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Science — CBSE Class 10 board question

Q1. [1]
An optical device 'X' is placed obliquely in the path of a narrow parallel beam of light. If the emergent beam gets displaced laterally, the device 'X' is :
  1. (a) plane mirror
  2. (b) convex lens
  3. (c) glass slab
  4. (d) glass prism
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2025 31/4/1 Q11
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 06:50 · grounding rag
Model Answer

(c) glass slab

When light passes obliquely through a glass slab, the emergent ray is parallel to the incident ray but shifted sideways — this sideward shift is called lateral displacement.

Source: Light – Reflection and Refraction, Section 9.3.1

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Explanation

The key phrase is "laterally displaced" — this is the defining property of refraction through a rectangular glass slab. The two parallel faces cause equal and opposite bending, so the ray emerges parallel but shifted. A prism disperses light; a lens converges/diverges it; a plane mirror reflects it. Only a glass slab produces lateral displacement without change in direction.

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