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NEET 2027 · Physics · Class XI Chapter 2

Motion in a Straight Line

Topic split and priority map, weighted by expected NEET question yield. Four Priority-1 topics, each delivered as its own worked file.
Chapter 28 topics4 Priority-180 worked questionsNCERT reprint 2026–27
How to read this map

Chapter 2 is small but it is load-bearing: everything in Laws of Motion, Work–Energy and Projectile Motion assumes you can already do it in your head. Across recent NEET papers this chapter carries roughly one to two questions on its own, and it silently sits inside another three or four. The ranking below is by expected question yield per hour of study, not by how many pages NCERT spends on it.

Share of chapter-2 questions across recent NEET papers Kinematic equations Motion under gravity Graphs (x–t, v–t, a–t) Calculus of v and a Relative velocity 1D Avg speed vs avg velocity Priority 1 Priority 1 Priority 1 Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 2
animated Relative share of Chapter 2 questions by topic across recent NEET/AIPMT papers. The four red bars are the Priority 1 set and account for the large majority of the chapter’s yield.

Topic split with priority

#TopicNCERT sectionPriority
1Instantaneous velocity, speed and acceleration — the calculus toolkit
Differentiate x(t) to get v, differentiate again for a; integrate a(t) back to v and x; the a = v dv/dx form.
Why this rank: Almost every year one question is a pure ‘differentiate this polynomial’ item. Cheapest marks in the chapter.
2.2, 2.3Priority 1
2Kinematic equations for uniformly accelerated motion
The three equations, distance in the nth second, stopping distance, average velocity of uniformly accelerated motion.
Why this rank: Highest raw count. Also feeds Laws of Motion, Work-Energy and Projectiles.
2.4Priority 1
3Motion under gravity: free fall and vertical projection
Free fall from rest, throw-up-and-return, throw from a height, Galileo’s odd numbers, reaction time.
Why this rank: Sign-convention questions live here. A very high fraction of chapter errors are sign errors.
Ex. 2.3–2.5, 2.7Priority 1
4Graphical analysis: x–t, v–t and a–t graphs
Slope and area rules, curvature, which graphs are physically impossible, reading signs of x, v, a off a plot.
Why this rank: Assertion-reason and ‘which graph’ items. Needs zero calculation, so it is a blank-rate lever.
2.3, 2.4, Figs 2.1–2.7Priority 1
5Relative velocity in one dimension
Overtaking, chasing, closing speed, relative displacement.
Why this rank: One question in maybe every second or third paper; short and formulaic.
2.5 (listed in contents)Priority 2
6Average velocity vs average speed
Total path length ÷ time vs net displacement ÷ time; the 2v₁v₂/(v₁+v₂) half-distance result.
Why this rank: Recurs as a trap inside longer questions rather than as a standalone item.
Summary point 1Priority 2
7Non-uniform acceleration: special forms
a ∝ v, a ∝ √v, v² = f(x) — separate variables and integrate.
Why this rank: Harder tail-end questions. Do after Priority 1 is solid.
Ex. 2.2 methodPriority 2
8Point object, frame of reference, differentiability of graphs
When a body counts as a point object; why real graphs have no sharp kinks.
Why this rank: Rare as a standalone question, but the ‘point object’ NCERT exercise has appeared.
2.1, Fig. 2.4 notePriority 3
Order of attack

1 → 2 → 3 → 4, then Priority 2. Do not start with graphs even though they look easiest: graph questions are easy only once the kinematic equations are automatic, because most ‘which graph’ items are really asking whether you know that x–t is a parabola when a is constant.

What Priority 1 gets you

Four files, one per Priority-1 topic

Each contains: the concept in plain language, animated diagrams, a formula sheet, exceptions and traps, numbers to remember, the scientists NEET names, and 20 worked NEET-style questions with previous-year items flagged.

What Priority 2 gets you

Three files, same structure, sized to the topic

Same internal format as the Priority-1 set. The question counts are smaller because the topics are narrower — not because the material is optional. Relative velocity in particular is worth as much as a Priority-1 topic in some papers.

Remaining at Priority 3: point object, frame of reference, and the differentiability of position–time graphs. These are covered inside Files 1 and 4 rather than given a file of their own.

One note on the source PDF

The contents page of this reprint lists 2.5 Relative velocity, but the running text jumps from Example 2.7 straight to the Summary — the section body is not printed in this copy, and the Summary does not mention it either. Exercises 2.13–2.15 still need it, and NEET still asks it, so relative velocity is kept as a Priority 2 topic rather than dropped.

On the PYQ labels

Questions marked PYQ carry the exam and year as they are recorded in standard question banks. Where a question has circulated in more than one paper, the earliest attribution is used. Treat the year label as a guide to what gets asked, and cross-check against an official paper before quoting a year in any submission.

NEET 2027 preparation — built for Aamirah Fathima. Source: NCERT Physics Class XI, Chapter 2 (Reprint 2026–27). Single self-contained file — print directly from any browser.