Basic Level MCQs on Distance and Displacement with Answers
1) Which of the following is always a scalar quantity?
a) Distance b) Displacement c) Velocity d) Acceleration
Answer: a
2) If a car travels 100 m east and then 100 m west, the displacement is:
a) 0 m b) 100 m c) 200 m d) 50 m
Answer: a
3) A person walks 3 km north, then 4 km east. The distance travelled is:
a) 5 km b) 7 km c) 1 km d) 12 km
Answer: b
4) The shortest distance between initial and final position of a moving object is called:
a) Distance b) Path length c) Displacement d) Speed
Answer: c
5) A jogger runs a round trip around a circular track of 400 m length. The displacement after one
round is:
a) 0 m b) 400 m c) 200 m d) 800 m
Answer: a
6) Which of the following quantities has both magnitude and direction?
a) Distance b) Speed c) Displacement d) Mass
Answer: c
7) A man walks 6 m east and then 8 m north. His displacement is:
a) 14 m b) 10 m c) 2 m d) 48 m
Answer: b
8) The path length covered by a moving object is called:
a) Distance b) Displacement c) Velocity d) Time
Answer: a
9) Which of the following is not a vector quantity?
a) Displacement b) Distance c) Velocity d) Force
Answer: b
10) An object moves in a straight line 5 m forward and then 5 m backward. The displacement is:
a) 0 m b) 5 m c) 10 m d) 2.5 m
Answer: a
11) If the displacement of a moving body is zero, the distance covered:
a) Must be zero b) Must be non-zero c) May or may not be zero d) None
Answer: c
12) Displacement can be equal to distance when:
a) Path is curved b) Motion is zig-zag c) Motion is along straight line in one direction d) Object
is at rest
Answer: c
13) SI unit of displacement is:
a) m/s b) m c) km/h d) s
Answer: b
14) A boy runs 60 m north, then 80 m south. His displacement is:
a) 20 m south b) 20 m north c) 140 m d) 0 m
Answer: a
15) Which is always positive?
a) Displacement b) Distance c) Velocity d) Acceleration
Answer: b
16) The distance covered by an object in a given time divided by time is:
a) Average speed b) Displacement c) Average velocity d) Instantaneous speed
Answer: a
17) A car moves 30 km east and then 40 km north. Its displacement is:
a) 70 km b) 50 km c) 10 km d) 100 km
Answer: b
18) When an object returns to its starting point, its displacement is:
a) Equal to distance b) Zero c) Maximum d) Minimum
Answer: b
19) A girl walks 4 m east, 3 m north, and 4 m west. Her net displacement is:
a) 3 m north b) 4 m east c) 7 m d) 11 m
Answer: a
20) Which statement is true?
a) Distance is always greater than or equal to displacement
b) Displacement is always greater than distance
c) Both are always equal
d) Distance can be negative
Answer: a
21) What is the displacement of an object that travels in a complete circle of radius 10 m?
a) 20 m b) 10 m c) 0 m d) 62.8 m
Answer: c
22) A path covered by an athlete in 100 m race is:
a) Displacement b) Distance c) Speed d) Velocity
Answer: b
23) A physical quantity having both magnitude and direction is called:
a) Scalar b) Vector c) Constant d) Parameter
Answer: b
24) In straight line motion, distance and displacement are:
a) Always different b) Always same c) Sometimes same d) Never same
Answer: c
25) Which one is correct?
a) Displacement can be zero even if distance is not zero
b) Distance can be negative
c) Displacement is always greater than distance
d) Distance is always zero
Answer: a
26) The magnitude of displacement can never be greater than distance covered by an object.
a) True b) False
Answer: a
27) An object travels 10 m north and 10 m south. The net displacement is:
a) 10 m b) 20 m c) 0 m d) 5 m
Answer: c
28) Which quantity cannot be negative?
a) Displacement b) Distance c) Velocity d) Acceleration
Answer: b
29) A ball rolls 6 m east and then 8 m west. The distance covered is:
a) 14 m b) 2 m c) 6 m d) 8 m
Answer: a
30) Which has direction?
a) Distance b) Speed c) Displacement d) Time
Answer: c
31) A particle completes a round trip of 500 m. Its displacement is:
a) 0 m b) 500 m c) 250 m d) 1000 m
Answer: a
32) A quantity having magnitude only is called:
a) Scalar b) Vector c) Tensor d) None
Answer: a
33) The unit of distance is:
a) m/s b) m c) kg d) s
Answer: b
34) Which of the following can be zero?
a) Distance b) Displacement c) Both d) None
Answer: b
35) A boy cycles 12 km north, then 5 km south. His displacement is:
a) 17 km north b) 7 km north c) 12 km south d) 7 km south
Answer: b
36) The path length of motion is equal to:
a) Displacement b) Distance c) Velocity d) None
Answer: b
37) A car travels 10 km west and then 10 km east. Its displacement is:
a) 0 km b) 10 km c) 20 km d) 5 km
Answer: a
38) Which is not true?
a) Displacement is vector b) Distance is scalar c) Distance and displacement always same d)
Distance is always positive
Answer: c
39) The net displacement of an object returning to start point is:
a) Zero b) Maximum c) Negative d) Positive
Answer: a
40) Displacement gives information about:
a) Path length only b) Direction only c) Both magnitude and direction d) None
Answer: c
41) Distance covered by an object divided by time taken is called:
a) Speed b) Velocity c) Acceleration d) Momentum
Answer: a
42) Which quantity can be positive or negative?
a) Distance b) Speed c) Displacement d) Mass
Answer: c
43) If distance = displacement, path must be:
a) Curved b) Straight line c) Circular d) None
Answer: b
44) Displacement is minimum when:
a) Path is straight b) Path is curved c) Path is circular d) Path is zig-zag
Answer: a
45) A man walks 3 km east, 4 km north, then 3 km west. His displacement is:
a) 4 km north b) 10 km c) 0 km d) 3 km
Answer: a
46) Which of the following is vector quantity?
a) Speed b) Mass c) Displacement d) Distance
Answer: c
47) Displacement between two points is the length of:
a) Curved path b) Zig-zag path c) Straight line path d) Circular path
Answer: c
48) In a uniform circular motion, after one revolution the displacement is:
a) Zero b) Circumference c) Radius d) Diameter
Answer: a
49) If a body moves from point A to point B along straight path of 100 m, then returns to A, its
displacement is:
a) 100 m b) 200 m c) 0 m d) 50 m
Answer: c
50) Displacement depends on:
a) Path length b) Only initial and final position c) Speed d) Time
Answer: b
