MERIDIAN SCHOOL – BANJARA HILLS

Science Worksheet – Answer Key

Class: VII | Subject: Science | Topic: Light

I. Give One Word for the Following

1. Light bouncing back from a surface – Reflection
2. A curved mirror whose reflecting surface is on the inside – Concave Mirror
3. A spherical mirror with the reflecting surface on the outside – Convex Mirror
4. A lens that is thick in the middle and thinner at the edges – Convex Lens
5. A lens that is thin in the middle and thicker at the edges – Concave Lens
6. A triangular piece of glass that can produce a spectrum – Prism
7. The centre of the mirror – Pole

II. Choose the Most Appropriate Answer

1. A real image
Answer: (b) is always inverted
2. Which mirror always forms a virtual diminished image?
Answer: (b) Convex mirror
3. A magnifying glass is a
Answer: (a) Convex lens
4. The scientist who showed that ordinary white light is made up of seven colours is
Answer: (a) Sir Isaac Newton
5. The angle between the incident ray and the normal is called
Answer: (c) Angle of incidence

III. Answer the Following Questions

1. What do you mean by an incident ray?
An incident ray is the ray of light that falls on a reflecting or refracting surface before being
reflected or refracted.

2. Define the following:

a. Focal length – The distance between the pole (centre) of a mirror or lens and its principal
focus.
b. Lens – A transparent curved piece of glass or other material that refracts light rays to either
converge or diverge them.
c. Virtual image – An image that cannot be obtained on a screen; it is formed when reflected or
refracted rays appear to meet behind the mirror or lens.
d. Diverge – To spread out or move away from a common point (e.g., a concave lens diverges
light rays).

3. Sunlight consists of light of only one colour. Do you agree? Give reason.
No, this is incorrect. Sunlight (white light) is composed of seven colours — Violet, Indigo, Blue,
Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red (VIBGYOR). Sir Isaac Newton demonstrated this by passing
 sunlight through a glass prism, which split it into its seven constituent colours, forming a spectrum.

4. Sameer focused light from a laser torch onto a prism. Will he be able to observe a band of
seven colours? Explain. (HOTS)
No, he will not observe a band of seven colours. A laser torch emits monochromatic light (light of
only a single wavelength/colour). Since it is not white light, the prism cannot split it into a spectrum
of seven colours. Only white light, which is a mixture of seven colours, undergoes dispersion when
passed through a prism.

5. A shopkeeper wanted to fix a mirror to give the maximum view of his shop. What type of
mirror should he use? Give reasons.
The shopkeeper should use a convex mirror. A convex mirror diverges reflected light rays and
has a very wide field of view, allowing a large area to be seen in one glance. It always forms a
virtual, erect, and diminished image of a large area. This is why convex mirrors are commonly
used as security/surveillance mirrors in shops and at road bends.

6. What type of mirror does the inner surface and outer surface of a spoon act as?
Inner surface of a spoon → acts as a Concave mirror
Outer surface of a spoon → acts as a Convex mirror

7. How is the rainbow formed?

A rainbow is formed due to the dispersion of sunlight by tiny water droplets suspended in the
atmosphere after rain. When sunlight enters a water droplet, it is refracted (bent), undergoes total
internal reflection inside the droplet, and is refracted again as it exits. This splits white sunlight into
its seven constituent colours (VIBGYOR), forming a colourful arc in the sky. The observer must
have the sun behind them to see a rainbow.

8. Why is a concave mirror better than a plane mirror for getting maximum heat in a solar
cooker? (HOTS)
A concave mirror converges (focuses) all the parallel rays of sunlight at its focal point, producing
intense, concentrated heat at one spot. A plane mirror only reflects light without converging it, so
the heat is spread over a larger area and is not concentrated. Therefore, a concave mirror is far
more effective as a reflector in a solar cooker for cooking food.
9. Two different types of lenses are placed on a sheet of newspaper. How will you identify
them without touching? (HOTS)
Hold each lens above the newspaper text and observe the letters through it:
• A convex lens (thicker in the middle) magnifies the letters — they appear larger and clearer.
• A concave lens (thinner in the middle) makes the letters appear smaller and diminished.
This way, the two lenses can be identified without touching them.

10. What is the nature of an image formed by a plane mirror?

The image formed by a plane mirror is:
• Virtual (cannot be obtained on a screen)
• Erect (upright, same orientation as the object)
• Laterally inverted (left and right are swapped)
• Of the same size as the object
• Formed as far behind the mirror as the object is in front of it

IV. Fill in the Blanks

1. An image that cannot be obtained on a screen is called → a virtual image
2. Image formed by a convex ________ is always virtual and smaller in size. → mirror
3. An image formed by a ________ mirror is always of the same size as that of the object. → plane
4. An image which can be obtained on a screen is called a ________ image. → real

V. Think and Answer

1. Why shouldn't sunlight be focused with a convex lens on any part of the body?
A convex lens converges sunlight to a very sharp, intense focal point that generates extreme heat.
This concentrated heat can cause severe burns or fire on any body part or flammable material.
Therefore, sunlight should never be focused with a convex lens on the body.

2. Why is the word AMBULANCE written in inverted form on an ambulance vehicle?

The word AMBULANCE is written in mirror-reversed (inverted) form on the front of the vehicle so
that when a driver looks in their rear-view mirror, they can read the word correctly and immediately
as 'AMBULANCE'. A mirror laterally inverts images, so the inverted text appears normal in the
mirror, allowing drivers to quickly identify the emergency vehicle and give way.

3. Why is a concave lens called a diverging lens and a convex lens called a converging lens?
A concave lens is thinner in the middle and causes parallel light rays to spread out (diverge) after
passing through it — hence it is called a diverging lens. A convex lens is thicker in the middle
and bends parallel light rays inward so they meet (converge) at the focal point — hence it is called
a converging lens.

4. Explain an activity to show that light travels along a straight path.

Take three cardboard pieces (A, B, C) each with a small hole in the centre. Arrange them in a
straight line with equal spacing, placing a lighted candle in front of card A. Look through the hole of
card C — you can see the candle flame clearly. Now, slightly displace card B sideways. The flame
can no longer be seen, proving that light travels only in a straight line (rectilinear propagation).

5. Why are we not able to see the candle flame through a bent pipe?
Light travels in straight lines (rectilinear propagation). When a pipe is bent, the light rays from the
candle flame cannot travel along the curved path of the bent pipe, so they are blocked. As a result,
the candle flame cannot be seen through a bent pipe.

VI. Label the Diagram and Write the First Law of Reflection
Labels in the diagram: N = Normal, A = Incident Ray, B = Reflected Ray, O = Point of incidence,
P–P'' = Reflecting surface (mirror).
First Law of Reflection: The angle of incidence (the angle between the incident ray and the
normal) is always equal to the angle of reflection (the angle between the reflected ray and the
normal). Both the incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal lie in the same plane.

VII. Assertion and Reason

1. Assertion: The white light of the sun is composed of seven colours.
Reason: When white light passes through a glass prism, it splits into seven colours.
Answer: (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Both statements are true. The reason correctly explains why white light has seven colours — a
prism disperses white light into VIBGYOR, proving it is a mixture of seven colours.
2. Assertion: Concave mirrors are used as shaving mirrors.
Reason: They form an enlarged, upright image when the object is close to the mirror.
Answer: (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Both statements are true. A concave mirror forms a magnified, erect (virtual) image when the
object is placed between the pole and the focus, making it ideal for shaving and makeup mirrors.

VIII. Olympiad Questions

1. What happens during lateral inversion?
(a) The right side of the object will be on the right side of the image. Answer: (b) The left side of the
object will be on the right side of the image. During lateral inversion, the left and right sides are
swapped in the mirror image.

2. A reflecting surface is curved outward. Which mirror is it likely to be?

(c) Convex mirror — A convex mirror has its reflecting surface curved outward.

3. How many letters in the English alphabet have the image formed in a plane mirror exactly
like the letter itself?
(c) 11 — The letters that look the same in a mirror are: A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, Y (symmetric
letters).

4. A rainbow can be seen in the sky —

(b) when the sun is behind us — A rainbow is seen when sunlight falls on water droplets with the
sun behind the observer.

5. John and Tom were given one mirror each. Tom's image was erect and same size; John's
image was erect and smaller. The mirrors of John and Tom are, respectively —
(c) plane mirror and convex mirror — A plane mirror gives an erect, same-sized image; a convex
mirror gives an erect, diminished image.

IX. Case Based Questions

Case I: A dentist uses a small curved mirror to look at the back of a patient's teeth. The image
formed appears larger and upright.
a. What type of mirror is the dentist using?
A concave mirror.

b. What type of image does it form?

A virtual, erect, and magnified image (when the object is between the focus and the pole).

c. For which other purpose is this mirror used?

Concave mirrors are also used as shaving/makeup mirrors, in torches and headlights, in solar
furnaces, and by ENT doctors to examine ears and throats.

d. How is this mirror different from the mirror used in vehicles?

The dentist's concave mirror forms a magnified, erect, virtual image and is used for close
examination. The mirror used in vehicles (rear-view mirror) is a convex mirror, which forms a
virtual, erect, and diminished image, giving a wider field of view to help the driver see traffic
behind.

Case II: During a light rain, Aarav saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky just after the sun
appeared. He wondered why he could see different colours in an arc form.
a. What is a spectrum?
 A spectrum is the band of seven colours (VIBGYOR — Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow,
Orange, Red) obtained when white light is dispersed by a prism or water droplets.

b. The ordinary white light is made up of how many colours?

White light is made up of seven colours.

c. Name the seven colours of the rainbow in correct order.

Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red — remembered as VIBGYOR.

d. Name the scientist who showed that a prism can produce a spectrum.
Sir Isaac Newton demonstrated that a glass prism splits white light into a spectrum of seven
colours.

— End of Answer Key —