Which describes an image that can be produced by a concave lens?

• A. The image is virtual and smaller than the object.
• B. The image is real and larger than the object.
• C. The image is virtual and larger than the object.
• D. The image is real and smaller than the object.

Answer: (A)

A concave (diverging) lens always produces a virtual image that is upright and smaller than the object. After passing through the lens, rays spread out, and if you trace them backward, they appear to come from a point on the same side as the object. Since the rays don’t actually meet on the image side, the image cannot be projected onto a screen, and it ends up smaller than the object. This combination—virtual and reduced size—fits the behavior of a single diverging lens most precisely, whereas real images or magnification larger than the object don’t occur with a concave lens.