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NEET Oscillations and Waves: 5 practice MCQs with answers

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 9 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Oscillations and Waves joins two NCERT chapters on one idea: a disturbance that repeats in time, and travels in space. The five MCQs below cover the period of a pendulum and of a spring-mass system, reading a wave equation, beats and the fundamental frequency of an organ pipe, at NCERT Class 11 level.

What this chapter covers in the NEET syllabus

Oscillations and Waves is a single NMC Physics unit, drawn from the Class 11 NCERT chapters Oscillations and Waves. The topics are:

• Periodic and simple harmonic motion (SHM): displacement, velocity, acceleration, and the energy of an oscillator.
• Spring-mass systems and the simple pendulum, with their time periods.
• Free, forced and damped oscillations, and resonance.
• Wave motion: transverse and longitudinal waves, speed of a wave, and the wave equation.
• Superposition, standing waves on strings, and vibrations of organ pipes.
• Beats and the Doppler effect.

Five practice MCQs on Oscillations and Waves

Question 1

The length of a simple pendulum is increased to 4 times its original length. Its time period becomes:

• A. half
• B. unchanged
• C. four times
• D. double

Question 2

A mass of 1 kg attached to a spring of force constant 100 N/m oscillates on a smooth horizontal surface. Its time period is:

• A. π/5 s
• B. 2π s
• C. π/10 s
• D. 10π s

Question 3

A progressive wave is described by y = 0.05 sin(200t − 0.5x), with x and y in metres and t in seconds. The speed of the wave is:

• A. 100 m/s
• B. 400 m/s
• C. 200 m/s
• D. 0.0025 m/s

Question 4

Two tuning forks of frequencies 256 Hz and 260 Hz are sounded together. The number of beats heard per second is:

• A. 2
• B. 8
• C. 4
• D. 516

Question 5

The speed of sound in air is 340 m/s. The fundamental frequency of a closed organ pipe of length 0.5 m is:

• A. 340 Hz
• B. 85 Hz
• C. 680 Hz
• D. 170 Hz

Answers and explanations

1. D. The period of a simple pendulum is T = 2π√(L/g), so T is proportional to √L. If L becomes 4 times, T becomes √4 = 2 times. The mass of the bob does not matter.
2. A. For a spring-mass system, T = 2π√(m/k) = 2π√(1/100) = 2π/10 = π/5 s, about 0.63 s. Option B is the answer you would get if you forgot to take the square root of m/k.
3. B. Compare with y = A sin(ωt − kx). Here ω = 200 rad/s and k = 0.5 rad/m, so the wave speed is v = ω/k = 200/0.5 = 400 m/s. The wave travels in the +x direction because of the minus sign.
4. C. The beat frequency is the difference of the two frequencies: 260 − 256 = 4 beats per second.
5. D. A closed pipe has a node at the closed end and an antinode at the open end, so L = λ/4 and the fundamental is f = v/4L = 340/(4 × 0.5) = 170 Hz. Option A would be the fundamental of an open pipe of the same length (v/2L).

How to prepare Oscillations and Waves

• Master the SHM equations as one family. Start from x = A sin(ωt + φ), then differentiate for velocity and acceleration. Know where speed is maximum (the mean position) and where acceleration is maximum (the extreme positions). Total energy is ½kA² throughout.
• Memorise the two time periods T = 2π√(m/k) for a spring and T = 2π√(L/g) for a pendulum, and learn the effect of series and parallel springs.
• Compare equations. Wave questions often give a formula and ask for amplitude, wavelength, frequency or speed. Write it as y = A sin(ωt − kx) and read the values from it, using v = ω/k = fλ.
• Separate organ pipes. Closed pipe: only odd harmonics, f = (2n − 1)v/4L. Open pipe: all harmonics, f = nv/2L. Keep both in one table in your notes.
• Handle the Doppler effect with a sign rule. Take the direction from the source to the listener as positive for all velocities, and substitute with signs.

Do 10 SHM numericals and 10 wave problems over two days, and revisit the pipe table when you revise. Where this unit fits in your Physics plan is explained in the NEET Physics preparation guide, and the full unit list is in the NEET syllabus.

Take a full Oscillations and Waves test on PrepMatic

Oscillations and Waves mixes formula recall with reading equations, so a timed test is a fair check. PrepMatic's topic tests (about 15 questions in 30 minutes) are scored with NEET's negative marking and are included in the free Basic plan. Continue with other chapters from the practice hub.

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