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Saturday, 31 October

JEE Main · Physics · Ray Optics and Optical Instruments

Total Internal Reflection

JEE Main asked Total Internal Reflection 9 times in 9 of the 108 shifts Lumi analysed, in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. It belongs to Refraction and Snell's Law, in Ray Optics and Optical Instruments (Physics). The longest wait between two years asking it was 1 year. In 2020 and 2021 it came in more than one shift of the same year.

Updated 2026-10-24

Times asked
9
in 9 shifts
Years
6 of 8
First asked
2020
last in 2025
Pattern
Asked most years
across the analysed shifts

Questions on this idea a shift, by year

2017–2026. Asked in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Years differ in how many shifts Lumi analysed, so each year is scaled to one shift of 25 Physics questions.

00.10.20’170.17’200.10’210.03’220.07’230.05’240.13’250’26

Raw count: 2017: 0 in 1 shift · 2020: 2 in 12 shifts · 2021: 3 in 24 shifts · 2022: 1 in 24 shifts · 2023: 1 in 12 shifts · 2024: 1 in 18 shifts · 2025: 1 in 8 shifts · 2026: 0 in 9 shifts.

Shift by shift

Each square is one analysed shift, in date order. Open a filled one for that paper.

  • 20260 of 9
  • 20251 of 8
  • 20241 of 18
  • 20231 of 12
  • 20221 of 24
  • 20213 of 24
  • 20202 of 12
  • 20170 of 1

Asked in that shift More than once Not asked

How JEE Main framed it

Single correct is the usual form. Skill tested: multi-step.

  • Maximum incidence angle for total internal reflection
  • Condition for total internal reflection

Difficulty

Easy 3Medium 5Hard 1

Every question was multiple choice.

Every question

All 9 questions

From the official JEE Main shift papers, newest first. Open one for the full question, the options and the official answer.

  1. 7 Apr 2025, Shift 2 · Q42A transparent block A having refractive index μ=1.25\mu=1.25 is surrounded by another medium of refractive index μ=1.0\mu=1.0 as shown in figure.…MediumSingle correctHas a figure
  2. 8 Apr 2024, Shift 1 · Q43Critical angle of incidence for a pair of optical media is 45∘45^\circ. The refractive indices of first and second media are in the ratio:EasySingle correct
  3. 11 Apr 2023, Shift 1 · Q35The critical angle for a denser-rarer interface is 45∘45^\circ. The speed of light in rarer medium is 3×1083 \times 10^8 m/s. The speed of…EasySingle correct
  4. 25 Jun 2022, Shift 1 · Q44A light wave travelling linearly in a medium of dielectric constant 4, incidents on the horizontal interface separating medium with air.…MediumSingle correct
  5. 25 Jul 2021, Shift 2 · Q16A ray of light entering from air into a denser medium of refractive index 43\frac{4}{3}, as shown in figure. The light ray suffers total…MediumDiagram basedHas a figure
  6. 25 Jul 2021, Shift 1 · Q9A ray of laser of a wavelength 630 nm is incident at an angle of 30∘30^\circ at the diamond-air interface. It is going from diamond to air.…EasySingle correct
  7. 22 Jul 2021, Shift 2 · Q3A ray of light passes from a denser medium to a rarer medium at an angle of incidence ii. The reflected and refracted rays make an angle…MediumSingle correctHas a figure
  8. 9 Jan 2020, Shift 2 · Q17There is a small source of light at some depth below the surface of water (refractive index =43= \frac{4}{3}) in a tank of large cross…HardSingle correct
  9. 8 Jan 2020, Shift 1 · Q15The critical angle of a medium for a specific wavelength, if the medium has relative permittivity 3 and relative permeability…MediumSingle correct

Shifts: 8 Jan 2020, Shift 1, 9 Jan 2020, Shift 2, 22 Jul 2021, Shift 2, 25 Jul 2021, Shift 2, 25 Jul 2021, Shift 1, 25 Jun 2022, Shift 1, 11 Apr 2023, Shift 1, 8 Apr 2024, Shift 1, 7 Apr 2025, Shift 2.

Same topic

Other ideas in Refraction and Snell's Law

Refraction and Snell's Law has 18 ideas JEE Main has asked; 8 of them came up in more than one question. The 12 most asked are below.

Topic analysisChapter analysisStudy this chapterAll repeated ideas