Circles — CBSE Class 10 Maths Important Questions
13 hand-picked CBSE Class 10 Maths important questions for Circles, each with a full model answer — the formats and topics most likely to appear in your board exam.
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Circles — CBSE Class 10 Maths Important Questions
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Start your Freemium planA tangent touches a circle at exactly one point and is perpendicular to the radius at that point. From an external point, exactly two tangents can be drawn and they are equal in length. These facts, plus the equal-tangent property for polygons circumscribing a circle, solve almost every board question.
About Circles
The rationalised NCERT chapter focuses on tangents to a circle (constructions have been removed). CBSE papers test the two core theorems, the equal-tangent property, and applications to triangles and quadrilaterals that circumscribe a circle, often as MCQs, an assertion-reason item, short proofs, and a case study. The figures below show the standard set-ups: radius perpendicular to tangent, and two tangents from an external point.
Key concepts & formulas
The tangent at any point of a circle is perpendicular to the radius drawn to the point of contact. So if OP is a radius and PT is the tangent at P, then OPT=90^, and OP^2+PT^2=OT^2 for any external point T.
From a point outside a circle exactly two tangents can be drawn, and their lengths are equal: if PA and PB are tangents from P, then PA=PB. Also OP bisects APB and AOB.
From a point inside the circle: 0 tangents. From a point on the circle: exactly 1 tangent. From a point outside the circle: exactly 2 tangents.
For a quadrilateral ABCD circumscribing a circle, AB+CD=AD+BC (sums of opposite sides are equal). Consequently a parallelogram circumscribing a circle is a rhombus. For a triangle, equal tangent segments from each vertex give the classic incircle relations.
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Important questions with answers
Try each on paper first, then reveal the model answer to check your method.
| Question type | Count | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| MCQ | 4 | 1 |
| Assertion–Reason | 1 | 1 |
| Very Short | 2 | 2 |
| Short Answer | 3 | 3 |
| Long Answer | 2 | 5 |
| Case-based | 1 | 4 |
Multiple-choice questions (1 mark)
The number of tangents that can be drawn to a circle from a point lying inside the circle is:
- (a)
0
- (b)
1
- (c)
2
- (d)
infinitely many
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Answer: (a) 0
Every line through an interior point is a secant (it cuts the circle in two points), so no tangent can be drawn from a point inside a circle.
The tangent at any point of a circle is:
- (a)
perpendicular to the radius through the point of contact
- (b)
parallel to the radius through the point of contact
- (c)
equal in length to the radius
- (d)
a chord of the circle
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Answer: (a) perpendicular to the radius through the point of contact.
This is the fundamental tangent theorem: the radius drawn to the point of contact is perpendicular to the tangent there.
In the figure, O is the centre of a circle of radius 5 cm, PQ is a tangent at P, and OQ=13 cm. The length of the tangent PQ is:
- (a)
12 cm
- (b)
8 cm
- (c)
√194 cm
- (d)
18 cm
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Answer: (a) 12 cm
The radius OP PQ, so triangle OPQ is right-angled at P. Hence PQ=√OQ^2-OP^2=√13^2-5^2=√169-25=√144=12 cm.
Two concentric circles have radii 5 cm and 3 cm. The length of the chord of the larger circle which touches the smaller circle is:
- (a)
8 cm
- (b)
4 cm
- (c)
6 cm
- (d)
10 cm
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Answer: (a) 8 cm
The chord touches the inner circle, so the perpendicular from the centre (length =3 cm, the inner radius) bisects the chord. Half the chord =√5^2-3^2=√16=4 cm, so the chord =2×4=8 cm.
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Practise free with the AI tutor →Assertion–Reason questions (1 mark)
Assertion (A): The lengths of tangents drawn from an external point to a circle are equal.
Reason (R): The tangent at any point of a circle is perpendicular to the radius through the point of contact.
- (a)
Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
- (b)
Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
- (c)
A is true but R is false
- (d)
A is false but R is true
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Answer: (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
Both statements are true theorems. The equal-tangent result (A) is proved using the perpendicularity (R) together with the common hypotenuse OP and equal radii; however R by itself is a separate property and is not, on its own, the complete reason A holds. So R does not fully explain A.
Very short answer questions (2 marks)
In the figure, PA and PB are two tangents drawn from an external point P to a circle with centre O. If APB=60^, find AOB.
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In quadrilateral OAPB, the radii meet the tangents at right angles, so OAP= OBP=90^.
The angle sum of a quadrilateral is 360^:
AOB+ APB+ OAP+ OBP=360^
AOB+60^+90^+90^=360^ AOB=120^.
Two tangents are drawn to a circle of radius 3 cm from an external point P such that the angle between them is 60^. Find the length of each tangent.
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Let the tangents touch at A and B. OP bisects APB, so APO=30^, and OA PA so triangle OAP is right-angled at A with OA=3 cm.
( APO)=OA/PA 30^=3/PA 1/3=3/PA.
Therefore PA=33 cm. Each tangent is 335.19 cm long.
Short answer questions (3 marks)
Prove that the lengths of tangents drawn from an external point to a circle are equal.
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Given: A circle with centre O and an external point P; PA and PB are tangents touching the circle at A and B.
To prove: PA=PB.
Construction: Join OA, OB and OP.
Proof: Since a tangent is perpendicular to the radius at the point of contact, OAP= OBP=90^.
In right triangles OAP and OBP:
- OA=OB (radii of the same circle),
- OP=OP (common hypotenuse),
- OAP= OBP=90^.
By the RHS congruence rule, OAP OBP.
Therefore, by CPCT, PA=PB. Hence the tangents from an external point are equal in length.
A quadrilateral ABCD is drawn to circumscribe a circle. Prove that AB+CD=AD+BC.
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Let the circle touch AB,BC,CD,DA at P,Q,R,S respectively.
Tangents drawn from an external point are equal, so:
- From A: AP=AS
- From B: BP=BQ
- From C: CR=CQ
- From D: DR=DS
Now AB+CD=(AP+PB)+(CR+RD)=(AS+BQ)+(CQ+DS).
Rearranging: =(AS+DS)+(BQ+CQ)=AD+BC.
Therefore AB+CD=AD+BC. Hence proved.
Prove that the parallelogram circumscribing a circle is a rhombus.
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Let parallelogram ABCD circumscribe a circle, touching AB,BC,CD,DA at P,Q,R,S respectively.
Since tangents from an external point are equal: AP=AS, BP=BQ, CR=CQ, DR=DS.
Adding all four: AP+BP+CR+DR=AS+BQ+CQ+DS, i.e. (AP+PB)+(CR+RD)=(AS+SD)+(BQ+QC), giving
AB+CD=AD+BC. (1)
But ABCD is a parallelogram, so opposite sides are equal: AB=CD and AD=BC. (2)
Substituting (2) in (1): 2AB=2BC AB=BC.
Thus two adjacent sides are equal, and since opposite sides are already equal, all four sides are equal: AB=BC=CD=DA.
A parallelogram with all sides equal is a rhombus. Hence proved.
Long answer questions (5 marks)
A triangle ABC is drawn to circumscribe a circle of radius 4 cm such that the segments BD and DC into which the side BC is divided by the point of contact D are of lengths 8 cm and 6 cm respectively. Find the sides AB and AC.
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Let the incircle touch BC at D, CA at E and AB at F. Using equal tangents from each vertex:
- BD=BF=8 cm
- CD=CE=6 cm
- AF=AE=x (say)
Then AB=AF+FB=x+8, AC=AE+EC=x+6, and BC=BD+DC=14 cm.
Semiperimeter s=(x+8)+(x+6)+14/2=x+14.
By Heron's formula, with s-BC=x, s-AC=8, s-AB=6:
Area=√s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)=√(x+14)· x· 6· 8=√48x(x+14).
Also, using the incircle radius r=4: Area=r· s=4(x+14).
Equating and squaring: 16(x+14)^2=48x(x+14) 16(x+14)=48x x+14=3x x=7.
Therefore AB=x+8=15 cm and AC=x+6=13 cm.
Prove that the angle between the two tangents drawn from an external point to a circle is supplementary to the angle subtended by the line segment joining the points of contact at the centre.
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Given: A circle with centre O; PA and PB are tangents from an external point P touching the circle at A and B.
To prove: APB+ AOB=180^.
Proof: Join OA and OB. Since a tangent is perpendicular to the radius at the point of contact,
OAP=90^ and OBP=90^.
Consider quadrilateral OAPB. The sum of its interior angles is 360^:
OAP+ APB+ PBO+ BOA=360^.
Substituting the right angles:
90^+ APB+90^+ AOB=360^.
Therefore APB+ AOB=360^-180^=180^.
Hence the angle between the two tangents is supplementary to the angle subtended by AB at the centre. Proved.
Case-based questions (4 marks)
A circular play zone in a park has centre O and radius 8 m. A pole is fixed at a point P outside the zone with OP=17 m. Two straight ropes PA and PB are tied as tangents from P to the boundary of the zone, touching it at A and B.
(i) Find the length of each rope PA.
(ii) State the measure of OAP and give the reason.
(iii) Find the area of the quadrilateral OAPB.
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(i) OA PA, so triangle OAP is right-angled at A. Hence PA=√OP^2-OA^2=√17^2-8^2=√289-64=√225=15 m. Each rope is 15 m long (and PB=PA=15 m).
(ii) OAP=90^, because the tangent at any point of a circle is perpendicular to the radius through the point of contact.
(iii) The quadrilateral OAPB is made up of two congruent right triangles OAP and OBP. Area of each =1/2× OA× PA=1/2×8×15=60 m^2.
Total area of OAPB=2×60=120 m^2.
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Are these Circles important questions free?
Yes. All 13 CBSE Class 10 Maths important questions for Circles are free, with full model answers and no login required.Do these Circles questions follow the latest CBSE syllabus?
Yes — they are aligned to the NCERT 2026–27 syllabus for CBSE Class 10 Maths, so nothing here is outside the current course.How should I practise the Circles important questions?
Attempt each question on paper first, then reveal the model answer to check your method — not just the final result. Re-do anything you got wrong the same day.What types of questions are covered for Circles?
A full mix — multiple-choice questions, assertion–reason questions, very short answer questions, short answer questions, long answer questions, case-based questions — so every format in the CBSE paper is covered.
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