Some important general properties of the electric field lines are given below:
(A) Field lines start from positive charges and end at negative charges
(B) In a charge-free region, electric field lines can be taken to be continuous curves without any breaks
(C) Electrostatic field lines form closed loops
(D) Two field lines can never cross each other
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (B) and (D) only
(A) Field lines start from positive charges and end at negative charges. — Correct. Electrostatic field lines begin on positive charge and end on negative charge.
(B) In a charge-free region, electric field lines can be taken to be continuous curves without any breaks. — Correct. A line can start or stop only on a charge, so in a region with no charge it runs on without a break.
(C) Electrostatic field lines form closed loops. — Incorrect. A line starts on a positive charge and ends on a negative one, so it cannot close on itself. Closed loops belong to the induced (non-conservative) electric field of a changing magnetic flux.
(D) Two field lines can never cross each other. — Correct. At a crossing point the field would have two directions, which is impossible.
NCERT (2026-27):
Electric Field Lines – “… The field lines follow some important general properties: (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. (ii) In a charge-free region, electric field lines can be taken to be continuous curves without any breaks. (iii) Two field lines can never cross each other. (If they did, the field at the point of intersection will not have a unique direction, which is absurd.) (iv) Electrostatic field lines do not form any closed loops. This follows from the conservative nature of electric field (Chapter 2).”