Identify the correct statement about the electric charges \( q_1 \) and \( q_2 \), from the figure given below.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → both \( q_1 \) and \( q_2 \) are positive
Electric field lines start on a positive charge and end on a negative charge, so around an isolated positive charge the lines point away from it, and around a negative charge they point towards it.
In the figure the arrows on the lines of \( q_1 \) all point away from \( q_1 \), and the arrows on the lines of \( q_2 \) all point away from \( q_2 \). Hence both charges are positive.
NCERT (2026-27):
Electric Field Lines – “… The field lines of a single positive charge are radially outward while those of a single negative charge are radially inward. The field lines around a system of two positive charges (q, q) give a vivid pictorial description of their mutual repulsion, while those around the configuration of two equal and opposite charges (q, −q), a dipole, show clearly the mutual attraction between the charges.”
Electric Field Lines – “… (i) Field lines start from positive charges and end at negative charges. If there is a single charge, they may start or end at infinity.”