Basic Introduction Questions

1. What is an ideal voltage source?

Answer: A device with zero internal resistance.

2. What is an ideal current source?

Answer: A device with infinite internal resistance.

3. What is a practical voltage source?

Answer: A device with small internal resistance.

4. What is a practical current source?

Answer: A device with large internal resistance.

5. The voltage out of an ideal voltage source is

A. Zero
B. Constant
C. Load resistance dependent
D. Internal resistance dependent
Answer: B

6. The current out of an ideal current source is

A. Zero
B. Constant
C. Load resistance dependent
D. Internal resistance dependent
Answer: B

7. The path between two points along which an electrical current can
be carried is called
A. A network
B. A relay
C. A circuit
D. A loop
Answer: C

8. The formula for current as per Ohm’s Law is

A. Voltage / Resistance
B. Resistance * Voltage
C. Voltage + Resistance
D. Resistance / Voltage
Answer: A
9. The unit of electrical resistance is
A. Volt
B. Amp
C. Ohm
D. Coulomb
Answer: C

10. In a constant voltage DC circuit, when the resistance increases,

the current will
A. Decrease
B. Stop
C. Increase
D. Remains constant
Answer: A

Basic Semiconductor Theory Questions

1. Number of valence electrons in a silicon atom are
A. 1
B. 4
C. 8
D. 16
Answer: B

2. The most commonly used semiconductor element is

A. Silicon
B. Germanium
C. Gallium
D. Carbon
Answer: A

3. Copper is a
A. Insulator
B. Conductor
C. Semiconductor
D. Super Conductor
Answer: B

4. Number of protons in the nucleus of a silicon atom are

A. 4
B. 14
C. 29
D. 32
Answer: B
5. The valence electron of a conductor are also called as
A. Bound electron
B. Free electron
C. Nucleus
D. Proton
Answer: B

6. An intrinsic semiconductor at room temperature has

A. A few free electrons and holes
B. Many holes
C. Many free electrons
D. No holes
Answer: A

7. At room temperature, an intrinsic semiconductor has some holes in

it due to
A. Doping
B. Free electrons
C. Thermal energy
D. Valence electrons
Answer: C

8. The number of holes in an intrinsic semiconductor is

A. Equal to number of free electrons
B. Greater than number of free electrons
C. Less than number of free electrons
D. None of the above
Answer: A

9. Holes act as
A. Atoms
B. Crystals
C. Negative charges
D. Positive charges
Answer: D

10. Pick the odd one in the group

A. Conductor
B. Semiconductor
C. Four valence electrons
D. Crystal structure
Answer: A
11. To produce P-type semiconductors, you need to add
A. Trivalent impurity
B. Carbon
C. Pentavalent impurity
D. Silicon
Answer: A

12. Electrons are the minority carriers in

A. Extrinsic Semiconductors
B. p-type Semiconductors
C. Intrinsic Semiconductors
D. n-type Semiconductors
Answer: D

13. A p-type semiconductor contains

A. Holes and Negative ions
B. Holes and Positive ions
C. Holes and Pentavalent atoms
D. Holes and Donor atoms
Answer: A

14. How many electrons does pentavalent atoms have?

A. 1
B. 3
C. 4
D. 5
Answer: D

15. Negative ions are

A. Atoms that obtained a proton
B. Atoms that lost a proton
C. Atoms that obtained an electron
D. Atoms that lost an electron
Answer: C

Basic Semiconductor Diode Questions

1. Depletion layer is caused by
A. Doping
B. Recombination
C. Barrier potential
D. Ions
Answer: B
2. The reverse current in a diode is usually
A. Very small
B. Very large
C. Zero
D. In the breakdown region
Answer: A

3. Avalanche in Diode occurs at

A. Barrier potential
B. Depletion layer
C. Knee voltage
D. Breakdown voltage
Answer: D

4. The potential barrier of a silicon diode is

A. 0.3 V
B. 0.7 V
C. 1 V
D. 5V
Answer: B

5. The reverse saturation current in a Silicon Diode is _____ than that

of Germanium Diode
A. Equal
B. Higher
C. Lower
D. Depends on temperature
Answer: C

6. A Diode is a
A. Bilateral Device
B. Nonlinear Device
C. Linear Device
D. Unipolar Device
Answer: C

7. The diode current is large for which condition

A. Forward Bias
B. Inverse Bias
C. Poor Bias
D. Reverse Bias
Answer: A
8. The output voltage signal of a bridge rectifier is
A. Half-wave
B. Full-wave
C. Bridge-rectified signal
D. Sine wave
Answer: B

9. If the maximum DC current rating of diodes in Bridge Rectifier is

1A, what is the maximum DC load current?
A. 1A
B. 2A
C. 4A
D. 8A
Answer: B

10. Voltage multipliers produce

A. Low voltage and low current
B. Low voltage and high current
C. High voltage and low current
D. High voltage and high current
Answer: C

11. What is a Clipper?

Answer: A circuit that removes a part (positive or negative) of a waveform
so that it doesn’t exceed a certain voltage level.

12. What is a Clamper?

Answer: A circuit that adds a DC voltage (positive or negative) to a wave.

13. Zener diode can be described as

A. A rectifier diode.
B. A device with constant – voltage.
C. A device with constant – current.
D. A device that works in the forward region.
Answer: B

14. If the Zener Diode is connected in wrong polarity, the voltage

across the load is
A. 0.7 V
B. 10 V
C. 14 V
D. 18 V
Answer: A 
Basic Transistor Questions
1. Number of PN Junctions in a Transistor
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
Answer: B

2. The doping concentration of Base in NPN Transistor is

A. Lightly Doped
B. Moderately Doped
C. Heavily Doped
D. Not Doped
Answer: A

3. The Base – Emitter Diode (Base – Emitter Junction) in an NPN

Transistor is
A. Doesn’t conduct
B. Forward Biased
C. Reverse Biased
D. Operates in breakdown region
Answer: B

4. The size comparison between Base, Emitter and Collector is

A. Base > Collector > Emitter
B. Emitter > Collector > Base
C. Collector > Emitter > Base
D. All are equal
Answer: C

5. The Base – Collector Diode (Base Collector Junction) is usually

A. Reverse Biased
B. Forward Biased
C. Breakdown Region
D. No Conduction
Answer: A

6. The DC Current Gain of a Transistor is

A. Ratio of Emitter Current to Collector Current
B. Ratio of Base Current to Emitter Current
C. Ratio of Collector Current to Base Current
D. Ratio of Base Current to Collector Current
Answer: C
7. If base current is 100µA and current gain is 100, then collector
current is
A. 1A
B. 10A
C. 1mA
D. 10mA
Answer: D

8. The majority carriers in NPN and PNP Transistors are

A. Holes and Electrons
B. Electrons and Holes
C. Acceptor Ions and Donor Ions
D. None
Answer: B

9. A Transistor acts as a
A. Voltage Source and a Current Source
B. Current Source and a Resistor
C. Diode and Current Source
D. Diode and Power Supply
Answer: C

10. The relation between Base Current IB, Emitter Current IE and

Collector Current IC is
A. IE = IB + IC
B. IB = IC + IE
C. IE = IB – IC 
D. IC = IB + IE
Answer: A

11. The total power dissipated by a transistor is a product of collector

current and
A. Supply Voltage
B. 0.7V
C. Collector – Emitter Voltage
D. Base – Emitter Voltage 
Answer: C

12. The input impedance of Common Emitter Configuration is

A. Low
B. High
C. Zero
D. Very High
Answer: A
13. The output impedance of Common Emitter Configuration is
A. Low
B. Very Low
C. High
D. Zero
Answer: C

14. The current gain in Common Base configuration (α) is

A. Ratio of Base Current to Emitter Current (IB/IE)
B. Ratio of Collector Current to Emitter Current (IC/IE)
C. Ratio of Collector Current to Base Current (IC/IB)
D. None
Answer: B

15. Relation between α and ß is

A. α = ß / (ß + 1)
B. ß = α / (1 – α)
C. α = ß * (ß + 1)
D. α = ß / (ß – 1)
Answer: Both A and B

Q1. A semiconductor is formed by ……… bonds.

1. Covalent
2. Electrovalent
3. Co-ordinate
4. None of the above
Answer : 1
Q2. A semiconductor has ………… temperature coefficient of resistance.
1. Positive
2. Zero
3. Negative
4. None of the above
Answer : 3
Q3. The most commonly used semiconductor is ………..
1. Germanium
2. Silicon
3. Carbon
4. Sulphur
Answer : 2
Q4. A semiconductor has generally ……………… valence electrons.
1. 2
2. 3
3. 6
 4. 4
Answer : 4
Q5. The resistivity of pure germanium under standard conditions is
about ……….
1. 6 x 104
2. Ω cm
3. 60
4. Ω cm
5. 3 x 106
6. Ω cm
7. 6 x 10-4
8. Ω cm
Answer : 2
Q6. The resistivity of a pure silicon is about ……………
1. 100 Ω cm
2. 6000 Ω cm
3. 3 x 105 Ω m
4. 6 x 10-8 Ω cm
Answer : 2
Q7. When a pure semiconductor is heated, its resistance …………..
1. Goes up
2. Goes down
3. Remains the same
4. Can’t say
Answer : 2
Q8. The strength of a semiconductor crystal comes from ……..
1. Forces between nuclei
2. Forces between protons
3. Electron-pair bonds
4. None of the above
Answer : 3
Q9. When a pentavalent impurity is added to a pure semiconductor, it
becomes ………
1. An insulator
2. An intrinsic semiconductor
3. p-type semiconductor
4. n-type semiconductor
Answer : 4
Q10. Addition of pentavalent impurity to a semiconductor creates many
……..
1. Free electrons
2. Holes
 3. Valence electrons
4. Bound electrons
Answer : 1
Q11. A pentavalent impurity has ………. Valence electrons
1. 3
2. 5
3. 4
4. 6
Answer : 2
A12. An n-type semiconductor is ………
1. Positively charged
2. Negatively charged
3. Electrically neutral
4. None of the above
Answer : 3
Q13. A trivalent impurity has ….. valence electrons
1. 4
2. 5
3. 6
4. 3
Answer : 4
A14. Addition of trivalent impurity to a semiconductor creates many
……..
1. Holes
2. Free electrons
3. Valence electrons
4. Bound electrons
Answer : 1
Q15. A hole in a semiconductor is defined as …………….
1. A free electron
2. The incomplete part of an electron pair bond
3. A free proton
4. A free neutron
Answer : 2
Q16. The impurity level in an extrinsic semiconductor is about ….. of
pure semiconductor.
1. 10 atoms for 108 atoms
2. 1 atom for 108 atoms
3. 1 atom for 104 atoms
4. 1 atom for 100 atoms
Answer : 2
Q17. As the doping to a pure semiconductor increases, the bulk
resistance of the semiconductor ………..
1. Remains the same
2. Increases
3. Decreases
4. None of the above
Answer : 3
Q18. A hole and electron in close proximity would tend to ……….
1. Repel each other
2. Attract each other
3. Have no effect on each other
4. None of the above
Answer : 2
Q19. In a semiconductor, current conduction is due to ……..
1. Only holes
2. Only free electrons
3. Holes and free electrons
4. None of the above
Answer : 3
Q20. The random motion of holes and free electrons due to thermal
agitation is called ……….
1. Diffusion
2. Pressure
3. Ionisation
4. None of the above
Answer : 1
Q21. A forward biased pn junction diode has a resistance of the order of
1. Ω
2. kΩ
3. MΩ
4. None of the above
Answer : 1
Q22. The battery connections required to forward bias a pn junction are
……
1. +ve terminal to p and –ve terminal to n
2. -ve terminal to p and +ve terminal to n
3. -ve terminal to p and –ve terminal to n
4. None of the above
Answer : 1
Q23. The barrier voltage at a pn junction for germanium is about
………
3. 5 V
 4. 3 V
5. Zero
6. 3 V
Answer : 4
Q24. In the depletion region of a pn junction, there is a shortage of ……..
1. Acceptor ions
2. Holes and electrons
3. Donor ions
4. None of the above
Answer : 2
Q25. A reverse bias pn junction has …………
1. Very narrow depletion layer
2. Almost no current
3. Very low resistance
4. Large current flow
Answer : 2
Q26. A pn junction acts as a ……….
1. Controlled switch
2. Bidirectional switch
3. Unidirectional switch
4. None of the above
Answer : 3
Q27. A reverse biased pn junction has resistance of the order of
1. Ω
2. kΩ
3. MΩ
4. None of the above
Answer : 3
Q28. The leakage current across a pn junction is due to …………..
1. Minority carriers
2. Majority carriers
3. Junction capacitance
4. None of the above
Answer : 1
Q29. When the temperature of an extrinsic semiconductor is increased,
the pronounced effect is on……
1. Junction capacitance
2. Minority carriers
3. Majority carriers
4. None of the above
Answer : 2
Q30. With forward bias to a pn junction , the width of depletion layer
………
1. Decreases
2. Increases
3. Remains the same
4. None of the above
Answer : 1
Q31.  The leakage current in a pn junction is of the order of
1. Aa
2. mA
3. kA
4. µA
Answer : 4
Q32. In an intrinsic semiconductor, the number of free electrons ………
1. Equals the number of holes
2. Is greater than the number of holes
3. Is less than the number of holes
4. None of the above
Answer : 1
Q33. At room temperature, an intrinsic semiconductor has ……….
1. Many holes only
2. A few free electrons and holes
3. Many free electrons only
4. No holes or free electrons
Answer : 2
Q34. At absolute temperature, an intrinsic semiconductor has ……….
1. A few free electrons
2. Many holes
3. Many free electrons
4. No holes or free electrons
Answer : 4
Q35. At room temperature, an intrinsic silicon crystal acts
approximately as ……
1. A battery
2. A conductor
3. An insulator
4. A piece of copper wire
Answer : 3
Q36. Under normal conditions a diode conducts current when it is
……………
1. reverse biased
2. forward biased
3. avalanched
4. saturated
Answer : 2
Q37. The term bias in electronics usually means ……….
1. the value of ac voltage in the signal.
2. the condition of current through a pn junction.
3. the value of dc voltages for the device to operate properly.
4. the status of the diode.
Answer : 3