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Motion in 1 Dimension — NEET Physics MCQs with Solutions
Free NEET Physics Motion in 1 Dimension MCQs with step-by-step solutions covering Distance, Displacement, Speed, Velocity, Acceleration, Motion Under Gravity. Practise online on Prepizo — no login needed.
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Sample questions with solutions
Q1 — Distance · easy · theory
Distance is a
A. Unit vector
B. Dimensionless quantity
C. Vector quantity
D. Scalar quantity ✓ Correct
Solution: Distance (path length) has magnitude only — it is a scalar.
Q2 — Distance · easy · theory
A particle completes one full lap of a circular track of radius $r$. The distance travelled is
A. Zero
B. $2\pi r$ ✓ Correct
C. $\pi r$
D. $2r$
Solution: The path length of one full circle is its circumference, $2\pi r$.
Q3 — Distance · easy · theory
A particle covers half a lap of a circular track of radius $7$ m. The distance travelled is (take $\pi = \frac{22}{7}$)
A. $7$ m
B. $22$ m ✓ Correct
C. $14$ m
D. $44$ m
Solution: Half the circumference $= \pi r = \frac{22}{7}\times 7 = 22$ m.
Q4 — Distance · easy · theory
The odometer of a car measures
A. Distance travelled ✓ Correct
B. Instantaneous velocity
C. Displacement
D. Average velocity
Solution: The odometer adds up the path length — total distance, regardless of direction.
Q5 — Distance · easy · theory
A person walks $3$ m east and then $4$ m north. The total distance covered is
A. $5$ m
B. $7$ m ✓ Correct
C. $1$ m
D. $12$ m
Solution: Distance adds the path lengths: $3 + 4 = 7$ m. (The displacement would be $5$ m.)
Q6 — Distance · easy · theory
The distance travelled by a particle can be
A. Negative
B. Zero while the particle keeps moving
C. Never negative ✓ Correct
D. Less than the magnitude of its displacement
Solution: Path length only accumulates — it can never decrease or be negative.
Q7 — Distance · easy · numerical
A car goes $40$ km forward and then $20$ km back towards the start. The total distance travelled is
A. $60$ km ✓ Correct
B. $30$ km
C. $20$ km
D. $40$ km
Solution: Distance $= 40 + 20 = 60$ km (the displacement would be $20$ km).
Q8 — Distance · easy · theory
A particle moves along the x-axis from $x = 2$ m to $x = 7$ m, then back to $x = 3$ m. The total distance travelled is
A. $1$ m
B. $5$ m
C. $4$ m
D. $9$ m ✓ Correct
Solution: Forward $5$ m, then back $4$ m: distance $= 5 + 4 = 9$ m.
Q9 — Distance · easy · theory
A body moves with uniform speed $v$ for time $t$. The distance covered is
A. $\frac{1}{2}vt$
B. $vt$ ✓ Correct
C. $vt^2$
D. $\frac{v}{t}$
Solution: For uniform speed, distance $=$ speed $\times$ time $= vt$.
Q10 — Distance · easy · theory
A ball is dropped from $20$ m, bounces, and is caught when it reaches $5$ m height. The total distance travelled is
A. $15$ m
B. $25$ m ✓ Correct
C. $20$ m
D. $5$ m
Solution: Down $20$ m plus up $5$ m: total path $= 25$ m.
Q11 — Distance · easy · theory
The area under a speed–time graph gives
A. Distance travelled ✓ Correct
B. Acceleration
C. Average speed
D. Displacement (with sign)
Solution: Speed is never negative, so the area under speed–time accumulates the total path length.
Q12 — Distance · easy · numerical
A man walks $8$ km north and then $6$ km south. The distance travelled is
A. $14$ km ✓ Correct
B. $8$ km
C. $2$ km
D. $10$ km
Solution: Path length adds: $8 + 6 = 14$ km. (Displacement is only $2$ km north.)
Q13 — Distance · easy · theory
As time passes, the distance travelled by a moving particle
A. Can decrease if it turns back
B. Can become zero again
C. Oscillates for oscillatory motion
D. Can never decrease ✓ Correct
Solution: Path length keeps accumulating — turning back adds more distance, never removes it.
Q14 — Distance · easy · theory
The SI unit of distance is
A. centimetre
B. mile
C. kilometre
D. metre ✓ Correct
Solution: The SI base unit of length is the metre (m).
Q15 — Distance · easy · numerical
An athlete completes $5$ laps of a $400$ m track. The distance covered is
A. Zero
B. $4$ km
C. $2$ km ✓ Correct
D. $400$ m
Solution: $5 \times 400 = 2000$ m $= 2$ km. (Displacement per complete lap is zero.)
Q16 — Distance · easy · theory
A particle moves at a constant speed of $5$ m/s for $10$ s. The distance covered is
A. $5$ m
B. $2$ m
C. $50$ m ✓ Correct
D. $15$ m
Solution: Distance $= 5 \times 10 = 50$ m.
Q17 — Distance · easy · numerical
A person walks $3$ km north, $4$ km east and then $3$ km south. The total distance is
A. $4$ km
B. $6$ km
C. $5$ km
D. $10$ km ✓ Correct
Solution: Distance adds all legs: $3+4+3 = 10$ km. (Displacement is $4$ km east.)
Q18 — Distance · easy · theory
A light year is a unit of
A. Speed
B. Time
C. Intensity of light
D. Distance ✓ Correct
Solution: A light year is the distance light travels in one year ($\approx 9.46\times10^{15}$ m).
Q19 — Distance · easy · numerical
Two towns are $60$ km apart. A bus goes from one to the other and returns. The distance covered is
A. $60$ km
B. $30$ km
C. $120$ km ✓ Correct
D. Zero
Solution: Round trip: $60 + 60 = 120$ km, while displacement is zero.
Q20 — Distance · easy · theory
A particle moves as $x = t^2$ (metres, seconds) from $t=0$ to $t=3$ s. The distance travelled is
A. $27$ m
B. $3$ m
C. $9$ m ✓ Correct
D. $6$ m
Solution: $v = 2t \geq 0$ throughout (no reversal), so distance $= x(3) - x(0) = 9$ m.
Q21 — Distance · easy · theory
The dimensional formula of distance is
A. $[L]$ ✓ Correct
B. $[LT^{-2}]$
C. $[LT^{-1}]$
D. $[ML]$
Solution: Distance is a length: dimension $[L]$.
Q22 — Displacement · easy · theory
Displacement is a
A. Always positive quantity
B. Vector quantity ✓ Correct
C. Scalar quantity
D. Dimensionless quantity
Solution: Displacement has both magnitude and direction — the vector from initial to final position.
Q23 — Displacement · easy · theory
A particle moves along half a circle of radius $r$. The magnitude of its displacement is
A. $2r$ ✓ Correct
B. $\pi r$
C. $r$
D. Zero
Solution: Start and end are at opposite ends of a diameter: displacement $= 2r$.
Q24 — Displacement · easy · theory
In one-dimensional motion, displacement
A. Can never be zero
B. Is always positive
C. Is always equal to distance
D. Can be positive, negative or zero ✓ Correct
Solution: The sign shows direction along the chosen axis; returning to start makes it zero.
Q25 — Displacement · easy · theory
A body completes a round trip and returns to its start. Its displacement is
A. Zero ✓ Correct
B. Twice the one-way distance
C. Equal to the total path
D. Negative
Solution: Same start and end point $\Rightarrow$ zero displacement.
Q26 — Displacement · easy · theory
A particle moves from $x = +5$ m to $x = -3$ m. Its displacement is
A. $+2$ m
B. $-2$ m
C. $-8$ m ✓ Correct
D. $+8$ m
Solution: $\Delta x = x_f - x_i = -3 - 5 = -8$ m (8 m in the negative direction).
Q27 — Displacement · easy · theory
The displacement between two given points
A. Is undefined for curved paths
B. Is the same for every path taken ✓ Correct
C. Equals the longest path
D. Depends on the path
Solution: Displacement depends only on the endpoints, not on the route between them.
Q28 — Displacement · easy · theory
A man walks $8$ km north and then $6$ km south. His displacement is
A. $14$ km
B. $2$ km north ✓ Correct
C. $10$ km
D. $2$ km south
Solution: Net position change: $8 - 6 = 2$ km towards the north.
Q29 — Displacement · easy · theory
The SI unit of displacement is
A. metre/second
B. newton
C. kilometre
D. metre ✓ Correct
Solution: Displacement is a length — measured in metres, with a direction attached.
Q30 — Displacement · easy · theory
After every complete lap on any closed track, the displacement of a runner is
A. The track length
B. Zero ✓ Correct
C. Doubles each lap
D. The track diameter
Solution: Each complete lap returns the runner to the same point, resetting displacement to zero.