CBSE · NCERT · Class 7 Maths · Chapter 12

NCERT Solutions: Class 7 Maths Chapter 12 - Symmetry

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Chapter-wise NCERT intext questions and exercise answers for Symmetry, grounded in the official textbook.

Questions are taken verbatim from the NCERT textbook; answers were grounded against the chapter's content during generation. Items needing review are marked.
Sections in this chapter
Exercise 12.1 1Exercise 12.3 1
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1Exercise 12.11 questions
Q.1-101. Copy the figures with punched holes and find the axes of symmetry for the following: (a) a rectangle with one punched hole at the left and one at the right, at the same height; (b) a square with two punched holes near the upper-right corner along the bottom-left to top-right diagonal; (c) a square with two punched holes on the right side, one above and one below the middle; (d) a square with two punched holes on the left and two on the right, paired above and below a horizontal middle line; (e) a square with one punched hole near each corner; (f) a square with its diagonals drawn and punched holes at the centre, lower-left corner and lower-right corner; (g) an isosceles triangle with two punched holes near the base, one on each side of the vertical middle line; (h) a right-pointing isosceles triangle with two punched holes on the left side, one above and one below the horizontal middle line; (i) an isosceles triangle with two punched holes on its vertical middle line; (j) a circle with punched holes at left and right; (k) a circle with punched holes at top, bottom, left and right; (l) a circle with punched holes at top, lower-left and lower-right. 2. Given the line(s) of symmetry, find the other hole(s): (a) a square with a diagonal mirror line from top-left to bottom-right and a hole on that line near the top-left; (b) a rectangle with a horizontal mirror line and a hole below it on the right; (c) a triangle with a vertical mirror line and a hole on the left of it; (d) an oval with a slant mirror line and a hole on one side of it; (e) a circle with a slant mirror line and a hole on one side of it. 3. In the following figures, the mirror line (i.e., the line of symmetry) is given as a dotted line. Complete each figure performing reflection in the dotted (mirror) line. (You might perhaps place a mirror along the dotted line and look into the mirror for the image). Are you able to recall the name of the figure you complete? The half-figures complete to (a) a square, (b) a triangle, (c) a rhombus, (d) a circle, (e) a pentagon and (f) an octagon. 4. The following figures have more than one line of symmetry. Such figures are said to have multiple lines of symmetry. Identify multiple lines of symmetry, if any, in each of the following figures: (a) three equal circular lobes around a central triangle; (b) a square with equal curved white sides at left and right and a central blue hourglass; (c) an equilateral triangle with a central curved blue region; (d) a square with equal quarter-circle white corners at top-right and bottom-left and a curved blue band; (e) a square filled by four congruent curved blue petals; (f) a U-shaped figure made from a semicircle and two equal vertical sides; (g) four equal circular lobes around a central square; (h) a six-petalled flower made from congruent circles. 5. Copy the figure given here. Take any one diagonal as a line of symmetry and shade a few more squares to make the figure symmetric about a diagonal. Is there more than one way to do that? Will the figure be symmetric about both the diagonals? The figure is a $4 \times 4$ square grid with shaded squares in row 1 column 2, row 2 column 4, row 3 column 1 and row 4 column 3. 6. Copy the diagram and complete each shape to be symmetric about the mirror line(s): (a) a grid with a dotted diagonal mirror line and a polygon drawn on one side; (b) a grid with dotted vertical and horizontal mirror lines and an incomplete stepped shape in the upper-right part; (c) a grid with dotted vertical and horizontal mirror lines and an incomplete curve in the upper-left part. 7. State the number of lines of symmetry for the following figures: (a) An equilateral triangle (b) An isosceles triangle (c) A scalene triangle (d) A square (e) A rectangle (f) A rhombus (g) A parallelogram (h) A quadrilateral (i) A regular hexagon (j) A circle 8. What letters of the English alphabet have reflectional symmetry (i.e., symmetry related to mirror reflection) about (a) a vertical mirror (b) a horizontal mirror (c) both horizontal and vertical mirrors 9. Give three examples of shapes with no line of symmetry. 10. What other name can you give to the line of symmetry of (a) an isosceles triangle? (b) a circle?v
Solution

Draw or count mirror lines by checking whether the figure, punched holes or completed half coincides with its reflection across the line.

Answer:

1. The axes of symmetry are: (a) vertical line through the centre; (b) diagonal from bottom-left to top-right; (c) horizontal line through the centre; (d) horizontal line through the centre; (e) vertical, horizontal and both diagonal lines through the centre; (f) vertical line through the centre; (g) vertical line through the apex and midpoint of the base; (h) horizontal line through the middle; (i) vertical line through the apex and midpoint of the base; (j) vertical line through the centre; (k) vertical and horizontal lines through the centre; (l) vertical line through the centre.
2. The other hole(s) are the reflections of the given holes in the dotted line: (a) no new hole is needed because the given hole lies on the mirror line; (b) add a hole the same distance above the horizontal line on the right; (c) add a matching hole on the right of the vertical line; (d) add a matching hole on the opposite side of the slant line; (e) add a matching hole on the opposite side of the slant line.
3. The completed figures are: (a) square (b) triangle (c) rhombus (d) circle (e) pentagon (f) octagon.
4. The multiple lines of symmetry are: (a) 3 lines through the centre; (b) vertical and horizontal lines; (c) 3 lines through the vertices and the centre; (d) the two diagonals; (e) vertical, horizontal and both diagonals; (f) only one line of symmetry, the vertical line, so no multiple lines; (g) vertical, horizontal and both diagonals; (h) 6 lines through opposite petals/centres.
5. Shade the mirror images of the four given shaded squares in the chosen diagonal. Yes, there is more than one way, because either diagonal can be chosen. The figure will be symmetric about both diagonals only if all squares needed by both diagonal reflections are shaded.
6. Complete each diagram by drawing the mirror image of the given part in every dotted mirror line: (a) reflect the polygon across the diagonal; (b) reflect the stepped shape first across the vertical line and then across the horizontal line so all four parts match; (c) reflect the curve across the vertical and horizontal lines so the completed curve has both symmetries.
7. (a) 3 (b) 1 (c) 0 (d) 4 (e) 2 (f) 2 (g) 0 (h) 0 (i) 6 (j) infinitely many.
8. (a) A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, Y (b) B, C, D, E, H, I, O, X (c) O, X, I, H.
9. Examples: a scalene triangle, a parallelogram that is not a rectangle or rhombus, and an irregular quadrilateral.
10. (a) Median (b) Diameter.

2Exercise 12.31 questions
Q.1-71. Name any two figures that have both line symmetry and rotational symmetry. 2. Draw, wherever possible, a rough sketch of (i) a triangle with both line and rotational symmetries of order more than 1. (ii) a triangle with only line symmetry and no rotational symmetry of order more than 1. (iii) a quadrilateral with a rotational symmetry of order more than 1 but not a line symmetry. (iv) a quadrilateral with line symmetry but not a rotational symmetry of order more than 1. 3. If a figure has two or more lines of symmetry, should it have rotational symmetry of order more than 1? 4. Fill in the blanks: Shape | Centre of Rotation | Order of Rotation | Angle of Rotation: Square; Rectangle; Rhombus; Equilateral Triangle; Regular Hexagon; Circle; Semi-circle. 5. Name the quadrilaterals which have both line and rotational symmetry of order more than 1. 6. After rotating by $60^\circ$ about a centre, a figure looks exactly the same as its original position. At what other angles will this happen for the figure? 7. Can we have a rotational symmetry of order more than 1 whose angle of rotation is (i) $45^\circ$? (ii) $17^\circ$?v
Solution

Use the centre of rotation and count how many times the figure matches itself in one complete turn; the basic angle is $360^\circ$ divided by the order.

Answer:

1. Two examples are a square and an equilateral triangle.
2. Rough sketches: (i) an equilateral triangle; (ii) an isosceles triangle which is not equilateral; (iii) a parallelogram which is not a rectangle or a rhombus; (iv) a kite.
3. Yes.
4. Square: centre at intersection of diagonals, order 4, angle $90^\circ$; Rectangle: centre at intersection of diagonals, order 2, angle $180^\circ$; Rhombus: centre at intersection of diagonals, order 2, angle $180^\circ$; Equilateral Triangle: centre at the common point of medians, order 3, angle $120^\circ$; Regular Hexagon: centre, order 6, angle $60^\circ$; Circle: centre, infinitely many rotations, any angle; Semi-circle: centre of the full circle, order 1, angle $360^\circ$.
5. Square.
6. $120^\circ, 180^\circ, 240^\circ, 300^\circ, 360^\circ$.
7. (i) Yes (ii) No.