is split into two nearly equal temperature (~107 K) and very high
light fragments. pressure.
The nuclear fission reaction is The nuclear fusion reaction is
possible at ordinary temperature and possible only at a very high pressure
ordinary pressure. and very high temperature (~107 K).
190 MeV energy is released in one 24.7 MeV energy is released in one
fission reaction. fusion reaction.

(c)