Lesson T4.2.4

T4.2.4 The eye and light energy Quiz: KS3 Physics, Unit 4

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson T4.2.4, The eye and light energy: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Physics (National Curriculum), Unit 4: Waves, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What part of the eye contains light-sensitive cells?

    • The retina
    • The cornea, which is the transparent front layer that bends light as it first enters the eye
    • The iris, which is the coloured ring that controls the size of the pupil in the eye
    • The pupil, which is the black opening through which light passes into the inside of the eye

  2. What is the job of the lens in the eye?

    • It turns sound into light so that the eye can see sounds made by distant objects nearby
    • It absorbs light so that the retina is not damaged by very bright sunlight entering the eye
    • It produces the light that enters the eye so that objects can be seen in the dark
    • It focuses light onto the retina.

  3. What controls the amount of light that enters the eye?

    • The cornea, which moves forward in dim light so that a larger area admits more of the light
    • The lens, which changes colour in bright light so that less of the light is let through
    • The retina, which absorbs more light in bright conditions and then limits how much gets in
    • The iris, which changes the size of the pupil

  4. What is the image on the retina like compared with the object?

    • It is a sound pattern rather than an image, which the brain then turns into a picture.
    • It is inverted and the brain interprets it as sideways, which is why people often see sideways.
    • It is upright and the same as the object, so the brain needs to do no work to interpret it.
    • It is inverted, and the brain interprets it as upright.

  5. What happens to the energy of light when it hits the retina?

    • It is reflected back out of the eye without any change, which is why the eye appears shiny.
    • It is converted into sound, which the brain hears as a faint buzzing when light arrives.
    • It is stored in the retina as heat for later use, which warms the eye slowly over the day.
    • It is converted into electrical signals sent to the brain.

  6. Which cells in the retina detect light?

    • Rods and cones
    • Neurones and cilia, which carry signals from the eye and move small hairs in the eye
    • Muscle fibres and tendons, which move the eye in its socket and control its position
    • Red and white blood cells, which carry oxygen and fight infection in the blood of the eye

  7. Why does the pupil get larger in dim light?

    • To make the lens thicker and focus more sharply, which helps the eye to see in dim conditions.
    • To make the eye less sensitive to light, which protects the retina from the dim surroundings.
    • To produce more light inside the eye, which helps the retina to see in the dark conditions.
    • To let more light into the eye so the image is brighter.

  8. A camera uses a sensor to record an image. What is its equivalent in the eye?

    • The cornea, which bends light in the same way as the front glass of a camera lens
    • The optic nerve, which carries the image from the eye to the brain along a single path
    • The iris, which controls the amount of light that enters the eye just as a shutter does
    • The retina

  9. Which part of the eye is clear and bends light as it enters?

    • The iris, which is the coloured ring that controls how much light passes into the eye
    • The optic nerve, which carries electrical signals from the back of the eye to the brain
    • The cornea
    • The retina, which is the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye and records the image

  10. What does light do when it reaches a solar cell?

    • It is reflected away without any effect on the cell, which means no electricity is made.
    • It turns the cell into a magnet, which then attracts the metal parts of the device nearby.
    • It makes the cell glow with its own light, which is the energy the cell gives off.
    • It transfers energy to produce electricity.

  11. What is photo-sensitive material used for in cameras?

    • It responds to light and records the image as electrical signals.
    • It makes the image darker to save power, so that the battery lasts longer during use.
    • It stops light from entering the camera, which protects the film inside from being exposed.
    • It absorbs sound from the environment, which is then added to the image as a sound track.

  12. Why do we see objects only when light from them enters our eyes?

    • Because the lens draws objects into the eye, which is why distant objects look closer.
    • Because objects give off sound waves that the eye detects, which the brain then turns into sight.
    • Because the eye produces light that shines on objects, which is why we can see them at night.
    • Because light from an object must reach the retina for the object to be seen.

  13. What happens to light energy in a plant leaf that is used in photosynthesis?

    • It is transferred into chemical energy stored in sugars.
    • It is reflected back as electrical energy by the leaf, which is then used by the plant's cells.
    • It is turned into sound by the leaf, which makes a faint rustling as the light is absorbed.
    • It is turned into a magnetic field within the leaf, which attracts the water into its veins.

  14. Which change in the eye helps a person focus on a close object?

    • The lens becomes thicker and bends light more strongly.
    • The lens becomes thinner and bends light less, which helps the eye focus on objects that are close.
    • The retina moves forward to the cornea, which brings the image into focus for close objects.
    • The pupil closes to a very small size, which sharpens the image of close objects on the retina.

  15. Which is the correct order for light travelling into the eye?

    • Pupil, retina, cornea, lens, which puts the retina at the front of the eye for light entry
    • Retina, lens, pupil, cornea, which reverses the path that light takes through the eye
    • Lens, cornea, retina, pupil, which places the retina between the lens and the cornea
    • Cornea, pupil, lens, retina

  16. What is the optic nerve's role in vision?

    • It focuses light onto the cornea, which bends the light more before it enters the eye.
    • It carries light from the retina to the lens, which then focuses it onto the cornea again.
    • It carries electrical signals from the retina to the brain.
    • It controls how big the pupil opens, which regulates the amount of light entering the eye.

  17. Which part of the eye is responsible for changing shape to focus on near and far objects?

    • The optic nerve, which stretches or relaxes to change the distance at which the eye can see
    • The retina, which moves forward and back to bring different objects into focus on the eye
    • The cornea, which is fixed in shape and does not change as the eye looks at distant objects
    • The lens

  18. A person's eye produces an image on the retina. What does the brain do with the signals from the retina?

    • It stores them for later use only, so that the image is not seen until several hours have passed.
    • It interprets them to produce what we see.
    • It turns them into sound, which allows the person to hear the image rather than see it.
    • It sends them straight back to the eye, where they are stored until the next time the eye opens.

  19. What are the light-sensitive cells in the retina that work best in bright light and detect colour?

    • Neurones, which carry signals along the optic nerve to the brain but do not sense light
    • Fibres, which are the thin muscles that move the lens and the pupil of the eye
    • Rods, which are the cells that work best in dim light and do not detect colour at all
    • Cones

  20. What does the iris do in the eye?

    • It absorbs the light and turns it into electrical signals that are sent straight to the brain
    • It focuses the image onto the retina by changing its shape in the same way as the lens does
    • It controls the size of the pupil, which limits the light entering the eye.
    • It carries the image to the brain along the optic nerve, which runs out from the back of the eye

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