Properties of Matter MCQs 2026

Terminal velocity of a small sphere falling through a viscous fluid is reached when

1. Athe sphere stops permanently✓
2. Bviscosity becomes zero✓
3. Cthe net force on the sphere becomes zero and it moves at constant velocity✓
4. Dgravity becomes zero✓

Stokes' law relates the viscous drag force on a small sphere moving through a fluid to its

1. Amass and temperature only✓
2. Bradius, velocity, and the fluid's viscosity✓
3. Csurface tension only✓
4. Ddensity of the sphere only✓

The elastic potential energy stored in a stretched wire is given by

1. Ahalf the product of stress, strain, and volume✓
2. Bmass times gravity times height✓
3. Chalf mass times velocity squared✓
4. Dforce times distance only✓

A substance that shows continuous, slow, permanent deformation under a constant load over a long time is said to undergo

1. Aelastic recovery✓
2. Bfracture✓
3. Cresonance✓
4. Dcreep✓

Repeated cyclic loading and unloading that causes a material to weaken and eventually fail, even below its ultimate stress, is called

1. Acreep✓
2. Bplasticity✓
3. Cfatigue✓
4. Dbuoyancy✓

The point beyond the elastic limit at which a material begins to undergo permanent (plastic) deformation is called the

1. Abreaking point✓
2. Byield point✓
3. Cneutral point✓
4. Dfreezing point✓

The three common states of matter, distinguished by the arrangement and energy of their particles, are

1. Asolid, liquid, and gas✓
2. Bsolid, plasma, and gas only✓
3. Cliquid, vapor, and plasma only✓
4. Dcrystal, amorphous, and liquid✓

In a solid, unlike in a liquid or gas, the particles are

1. Afree to move throughout the container✓
2. Bfar apart and randomly arranged✓
3. Ctightly packed in a fixed, ordered arrangement✓
4. Dable to flow easily✓

An amorphous solid, unlike a crystalline solid, has

1. Aa perfectly ordered atomic lattice✓
2. Ba sharp, fixed melting point✓
3. Cplanes of cleavage✓
4. Dno long-range ordered atomic structure✓

Gases are highly compressible compared to solids and liquids mainly because

1. Agas molecules are heavier✓
2. Bgas molecules have large spaces between them✓
3. Cgas molecules do not move✓
4. Dgases have very high density✓

The shear modulus (modulus of rigidity) of a material relates

1. Ashear stress to shear strain✓
2. Bvolumetric stress to volumetric strain✓
3. Clongitudinal stress to longitudinal strain✓
4. Dpressure to volume only✓

For most materials, the value of Poisson's ratio typically lies between

1. A-10 and 0✓
2. B5 and 10✓
3. C2 and 5✓
4. D0 and 0.5✓

A perfectly rigid body is one that

1. Abreaks under the slightest force✓
2. Bhas zero mass✓
3. Cdoes not undergo any deformation under any applied force✓
4. Dflows like a liquid✓

The instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure is called a

1. Athermometer✓
2. Bhygrometer✓
3. Cbarometer✓
4. Dmanometer✓

Density is defined as

1. Amass per unit volume✓
2. Bweight per unit area✓
3. Cvolume per unit mass✓
4. Dforce per unit area✓

The density of pure water at 4 degrees Celsius is taken as

1. A1 kg/m^3✓
2. B1000 kg/m^3✓
3. C100 kg/m^3✓
4. D10,000 kg/m^3✓

Specific gravity (relative density) of a substance is the ratio of its density to the density of

1. Aair at STP✓
2. Bmercury✓
3. Cany reference liquid at random✓
4. Dwater at 4 degrees Celsius✓

In streamline (laminar) flow of a fluid, the velocity at any given point

1. Achanges randomly with time✓
2. Bis always zero✓
3. Cremains constant over time✓
4. Dreverses direction periodically✓

Turbulent flow is characterized by

1. Asmooth, orderly layers of fluid✓
2. Birregular, chaotic fluid motion with eddies✓
3. Czero velocity throughout✓
4. Dconstant velocity at every point✓

According to Bernoulli's principle, as the speed of a moving fluid increases, its pressure

1. Adecreases✓
2. Bincreases✓
3. Cremains the same✓
4. Dbecomes infinite✓

The Reynolds number is used to predict whether a fluid flow will be

1. Acompressible or incompressible✓
2. Belastic or plastic✓
3. Chot or cold✓
4. Dlaminar or turbulent✓

The ratio of longitudinal stress to longitudinal strain, within the elastic limit, is called

1. Abulk modulus✓
2. Bshear modulus✓
3. CYoung's modulus✓
4. DPoisson's ratio✓

Atmospheric pressure at sea level is approximately

1. A1 pascal✓
2. B100 pascal✓
3. C1013 pascal✓
4. D1.013x10^5 pascal✓

The SI unit of pressure is the

1. Anewton✓
2. Bpascal✓
3. Cjoule✓
4. Dwatt✓

Pressure is defined as

1. Aforce multiplied by area✓
2. Bforce applied per unit area✓
3. Cmass per unit volume✓
4. Denergy per unit time✓

Hydraulic lifts and hydraulic brakes work on the principle of

1. AArchimedes' principle✓
2. BBernoulli's principle✓
3. Csurface tension✓
4. DPascal's law✓

Pascal's law states that pressure applied to an enclosed, incompressible fluid is

1. Aabsorbed entirely by the container walls✓
2. Breduced with distance from the source✓
3. Ctransmitted equally and undiminished in all directions✓
4. Donly transmitted in the direction of the applied force✓

A body floats in a liquid when

1. Athe weight of the body equals the weight of the fluid it displaces✓
2. Bits density is greater than the fluid's density✓
3. Cit has zero volume✓
4. Dthe buoyant force is always greater than its weight regardless of density✓

Archimedes' principle states that a body submerged in a fluid experiences an upward buoyant force equal to

1. Athe weight of the fluid it displaces✓
2. Bits own weight✓
3. Cthe pressure at that depth✓
4. Dthe density of the fluid✓

Mercury does not wet glass because

1. Amercury has no surface tension✓
2. Bmercury is a metal✓
3. Cmercury is denser than glass✓
4. Dthe cohesive force between mercury molecules exceeds its adhesive force with glass✓

Water wets glass because the force of adhesion between water and glass is

1. Aequal to cohesion✓
2. Bzero✓
3. Cgreater than the force of cohesion between water molecules✓
4. Dmuch smaller than cohesion✓

The rise or fall of a liquid in a narrow tube due to surface tension is called

1. Abuoyancy✓
2. Bcapillarity✓
3. Cviscosity✓
4. Ddiffusion✓

The SI unit of surface tension is

1. Apascal✓
2. Bjoule per cubic meter✓
3. Cnewton meter✓
4. Dnewton per meter (N/m)✓

The property due to which the free surface of a liquid behaves like a stretched elastic membrane is called

1. Asurface tension✓
2. Bviscosity✓
3. Ccapillarity✓
4. Dcompressibility✓

As the temperature of a gas increases, its viscosity generally

1. Adecreases✓
2. Bbecomes zero✓
3. Cincreases✓
4. Dremains unchanged✓

As the temperature of a liquid increases, its viscosity generally

1. Aincreases✓
2. Bdecreases✓
3. Cremains unchanged✓
4. Dbecomes infinite✓

The SI unit of the coefficient of viscosity is the

1. Anewton✓
2. Bjoule✓
3. Cwatt✓
4. Dpascal-second (Pa.s)✓

The property of a fluid that measures its resistance to flow is called

1. Aviscosity✓
2. Bdensity✓
3. Csurface tension✓
4. Delasticity✓

Poisson's ratio is defined as the ratio of

1. Astress to strain✓
2. Bvolume to mass✓
3. Clateral strain to longitudinal strain✓
4. Dshear stress to normal stress✓

The reciprocal of the bulk modulus of a substance is called its

1. Aelasticity✓
2. Brigidity✓
3. CPoisson's ratio✓
4. Dcompressibility✓

The bulk modulus of a substance relates

1. Ashear stress to shear strain✓
2. Bvolumetric stress to volumetric strain✓
3. Clongitudinal stress to longitudinal strain✓
4. Dtensile force to elongation only✓

Materials such as copper and gold, which can be drawn into thin wires, are called

1. Aductile✓
2. Bbrittle✓
3. Crigid✓
4. Dfluid✓

Materials such as glass, which break with little or no plastic deformation, are called

1. Aductile✓
2. Bmalleable✓
3. Cbrittle✓
4. Delastic✓

A material that returns exactly to its original shape after the deforming force is removed is called

1. Aplastic✓
2. Bperfectly elastic✓
3. Cductile✓
4. Dbrittle✓

The maximum stress a material can withstand without undergoing permanent deformation is called the

1. Abreaking stress✓
2. Byield point✓
3. Cultimate stress✓
4. Delastic limit✓

The SI unit of the modulus of elasticity is the same as that of

1. Apressure (pascal)✓
2. Bforce✓
3. Cenergy✓
4. Dpower✓

Stress is defined as

1. Athe fractional change in dimension✓
2. Bforce applied per unit area✓
3. Cenergy stored per unit volume✓
4. Dchange in volume per unit pressure✓

Strain is defined as

1. Athe ratio of change in dimension to the original dimension✓
2. Bforce per unit area✓
3. Cenergy per unit mass✓
4. Dmass per unit volume✓

The branch of physics dealing with the deformation of solids under applied forces is called

1. Athermodynamics✓
2. Bfluid mechanics✓
3. Celasticity✓
4. Doptics✓

Hooke's law states that, within the elastic limit,

1. Astress is inversely proportional to strain✓
2. Bstrain is independent of stress✓
3. Cstress equals strain✓
4. Dstress is directly proportional to strain✓