Class 9 Science Chapter 4 MCQs – Describing Motion Around Us are designed to help students understand and practice important concepts related to motion, distance, displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration, graphs, and uniform and non-uniform motion.
These MCQs are useful for Class 9 Science revision, school examinations, NCERT-based practice, and competency-based preparation.
Try to solve the questions yourself before checking the answers.
1. What is meant by motion?
A. Change in mass with time
B. Change in position with time
C. Change in shape with time
D. Change in temperature with time
Answer: B. Change in position with time
2. An object is said to be at rest when its position:
A. Changes continuously with time
B. Does not change with respect to a reference point
C. Changes only once
D. Changes randomly
Answer: B. Does not change with respect to a reference point
3. Which of the following is necessary to describe the motion of an object?
A. Reference point
B. Temperature
C. Mass only
D. Volume only
Answer: A. Reference point
4. A passenger sitting inside a moving bus is at rest with respect to:
A. A person standing on the road
B. A tree beside the road
C. Another passenger sitting in the same bus
D. A traffic signal
Answer: C. Another passenger sitting in the same bus
5. Which of the following is a scalar quantity?
A. Displacement
B. Velocity
C. Speed
D. Acceleration
Answer: C. Speed
6. Which of the following is a vector quantity?
A. Distance
B. Speed
C. Time
D. Displacement
Answer: D. Displacement
7. The total length of the actual path travelled by an object is called:
A. Displacement
B. Distance
C. Velocity
D. Acceleration
Answer: B. Distance
8. The shortest distance between the initial and final positions of an object, along with direction, is called:
A. Speed
B. Distance
C. Displacement
D. Acceleration
Answer: C. Displacement
9. An object travels 10 m east and then 10 m west. What is its displacement?
A. 20 m
B. 10 m
C. 5 m
D. 0 m
Answer: D. 0 m
10. In the above situation, the total distance travelled is:
A. 0 m
B. 10 m
C. 20 m
D. 5 m
Answer: C. 20 m
11. Which statement is always correct?
A. Distance is always less than displacement
B. Distance is always equal to displacement
C. Distance is always greater than or equal to the magnitude of displacement
D. Displacement is always greater than distance
Answer: C. Distance is always greater than or equal to the magnitude of displacement
12. The SI unit of distance is:
A. kilometre
B. metre
C. centimetre
D. second
Answer: B. metre
13. Speed is defined as:
A. Distance × time
B. Distance ÷ time
C. Time ÷ distance
D. Displacement × time
Answer: B. Distance ÷ time
14. The SI unit of speed is:
A. m/s
B. km/h
C. m/s²
D. km/s
Answer: A. m/s
15. A car travels 100 km in 2 hours. Its average speed is:
A. 25 km/h
B. 50 km/h
C. 100 km/h
D. 200 km/h
Answer: B. 50 km/h
16. Average speed is calculated by:
A. Total displacement ÷ total time
B. Total distance ÷ total time
C. Total time ÷ total distance
D. Distance × time
Answer: B. Total distance ÷ total time
17. Velocity is defined as:
A. Distance travelled per unit time
B. Displacement per unit time
C. Time per unit displacement
D. Distance multiplied by time
Answer: B. Displacement per unit time
18. The SI unit of velocity is:
A. m
B. s
C. m/s
D. m/s²
Answer: C. m/s
19. An object moving with constant velocity must have:
A. Constant speed and constant direction
B. Changing speed and constant direction
C. Constant acceleration
D. Changing direction
Answer: A. Constant speed and constant direction
20. What is acceleration?
A. Rate of change of distance
B. Rate of change of displacement
C. Rate of change of velocity
D. Rate of change of time
Answer: C. Rate of change of velocity
21. The SI unit of acceleration is:
A. m/s
B. m/s²
C. km/h
D. m²/s
Answer: B. m/s²
22. If the velocity of an object changes from 10 m/s to 20 m/s in 5 seconds, its acceleration is:
A. 1 m/s²
B. 2 m/s²
C. 5 m/s²
D. 10 m/s²
Answer: B. 2 m/s²
23. An object moving with uniform motion covers:
A. Equal distances in equal intervals of time
B. Unequal distances in equal intervals of time
C. Equal distances in unequal intervals of time
D. No distance at all
Answer: A. Equal distances in equal intervals of time
24. Which of the following represents non-uniform motion?
A. A car travelling at constant speed on a straight road
B. A train covering equal distances in equal intervals of time
C. A car whose speed keeps changing
D. A stationary object
Answer: C. A car whose speed keeps changing
25. A body moving in a circular path at constant speed has:
A. Constant velocity
B. Changing velocity
C. Zero velocity
D. Zero speed
Answer: B. Changing velocity
26. Why does the velocity of an object moving in a circular path change even when its speed is constant?
A. Its mass changes
B. Its direction of motion changes
C. Its time changes
D. Its distance becomes zero
Answer: B. Its direction of motion changes
27. The slope of a distance-time graph represents:
A. Acceleration
B. Velocity
C. Speed
D. Displacement
Answer: C. Speed
28. A horizontal line on a distance-time graph indicates that the object is:
A. Moving with increasing speed
B. Moving with decreasing speed
C. At rest
D. Accelerating
Answer: C. At rest
29. A straight-line distance-time graph with a constant slope represents:
A. Uniform speed
B. Zero speed
C. Changing speed
D. Random motion
Answer: A. Uniform speed
30. The slope of a velocity-time graph represents:
A. Distance
B. Displacement
C. Acceleration
D. Speed
Answer: C. Acceleration
31. A student walks 5 m east and then 3 m west. What is the distance travelled?
A. 2 m
B. 3 m
C. 5 m
D. 8 m
Answer: D. 8 m
32. In the situation above, what is the magnitude of the student’s displacement?
A. 2 m
B. 3 m
C. 5 m
D. 8 m
Answer: A. 2 m
33. A car travels 150 km in 3 hours. What is its average speed?
A. 30 km/h
B. 40 km/h
C. 50 km/h
D. 60 km/h
Answer: C. 50 km/h
34. A cyclist travels 20 km in the first hour and 30 km in the second hour. What is the average speed for the journey?
A. 20 km/h
B. 25 km/h
C. 30 km/h
D. 50 km/h
Answer: B. 25 km/h
35. A car travels at a speed of 20 m/s for 10 seconds. How much distance does it cover?
A. 20 m
B. 100 m
C. 200 m
D. 400 m
Answer: C. 200 m
36. A runner covers 400 m in 50 seconds. What is the runner’s average speed?
A. 4 m/s
B. 8 m/s
C. 10 m/s
D. 20 m/s
Answer: B. 8 m/s
37. A train increases its velocity from 10 m/s to 30 m/s in 5 seconds. What is its acceleration?
A. 2 m/s²
B. 4 m/s²
C. 5 m/s²
D. 8 m/s²
Answer: B. 4 m/s²
38. A car moving at 25 m/s comes to rest in 5 seconds. Its acceleration is:
A. +5 m/s²
B. +10 m/s²
C. −5 m/s²
D. −10 m/s²
Answer: C. −5 m/s²
39. Negative acceleration is also commonly called:
A. Speed
B. Retardation or deceleration
C. Displacement
D. Uniform velocity
Answer: B. Retardation or deceleration
40. A body starts from rest and reaches a velocity of 20 m/s in 4 seconds. Its acceleration is:
A. 2 m/s²
B. 4 m/s²
C. 5 m/s²
D. 8 m/s²
Answer: C. 5 m/s²
41. If an object has zero acceleration, its velocity:
A. Must be zero
B. Must be increasing
C. Must be decreasing
D. Remains constant
Answer: D. Remains constant
42. A body is moving with uniform velocity. Which statement is correct?
A. Its speed and direction remain constant
B. Its speed changes continuously
C. Its direction changes continuously
D. Its acceleration increases continuously
Answer: A. Its speed and direction remain constant
43. A velocity-time graph parallel to the time axis represents:
A. Uniform velocity
B. Uniform acceleration
C. Increasing velocity
D. Decreasing velocity
Answer: A. Uniform velocity
44. A velocity-time graph with a straight line having a positive slope represents:
A. Uniform acceleration
B. Zero acceleration
C. Uniform retardation
D. Zero velocity
Answer: A. Uniform acceleration
45. A velocity-time graph with a negative slope represents:
A. Increasing velocity
B. Uniform acceleration in the positive direction
C. Retardation
D. Zero motion
Answer: C. Retardation
46. The area under a velocity-time graph represents:
A. Speed
B. Acceleration
C. Displacement
D. Time
Answer: C. Displacement
47. A body moves with a velocity of 10 m/s for 5 seconds. What is its displacement?
A. 2 m
B. 15 m
C. 50 m
D. 100 m
Answer: C. 50 m
48. A car travels 60 km in the first hour and 40 km in the second hour. What is its average speed?
A. 40 km/h
B. 50 km/h
C. 60 km/h
D. 100 km/h
Answer: B. 50 km/h
49. A person completes one complete round of a circular track and returns to the starting point. The displacement is:
A. Equal to the circumference
B. Equal to the radius
C. Zero
D. Equal to the diameter
Answer: C. Zero
50. Which statement about distance and displacement is correct?
A. Distance can be zero while displacement is non-zero
B. Distance is always less than displacement
C. Displacement can be zero even when distance travelled is non-zero
D. Distance and displacement are always equal
Answer: C. Displacement can be zero even when distance travelled is non-zero