The NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science book for Chapter 9, Light - Reflection and Refraction, gives you higher-order questions beyond the textbook. This page hosts the free NCERT Exemplar PDF, plus a quick guide on what is inside and how to use it for your CBSE board exam 2026-27.

  • What you get: the full official NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9 PDF, free to download or read on this page.
  • Question types: MCQs, short answer, and long answer questions on spherical mirrors, the mirror and lens formulae, refractive index, and ray diagrams.
  • Best for: CBSE board exam 2026-27 practice plus school FA/SA tests and Olympiad prep.

You can read or download the complete NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9 PDF above. The book is published by NCERT and mapped to the 2026-27 syllabus.

NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9 Light Reflection and Refraction

What is the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Book?

The NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science is an extra problem book published by NCERT, separate from your textbook. It carries tougher questions on the same chapters. For Chapter 9, it tests how well you understand light, reflection, and refraction through spherical mirrors, the mirror formula, magnification, refractive index, lenses, and ray diagrams.

  • Made by NCERT: the level matches your CBSE Class 10 syllabus.
  • Higher-order thinking: questions give you a ray diagram, an image size, or a focal length and ask you to reason.
  • Free and official: the full PDF here is the real NCERT book, nothing added or removed.

Light - Reflection and Refraction Class 10 Science Full Chapter Video

Source: Magnet Brains on YouTube

What is Inside Chapter 9 of the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science

Chapter 9 of the Exemplar, Light - Reflection and Refraction, opens with multiple choice questions, then moves to short and long answer questions. Many are built around a ray diagram or a numerical on the mirror and lens formula, so you keep applying the mirror formula 1v + 1u = 1f with the correct sign convention. The table below shows the layout.

SectionWhat it testsSample idea from Chapter 9
Multiple Choice QuestionsQuick concept checks with one correct optionFocal length of a concave mirror from object and image sizes
Short Answer QuestionsTwo to three line answers with a reasonWhy a pencil in water looks bent at the surface
Long Answer QuestionsFull answers with labelled ray diagramsImage formation by a concave mirror for all object positions

Across these sections you meet the big ideas: laws of reflection, spherical mirrors, the mirror formula, magnification, refraction, Snell's law, refractive index, lenses, the lens formula, and the power of a lens. Many questions also test the sign convention, the glass slab, and dioptre, all CBSE favourites.

Question types in the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9 Light Reflection and Refraction

Question Types in the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9

Knowing the question types helps you plan your practice. The Exemplar uses a few clear formats, and each trains a different skill you need for the CBSE board exam 2026-27.

  • Single-correct MCQs: one option is right, such as the magnification of a rear-view mirror.
  • Diagram-based MCQs: you read a ray diagram and pick the correct path through a glass slab or concave mirror.
  • Numerical MCQs: you compute a value, such as the focal length of a concave mirror or the refractive index of a medium.
  • Reasoning MCQs: you decide a condition, such as when a concave mirror forms an enlarged image.
  • Short answer (SA): you write two to three lines with a reason, such as how refractive index links to the speed of light.
  • Long answer (LA): you draw labelled ray diagrams, such as image formation by a concave mirror for every object position.
Quick Tip: For any numerical, write the sign convention first: distances measured against the incident light are negative. Fixing signs before you plug into the formula catches most wrong choices.

Why Solve the NCERT Exemplar for Chapter 9 Light - Reflection and Refraction

The textbook teaches the chapter; the Exemplar tests whether you can use it. Solving it for Light - Reflection and Refraction is one of the surest ways to lift your Science score.

  • You apply the formulae cleanly. Knowing when a concave mirror gives a real, enlarged image and when it gives a virtual, magnified one is the single most-tested idea here.
  • You master ray diagrams. Image formation by mirrors and lenses appears often, so neat labelled diagrams pay off in the exam.
  • You handle refraction with confidence. Snell's law, refractive index, and the speed of light in a medium are CBSE favourites.
  • You meet real-life examples. Rear-view mirrors, a torch bulb, and a pencil bent in water all appear.

For full worked answers, use the linked NCERT Exemplar Solutions page for this chapter.

How to use the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9 Light Reflection and Refraction PDF

How to Use the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9 PDF

The Exemplar works best as a practice book. A simple three-step routine keeps your study focused before the board exam 2026-27.

  • Step 1, learn first. Finish the chapter in your textbook and the Notes page so you know the formulae, refractive index, and the power of a lens.
  • Step 2, attempt on your own. Try the MCQs first, then short and long answers. Draw every ray diagram by hand.
  • Step 3, check and fix. Open the Exemplar Solutions page, mark every wrong question, and redo it the next day.
Remember: Always draw at least two standard rays for any image question: one parallel to the principal axis and one through the focus or centre. A neat ray diagram can carry full marks on a long answer.

Topics Covered in NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9

Every question in this Exemplar chapter sits on a small set of core ideas. If you are clear on the points below, you can attempt the whole chapter. It also doubles as a quick revision checklist for 2026-27.

TopicWhat you must know
Laws of reflectionThat the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, and the rule holds for all mirrors whatever their shape
Spherical mirrorsThe pole, centre of curvature, focus, and focal length of concave and convex mirrors, and how image type changes with object position
Mirror formula and magnificationUsing 1v + 1u = 1f and m = -vu = hiho with the New Cartesian sign convention
Refraction of lightWhy light bends when it passes from one medium to another, and when it bends towards or away from the normal
Snell's law and refractive indexThat n = sin isin r and that refractive index relates to the speed of light in the two media
Refraction through a glass slabWhy a ray entering a rectangular glass slab emerges parallel to itself, shifted sideways
Spherical lensesImage formation by convex and concave lenses for all object positions, drawn with standard rays
Lens formula and powerUsing 1v - 1u = 1f and the power P = 1f (in m) measured in dioptres

Master these eight ideas and you can answer almost every Chapter 9 Exemplar question.

Student Feedback

In a Collegedunia poll of 1,180 Class 10 students, 81% said the NCERT Exemplar was the single most useful book for scoring above 90 in Science. Most found Light - Reflection and Refraction to be the chapter where the Exemplar cleared up the most confusion between the sign convention and ray diagrams.

Source: Collegedunia Class 10 Science student poll, 2026.

Other Resources for Class 10 Science Chapter 9

The Exemplar is one piece of your prep. Use the table below for the other free Collegedunia resources for this chapter.

ResourceOpen
NCERT SolutionsChapter 9 NCERT Solutions
Revision NotesChapter 9 Notes
Formula SheetChapter 9 Formula Sheet
Handwritten NotesChapter 9 Handwritten Notes
Exemplar SolutionsChapter 9 Exemplar Solutions
NCERT Book PDFChapter 9 NCERT Book PDF
Exemplar Book PDFChapter 9 Exemplar Book PDF

NCERT Exemplar Book Class 10 Science: All Chapters

Use the table below to download the NCERT Exemplar PDF for any other chapter in the Class 10 Science book for the 2026-27 session.

NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9 FAQs

Ques. Where can I download the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9 PDF?

Ans. You can download the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9 Light - Reflection and Refraction PDF for free from the download card at the top of this page. It is the official NCERT book, mapped to the 2026-27 syllabus.

Ques. Is the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science enough for the board exam?

Ans. The Exemplar is excellent extra practice, but it is not a full replacement for the textbook. Finish your NCERT textbook and Notes first, then solve the Exemplar for higher-order questions. Together they cover the full CBSE Class 10 Science board pattern for 2026-27.

Ques. What types of questions are in Chapter 9 of the NCERT Exemplar?

Ans. Chapter 9 of the Exemplar has multiple choice questions (including diagram and numerical based), short answer questions, and long answer questions. They cover the laws of reflection, spherical mirrors, the mirror formula, magnification, refraction, refractive index, lenses, the lens formula, and the power of a lens.

Ques. How is the NCERT Exemplar different from the NCERT textbook?

Ans. Both are made by NCERT. The textbook teaches the chapter, while the Exemplar gives tougher, reasoning-based questions to test how well you understand it. Many CBSE board and school test questions follow the Exemplar style.

Ques. Where can I find solutions to the Chapter 9 Exemplar questions?

Ans. Full step-by-step answers to every question are on the NCERT Exemplar Solutions page for Class 10 Science Chapter 9. Try the questions on your own first, then check your answers there.

Ques. Which topics from Chapter 9 are most important for the Exemplar?

Ans. The most tested topics are image formation by concave and convex mirrors, the mirror formula with the sign convention, magnification, refraction and Snell's law, the refractive index linked to the speed of light, ray diagrams for lenses, and the power of a lens in dioptres.

Ques. Is the NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9 PDF free?

Ans. Yes. The full NCERT Exemplar Class 10 Science Chapter 9 PDF on this page is free to read and download. No sign-up is needed.