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Waves MCQs for MDCAT

4 Waves questions from real MDCAT past papers (2020), each with the correct answer and a written explanation.

4 questionsPhysics

Practice questions4 free

1Physicslongitudinal waves

Which one of the following properties is not exhibited by the longitudinal waves?

  1. A.Interference
  2. B.Reflection
  3. C.Diffraction
  4. D.Polarization✓

Explanation

Polarization is a property of transverse waves (it involves orientation of oscillations). Longitudinal waves (oscillations parallel to propagation) can show interference, reflection and diffraction but not polarization.

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2Physicsspeed of sound

The speed of sound in air is 332m/s. the speed of sound at 22oC will be:

  1. A.345.2 m/s✓
  2. B.340 m/s
  3. C.350 m/s
  4. D.330 m/s

Explanation

Speed of sound in air increases roughly by 0.6 m/s per °C from 0°C; V = 332 + 0.6×22 = 332 + 13.2 = 345.2 m/s. This gives option 345.2 m/s.

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3Physicsdoppler effect

Astronomers calculate speed of dstant stars and galaxies using which of the following phenomena?

  1. A.Beats
  2. B.Interference
  3. C.Super position principle
  4. D.Doppler effect✓

Explanation

The Doppler effect shifts spectral lines depending on radial velocity of astronomical objects; this shift is used to measure their speed. Beats and basic interference are not used for large-scale radial velocity measurements.

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4Physicswave speed

In a ripple tank, 40 waves pass through a certain point in 1 second. If the wavelength of the wave is 5 cm, then speed of the wave is:

  1. A.0.5 ms-1
  2. B.1 ms-1
  3. C.1.5 ms-1
  4. D.2 ms-1✓

Explanation

Wave speed v = fλ. Here f = 40 s⁻1 and λ = 0.05 m, so v = 40×0.05 = 2 m/s. The other choices are obtained from incorrect arithmetic or unit conversion.

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How Waves is examined

Waves sits in the official PMDC Physics curriculum, the document that defines what can and cannot appear in the 2026 paper. Everything on this page is tagged against that curriculum rather than against a chapter list invented for a website, which is why a chapter here matches the chapter your textbook and your teacher use.

Physics carries 36 of the 180 questions in the real paper - 20% of your MDCAT score, and the MDCAT is half your merit aggregate. PMDC does not publish how those 36questions are split across chapters, so no honest page can tell you “expect four from Waves”. What the archive can tell you is what actually appeared: 4 Waves questions out of the 37 Physics questions digitised so far.

Work through them with the explanations rather than checking answer letters. The explanation says why the other three options are wrong, and distractors get reused across years far more reliably than whole questions do.

Frequently asked questions

How many Waves MCQs are on this page?
4, drawn from one past paper - the 2020 paper. Every one is transcribed from the real paper rather than written to look like a past paper question, and each carries the correct answer with a written explanation. 4 of them are readable in full without an account.
Is Waves in the MDCAT 2026 syllabus?
Yes. Waves is a chapter of the official PMDC Physics curriculum, and PMDC has confirmed the 2026 syllabus is unchanged from the 2025 revision, so everything on this page is still examinable.
How many Waves questions come up in the MDCAT?
PMDC does not publish a per-chapter breakdown, so nobody can tell you a reliable number - be careful with pages that do. What can be counted is the paper as a whole: Physics is 36 of the 180 questions, and 11% of the Physics questions in our archive so far have come from Waves.
Do these Waves MCQs come with explanations?
Yes, and they are written from scratch rather than copied. An answer letter tells you nothing about why the other three options are wrong, which is the part that transfers to the next question. The first 4 questions of every paper are free to read in full; the rest need a pass.