Question

When light is incident on a polished surface ____________ reflection takes place.
(A) Regular
(B) Irregular
(C) Both (a) and (b)
(D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint: To answer this question, we need to look into the basic definitions of the regular and the irregular reflection. Then, according to the condition given in the question, we can get the correct type of reflection.

Complete step-by-step solution
When light is incident on a surface, then it gets reflected. This is similar to a ball being hit on a wall, and due to the force of reaction offered by the wall, it gets reflected. Now depending on the evenness of the reflecting surface, the reflection can be of two types, regular and irregular.
The regular reflection is the reflection of light when it is incident on a smooth and even surface. In this kind of reflection, when a group of parallel rays is incident on the surface, after getting reflected they remain parallel.
But the irregular reflection takes place when the light is incident on a rough and uneven surface. Opposite to the above case, when a group of parallel rays is incident on an uneven surface, then after getting reflected they don’t remain parallel anymore. They get reflected into various directions.
A surface can be made even by polishing it. So when the light is incident on a polished surface, then regular reflection takes place.
Hence, the correct answer is option A.

Note
The regular reflection, also known as the specular reflection, is used in the image formation by a plane mirror. We are able to see a clear image in the plane mirror due to the regular reflection of light taking place through it.