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Refraction and Total Internal Reflection for JEE: 59 solved questions

Real JEE paper questions on refraction and total internal reflection, part of ray optics and optical instruments. Each opens with the options, the correct answer and a step-by-step solution. Papers run from 2002 to 2026. No sign-in needed to read them.

What this topic asks

• Snell's law, slabs and apparent depth — 31 questions
• Total internal reflection and optical fibres — 28 questions

All 59 questions with solutions

• Light ray incident along a vector AO (AO=2î-3ĵ) emerges out along vector OB (OB=Cî-4ĵ) as shown in the fi… JEE Main 8th April 2nd Shift 2026
• The wavelength of light, while it is passing through water is 540 nm. The refractive index of water is 4/3. T… JEE Main 22nd Jan 2nd Shift 2026
• The electric field of an electromagnetic wave travelling through a medium is given by E⃗(x,t)=25 sin (2.0×10¹… JEE Main 28th Jan 1st Shift 2026
• A monochromatic light of frequency 5×10¹⁴ Hz travelling through air, is incident on a medium of refractive in… JEE Main 3rd April 2nd Shift 2025
• Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Ass… JEE Main 7th April 2nd Shift 2025
• What is the lateral shift of a ray refracted through a parallel-sided glass slab of thickness 'h' in terms of… JEE Main 23rd Jan 1st Shift 2025
• A monochromatic light wave with wavelength λ₁ and frequency υ₁ in air enters another medium. If the angle of… JEE Main 6th April 1st Shift 2023
• An ice cube has a bubble inside. When viewed from one side the apparent distance of the bubble is 12 cm. When… JEE Main 12th April 1st Shift 2023
• A vessel of depth 'd' is half filled with oil of refractive index n₁ and the other half is filled with water… JEE Main 13th April 1st Shift 2023
• A microscope is focused on an object at the bottom of a bucket. If liquid with refractive index 5/3 is poured… JEE Main 31st Jan 2nd Shift 2023
• Time taken by light to travel in two different materials A and B of refractive indices μ_A and μ_B of same th… JEE Main 25th July 1st Shift 2022
• Light enters from air into a given medium at an angle of 45° with interface of the air-medium surface. After… JEE Main 29th July 2nd Shift 2022
• The difference of speed of light in the two media A and B, (v_A-v_B) is 2.6×10⁷ m/s. If the refractive index… JEE Main 25th June 1st Shift 2022
• Consider a light travelling in air is incident into a medium of refractive index √2n. The incident angle is t… JEE Main 27th June 1st Shift 2022
• If a wave gets refracted into a denser medium, then which of the following is true? JEE Main 27th June 2nd Shift 2022
• A glass tumbler having inner depth of 17.5 cm is kept on a table. A student starts pouring water (μ=4/3) into… JEE Main 1st Sept 2nd Shift 2021
• A vessel of depth 2h is half filled with a liquid of refractive index 2√2 and the upper half with another liq… JEE Main 9th Jan 1st Shift 2020
• A ray of light AO in vacuum is incident on a glass slab at angle 60° and refracted at angle 30° along OB as s… JEE Main 10th April 1st Shift 2019
• A beaker contains water up to a height h₁ and kerosene of height h₂ above water so that the total height of (… JEE Main 2011 (Re-exam)
• Let the x-y plane be the boundary between two transparent media. Medium 1 in z ≥ 0 has a refractive index of… JEE Main 2011
• A container contains a liquid with refractive index of 1.2 up to a height of 60 cm and another liquid having… JEE Main 7th April 1st Shift 2025
• Two light beams fall on a transparent material block at point 1 and 2 with angle θ₁ and θ₂, respectively, as… JEE Main 29th Jan 1st Shift 2025
• A light ray is incident on a glass slab of thickness 4√3 cm and refractive index √2. The angle of incidence i… JEE Main 4th April 2nd Shift 2024
• Two immiscible liquids of refractive indices 8/5 and 3/2 respectively are put in a beaker as shown in the fig… JEE Main 27th Jan 1st Shift 2024
• A pole is vertically submerged in swimming pool, such that it gives a length of shadow 2.15 m within water wh… JEE Main 6th April 1st Shift 2023
• As shown in the figure, a plane mirror is fixed at a height of 50 cm from the bottom of tank containing water… JEE Main 11th April 2nd Shift 2023
• A fish rising vertically upward with a uniform velocity of 8 m s⁻¹, observes that a bird is diving vertically… JEE Main 13th April 1st Shift 2023
• A ray of light is incident from air on a glass plate having thickness √3 cm and refractive index √2. The angl… JEE Main 25th Jan 1st Shift 2023
• The X-Y plane be taken as the boundary between two transparent media M₁ and M₂. M₁ in Z ≥ 0 has a refractive… JEE Main 29th July 1st Shift 2022
• A ray of light is incident at an angle of incidence 60° on the glass slab of refractive index √3. After refra… JEE Main 24th June 2nd Shift 2022
• An observer can see through a small hole on the side of a jar (radius 15 cm) at a point at height of 15 cm fr… JEE Main 3rd Sept 1st Shift 2020
• Consider light travelling from a medium A to medium B separated by a plane interface. If the light undergoes… JEE Main 23rd Jan 1st Shift 2026
• A transparent block A having refractive index μ=1.25 is surrounded by another medium of refractive index μ=1.… JEE Main 7th April 2nd Shift 2025
• A hemispherical vessel is completely filled with a liquid of refractive index μ. A small coin is kept at the… JEE Main 28th Jan 1st Shift 2025
• Critical angle of incidence for a pair of optical media is 45°. The refractive indices of first and second me… JEE Main 8th April 1st Shift 2024
• The critical angle for a denser-rarer interface is 45°. The speed of light in rarer medium is 3×10⁸ m/s. The… JEE Main 11th April 1st Shift 2023
• Light travels in two media M₁ and M₂ with speeds 1.5×10⁸ m s⁻¹ and 2.0×10⁸ m s⁻¹ respectively. The critical a… JEE Main 26th July 2nd Shift 2022
• A light wave travelling linearly in a medium of dielectric constant 4, incidents on the horizontal interface… JEE Main 25th June 1st Shift 2022
• The speed of light in media 'A' and 'B' are 2.0×10¹⁰ cm/s and 1.5×10¹⁰ cm/s respectively. A ray of light ente… JEE Main 29th June 2nd Shift 2022
• A ray of light passes from a denser medium to a rarer medium at an angle of incidence i. The reflected and re… JEE Main 22nd July 2nd Shift 2021
• A ray of laser of a wavelength 630 nm is incident at an angle of 30° at the diamond-air interface. It is goin… JEE Main 25th July 1st Shift 2021
• A ray of light entering from air into a denser medium of refractive index 4/3, as shown in figure. The light… JEE Main 25th July 2nd Shift 2021
• The critical angle of a medium for a specific wavelength, if the medium has relative permittivity 3 and relat… JEE Main 8th Jan 1st Shift 2020
• There is a small source of light at some depth below the surface of water (refractive index =4/3) in a tank o… JEE Main 9th Jan 2nd Shift 2020
• In figure, the optical fiber is l=2 m long and has a diameter of d=20 μm. If a ray of light is incident on on… JEE Main 8th April 1st Shift 2019
• A transparent cube of side d, made of a material of refractive index μ₂, is immersed in a liquid of refractiv… JEE Main 12th April 2nd Shift 2019
• Let the refractive index of a denser medium with respect to a rarer medium be n₁₂ and its critical angle θ_C.… JEE Main Online 2017
• A green light is incident from the water to the air-water interface at the critical angle (θ). Select the cor… JEE Main 2014
• Light is incident from a medium into air at two possible angles of incidence (a) 20° and (b) 40°. In the medi… JEE Main Online 2013
• A transparent solid cylindrical rod has a refractive index of 2/(√3). It is surrounded by air. A light ray is… JEE Main 2009
• A fish looking up through the water sees the outside world contained in a circular horizon. If the refractive… JEE Main 2005
• A light ray is incident perpendicular to one face of a 90° prism and is totally internally reflected at the g… JEE Main 2004
• Which of the following is used in optical fibres? JEE Main 2002
• In the given figure, the face AC of the equilateral prism is immersed in a liquid of refractive index n. For… JEE Main 26th July 2nd Shift 2022
• A small bulb is placed at the bottom of a tank containing water to a depth of √7 m. The refractive index of w… JEE Main 26th June 2nd Shift 2022
• One side of an equilateral prism is painted by a transparent material of refractive index n₂. The refractive… JEE Main 2nd April 2nd Shift 2026
• Three rays of light, namely red (R), green (G) and blue (B) are incident on the face PQ of a right angled pri… JEE Main 18th March 2nd Shift 2021
• Monochromatic light is incident on a glass prism of angle A. If the refractive index of the material of the p… JEE Main 2015
• A glass prism of refractive index 1.5 is immersed in water (refractive index 4/3) as shown in figure. A light… JEE Main Online 2012