JEE (Main) · Physics, Class 11
Properties of Bulk Matter: JEE Main PYQ, 2020–2025
Properties of Bulk Matter (Physics, Class 11) has been asked 215 times in the 111 JEE (Main) shift papers from 2020–2025: about 1.9 questions a paper, 7% of all Physics questions. It is the 3rd most-asked of 20 Physics chapters. The 2025 shifts had 34 from it in all. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Questions per year, all shifts
Year by year.
| Year | Questions |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 26in 14 papers |
| 2021 | 44in 26 papers |
| 2022 | 49in 24 papers |
| 2023 | 25in 12 papers |
| 2024 | 37in 18 papers |
| 2025 | 34in 17 papers |
JEE (Main) is sat in many shifts a year, each with its own paper; the counts add up every shift. 2021–2024 papers had 30 questions a subject, the others 25.
Inside the chapter
Topics asked most.
- Elasticity63
- Fluid mechanics39
- Surface tension35
- Thermal expansion and calorimetry30
- Viscosity26
- Heat transfer22
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10 Properties of Bulk Matter questions to practise.
Our own questions, written in the JEE Main pattern and checked, each with an explanation. Pick an option to see the answer.
Q1 · Physics · Properties of Bulk Matter
200 g of water at 20 °C is mixed with 100 g of water at 80 °C in an insulated container. Neglecting the container and heat loss, what is the final common temperature of the mixture?
Answer: (A)
In calorimetry, with no heat loss, the heat lost by the hotter body equals the heat gained by the colder one (principle of mixtures). Both samples are water, so the specific heat cancels. Set m₁(T₂ − T) = m₂(T − T₁): 100(80 − T) = 200(T − 20). Solving gives 8000 − 100T = 200T − 4000, so 300T = 12000 and T = 40 °C.
Q2 · Physics · Properties of Bulk Matter
Two stars A and B have the same radius and both radiate as perfect black bodies. The wavelength at which star A emits most strongly is 400 nm, and for star B it is 800 nm. What is the ratio (total power radiated by A) : (total power radiated by B)?
Answer: (D)
Wien's displacement law states λ_m T = constant. So T_A/T_B = λ_B/λ_A = 800/400 = 2. Stefan–Boltzmann law gives power P = σAT⁴, and the radii are equal, so the areas are equal. P_A/P_B = (T_A/T_B)⁴ = 2⁴ = 16.
Q3 · Physics · Properties of Bulk Matter
A small spherical air bubble of radius 0.1 mm is held at a depth of 20 cm below the free surface of water in an open container. Take surface tension of water T = 0.07 N/m, density ρ = 1000 kg/m³ and g = 10 m/s². By how much does the pressure of the air inside the bubble exceed the atmospheric pressure?
Answer: (C)
The liquid just outside the bubble is at pressure P0 + ρgh. An air bubble in a liquid has one curved surface, so the pressure inside exceeds the outside liquid pressure by 2T/r. Hence P_inside − P0 = ρgh + 2T/r. Here ρgh = 1000 × 10 × 0.2 = 2000 Pa and 2T/r = 2 × 0.07/(1 × 10⁻⁴) = 1400 Pa. The total is 3400 Pa.
Q4 · Physics · Properties of Bulk Matter
A cube of side 0.2 m has its top face displaced sideways by 0.1 mm relative to its bottom face under a tangential force of 400 N applied to the top face. What is the shear modulus of the material? (Take the shear stress as force divided by the area of the face, and the shear strain as displacement divided by the height of the cube.)
Answer: (A)
Shear modulus G = shear stress / shear strain, where shear stress = F/A (force tangential to the area) and shear strain = Δx/h (sideways displacement over height). Here A = 0.04 m², so stress = 1 × 10⁴ Pa. Strain = 1 × 10⁻⁴ m / 0.2 m = 5 × 10⁻⁴. So G = 1 × 10⁴ / 5 × 10⁻⁴ = 2 × 10⁷ Pa. Note: the option set was drafted with an inconsistent correct flag; the only option consistent with the working is 2 × 10⁷ Pa.
Q5 · Physics · Properties of Bulk Matter
A flat plate of area 0.2 m² rests on a layer of oil 0.5 mm thick spread on a fixed table. The coefficient of viscosity of the oil is 0.8 Pa s. What horizontal force keeps the plate moving at a steady 0.1 m s⁻¹?
Answer: (A)
The oil next to the table is at rest and the oil next to the plate moves with it, so the velocity gradient is v/l = 0.1 / (5 × 10⁻⁴) = 200 s⁻¹. F = ηA(v/l) = 0.8 × 0.2 × 200 = 32 N. A thinner film or a faster plate needs a larger force.
Q6 · Physics · Properties of Bulk Matter
A liquid is filled in the gap between two large horizontal parallel plates. The lower plate is fixed and the upper plate moves with constant speed v. The gap holds two layers that do not mix. The upper layer is of thickness d and viscosity η, and it is in contact with the moving plate. The lower layer is of thickness 2d and viscosity 3η, and it is in contact with the fixed plate. The flow is steady and laminar, and the velocity varies linearly across each layer. What is the speed of the liquid at the interface between the layers?
Answer: (A)
In steady flow the shear stress must be the same in both layers, otherwise the interface would accelerate. Stress is η × (velocity change)/(thickness). Let u be the interface speed. The upper layer gives η(v − u)/d. The lower layer gives 3η(u − 0)/(2d). Setting them equal: 2(v − u) = 3u, so 2v = 5u and u = 2v/5.
Q7 · Physics · Properties of Bulk Matter
Metals are much better conductors of heat than non-metals. What is the main reason for this in the process of conduction?
Answer: (A)
Conduction in solids occurs through transfer of energy between neighbouring particles. In metals, the mobile free electrons travel through the lattice and carry kinetic energy rapidly from hot regions to cold regions, so metals have high thermal conductivity. Non-metals rely mainly on lattice vibrations, which transfer energy much less efficiently.
Q8 · Physics · Properties of Bulk Matter
Two solid spheres of the same material and surface emissivity have radii r and 2r. Both are at the same temperature T, well above that of the surroundings, and cool only by radiation. What is the ratio (initial rate of fall of temperature of the smaller sphere) : (initial rate of fall of temperature of the larger sphere)?
Answer: (A)
Power radiated is P = σeAT⁴, and the rate of temperature fall is dT/dt = P/(mc) = σeAT⁴/(mc). For spheres of the same material, A/m = 4πr² / ((4/3)πr³ρ) = 3/(ρr), which is proportional to 1/r. At the same T, the rate of fall is therefore inversely proportional to the radius. The ratio for r : 2r is 2 : 1.
Q9 · Physics · Properties of Bulk Matter
A wide open tank stands on a table 0.5 m above the ground and contains water to a depth of 1.0 m. A small hole at a depth of 0.6 m below the free surface sends a horizontal jet that lands on the ground at a certain point. A second small hole is to be made in the side wall so that its jet lands at the same horizontal distance from the tank. At what depth below the free surface should this second hole be made? (Ignore air resistance; the second hole is distinct from the first.)
Answer: (A)
Efflux speed from a hole at depth h is v = √(2gh). The jet then falls through the height y of the hole above the ground in time t = √(2y/g), so the range is x = v·t = 2√(h·y). The free surface is S = 1.0 + 0.5 = 1.5 m above the ground, so a hole at depth h has y = S − h and x = 2√(h(S − h)). This expression is unchanged under h → S − h. The first hole has h = 0.6 m, so the second has h = 1.5 − 0.6 = 0.9 m. This is less than 1.0 m, so the hole lies in the water. Check: 0.6 × 0.9 = 0.54 for both holes.
Q10 · Physics · Properties of Bulk Matter
A drop of mercury placed on a clean glass plate does not spread out but stays as a bead, and when mercury is placed in a narrow glass capillary its level is depressed below the outside level. What does this tell us about the angle of contact between mercury and glass?
Answer: (B)
The angle of contact is the angle between the tangent to the liquid surface and the solid surface, measured through the liquid, at the point of contact. If the liquid wets the solid (adhesion is stronger than cohesion), the angle is acute and the liquid rises in a capillary. If the liquid does not wet the solid, the angle is obtuse and the liquid is depressed. Mercury on glass shows both observed effects, so its contact angle is obtuse.
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All 215 real JEE Main questions from Properties of Bulk Matter.
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About Properties of Bulk Matter in JEE Main.
How many questions come from Properties of Bulk Matter in JEE Main?
Properties of Bulk Matter (Physics, Class 11) has been asked 215 times in the 111 JEE (Main) shift papers from 2020–2025: about 1.9 questions a paper, 7% of all Physics questions. It is the 3rd most-asked of 20 Physics chapters. The 2025 shifts had 34 from it in all.
Which topics of Properties of Bulk Matter are asked most in JEE Main?
Elasticity (63), Fluid mechanics (39), Surface tension (35), Thermal expansion and calorimetry (30), counted over the papers from 2020–2025.
Is Properties of Bulk Matter important for JEE Main 2027?
It is in the syllabus in force, so it can be asked. By past papers it ranks 3 of 20 in Physics; use that to decide how much time it gets, not whether to study it.
Where can I solve Properties of Bulk Matter JEE Main previous year questions?
On Nikaalle, free: sign up and practise every past JEE Main question from Properties of Bulk Matter with an explanation for each, or sit the full papers timed. The ten questions on this page are our own, written in the same pattern.
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