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Maharashtra HSC Design & Colour study materials
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Maharashtra HSC Design & Colour practice questions

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Question 1Elements and Principles of Design

Which element of design is defined as a continuous mark made on a surface by a moving point, having length but negligible width?

  1. Texture
  2. Shape
  3. Line Correct answer.
  4. Value

Explanation

A line is the path traced by a moving point; it has length and direction but essentially no width, and it is the basic element from which outlines and contours are built. Shape is a closed two-dimensional area, texture is surface quality and value is lightness or darkness, so none of those describes a moving point's trace.

Question 2Elements and Principles of Design

In design vocabulary, a two-dimensional area enclosed by a line or by a change of colour or value is called a:

  1. Hue
  2. Form
  3. Shape Correct answer.
  4. Space

Explanation

Shape is the term for a flat, two-dimensional enclosed area, whether geometric like a square or organic like a leaf outline. Form adds the third dimension of volume, space is the area around or between shapes, and hue is the name of a colour family.

Question 3Elements and Principles of Design

A design student mixes white into a pure red pigment. Which colour property changes and how?

  1. The hue shifts toward green
  2. The value becomes lighter while the hue stays red Correct answer.
  3. The complement becomes darker
  4. The intensity increases to maximum

Explanation

Adding white raises the lightness of a colour, producing a tint, while the hue family remains red. Saturation is lowered slightly rather than raised, and the hue does not rotate around the colour wheel toward green.

Question 4Elements and Principles of Design

Which pair of colours are complementary on the traditional twelve-part colour wheel?

  1. Green and blue-green
  2. Blue and violet
  3. Red and orange
  4. Yellow and violet Correct answer.

Explanation

Complementary colours sit directly opposite each other on the twelve-part wheel, and yellow is opposite violet. Red with orange, blue with violet and green with blue-green are all neighbouring hues, so they are analogous rather than complementary.

Question 5Elements and Principles of Design

Repeated alternation of a motif at regular intervals along a border produces which principle of design?

  1. Rhythm Correct answer.
  2. Balance
  3. Proportion
  4. Emphasis

Explanation

Rhythm is created by the regular or graduated repetition of visual units so that the eye moves through the composition. Balance concerns distribution of visual weight, proportion compares sizes, and emphasis draws attention to a focal point.

Question 6Elements and Principles of Design

Symmetrical balance in a composition means that:

  1. Visual weight is distributed equally around a central axis Correct answer.
  2. Small shapes are placed near the centre and large ones at the edges
  3. Colours are arranged in order of their value
  4. Only one strong focal point exists in the design

Explanation

Symmetrical, or formal, balance occurs when elements mirror each other around a central axis so that visual weight is equal on both sides. Placing small shapes centrally and large ones at the edges would describe a radial or counterweighted arrangement, not symmetry.

Question 7Elements and Principles of Design

Roughness that can actually be felt when the surface of a fabric or paper is touched is described as:

  1. Visual texture
  2. Implied texture
  3. Tactile texture Correct answer.
  4. Pattern

Explanation

Tactile texture is the real, physical surface quality perceived through touch as well as sight. Implied or visual texture is only suggested by marks and shading, while pattern is a repeated decorative arrangement.

Question 8Elements and Principles of Design

Which list contains only the primary colours used in traditional pigment mixing?

  1. Orange, green, violet
  2. Red, green, blue
  3. Red, yellow, blue Correct answer.
  4. Yellow, green, blue

Explanation

In traditional pigment theory the primaries are red, yellow and blue, and all other hues are mixed from them. Orange, green and violet are secondary colours, while red, green and blue are the additive primaries of light.

Question 9Elements and Principles of Design

A composition places a large dark rectangle on the left and several small dark squares on the right. Which adjustment would most improve its asymmetrical balance?

  1. Make the small squares larger or darker to increase their visual weight Correct answer.
  2. Move the large rectangle to the exact centre
  3. Lighten the large rectangle to pure white
  4. Remove all the small squares from the right side

Explanation

In asymmetrical balance, visual weight must be equalised without mirroring, and a large mass can be counterbalanced by smaller elements of greater contrast, darker value or more complex detail. Increasing the size or darkness of the small squares raises their weight to match the rectangle.

Question 10Elements and Principles of Design

A poster uses one saturated red shape against a large field of muted grey. The designer is mainly manipulating which principle?

  1. Rhythm
  2. Unity
  3. Proportion
  4. Emphasis Correct answer.

Explanation

A single strong colour contrast against a subdued field isolates one element and makes it dominant, which is the principle of emphasis. Proportion and rhythm concern size relationships and repetition, while unity concerns overall harmony.

Question 11Elements and Principles of Design

A garment repeats a small floral motif at steadily increasing size from hem to shoulder. Which design principle is best demonstrated?

  1. Contrast of hue
  2. Formal balance
  3. Gradation in rhythm Correct answer.
  4. Economy of line

Explanation

Rhythm can be produced by gradation, where a motif changes progressively in size, value or spacing to create a sense of movement. Formal balance, hue contrast and economy of line describe different concerns and are not illustrated by progressive scaling.

Question 12Elements and Principles of Design

Which description correctly distinguishes hue from value?

  1. Hue is the surface quality of a colour; value is its complement
  2. Hue is the family name of a colour; value is its lightness or darkness Correct answer.
  3. Hue is the purity of a pigment; value is its temperature
  4. Hue is the lightness of a colour; value is its saturation

Explanation

Hue names the colour family, such as red, blue or yellow-green, while value measures how light or dark that colour appears. Saturation, temperature and surface quality are separate attributes and should not be confused with hue or value.

Question 13Elements and Principles of Design

A weaver wants a fabric to appear softer and less sharply patterned without changing the motif. Which colour decision achieves this?

  1. Increase the saturation of both motif and ground
  2. Shift the motif to its complementary hue
  3. Add a black outline around every motif
  4. Reduce the value contrast between motif and ground Correct answer.

Explanation

Lowering value contrast between motif and background softens the boundary so the pattern reads less sharply. Raising saturation or outlining each motif would sharpen edges, and a complementary shift would increase contrast rather than reduce it.

Question 14Elements and Principles of Design

Which statement about the use of space in a two-dimensional design is accurate?

  1. Positive space is occupied by shapes, and negative space is the area around them Correct answer.
  2. Space cannot create the illusion of depth on a flat surface
  3. Negative space must always be left completely blank white
  4. Positive space refers only to the foreground of a photograph

Explanation

Positive space is filled by the subject or shapes, while negative space is the surrounding or intervening area; both are designed deliberately. Negative space can carry colour or texture, and overlapping, scale and placement of shapes can suggest depth on a flat plane.

Question 15Elements and Principles of Design

Two rectangles of identical area are placed side by side, one tall and narrow, the other short and wide. Which principle is being explored?

  1. Proportion Correct answer.
  2. Rhythm
  3. Emphasis
  4. Texture

Explanation

Proportion concerns the relative dimensions of parts, so comparing a tall narrow rectangle with a short wide one of equal area is a study in proportion. Rhythm, texture and emphasis involve repetition, surface quality and focal dominance respectively.

Question 16Elements and Principles of Design

A design uses blue-violet, blue and blue-green together. This scheme is best described as:

  1. Triadic
  2. Monochromatic
  3. Analogous Correct answer.
  4. Complementary

Explanation

Analogous schemes use hues that sit next to each other on the colour wheel, and blue-violet, blue and blue-green are adjacent neighbours. A monochromatic scheme would use tints and shades of a single hue only.

Question 17Elements and Principles of Design

Which quality makes a shape read as an organic shape rather than a geometric one?

  1. Perfect circular symmetry
  2. Straight edges meeting at exact right angles
  3. Construction from a compass and set square
  4. Irregular, free-flowing contours resembling natural forms Correct answer.

Explanation

Organic, or natural, shapes have irregular and flowing boundaries like leaves, stones or clouds, in contrast to the measured regularity of geometric shapes. Right angles, perfect circles and instrument-drawn construction all signal geometric form.

Question 18Elements and Principles of Design

A textile designer wants a repeating stripe pattern to read as calm and restful. Which choice best supports that intention?

  1. Closely spaced stripes of low-contrast analogous colours Correct answer.
  2. Randomly broken stripes in many unrelated hues
  3. Wide stripes of complementary colours at full saturation
  4. Alternating black and white stripes of equal width

Explanation

Low contrast between neighbouring stripes and closely related hues produce a quiet, unified rhythm that the eye reads as calm. Complementary full-saturation stripes, stark black-and-white alternation and random multicoloured breaks all raise visual activity.

Question 19Elements and Principles of Design

Which arrangement would produce an effect of radiation in a composition?

  1. Two identical halves mirrored across a vertical axis
  2. Horizontal bands stacked evenly from top to bottom
  3. A single small shape placed in the lower right corner
  4. Lines or shapes spreading outward from a central point Correct answer.

Explanation

Radiation, or radial organisation, occurs when elements extend from or converge upon a common centre, as in a sunburst or wheel. Mirroring across an axis is bilateral symmetry, and evenly stacked bands create simple repetition.

Question 20Elements and Principles of Design

A designer needs to judge whether a printed fabric appears warmer or cooler under daylight. Which colour attribute is being assessed?

  1. Hue
  2. Temperature Correct answer.
  3. Saturation
  4. Value

Explanation

Colour temperature describes the perceived warmth or coolness of a hue, with reds and yellows reading warm and blues and greens reading cool. Value, hue and saturation describe lightness, family name and purity, not warmth.

Question 21Elements and Principles of Design

Which statement best explains why a small area of bright yellow can hold its own against a much larger area of deep violet?

  1. Violet has higher value than yellow, so the areas appear equal
  2. Yellow's high value and violet's low value give the small shape greater visual weight per unit area Correct answer.
  3. Yellow and violet are analogous hues and therefore merge into one mass
  4. Small shapes always dominate large shapes regardless of colour

Explanation

Visual weight depends on value contrast as well as area, so a light, high-value yellow can balance a much larger dark violet field. The pair is complementary rather than analogous, and violet is the darker of the two, not the lighter.

Question 22Elements and Principles of Design

A student claims that adding grey to a pure hue changes only its value. Which correction is most accurate?

  1. Adding grey lowers both the saturation and, depending on the grey's value, may also shift the apparent value Correct answer.
  2. Adding grey changes the hue to its complement
  3. Adding grey has no effect on saturation or value
  4. Adding grey raises saturation while leaving value untouched

Explanation

Mixing a neutral grey into a hue reduces its saturation, producing a tone, and the resulting value depends on how light or dark the grey is relative to the hue. Grey cannot raise saturation, rotate the hue to its complement or leave the mixture unchanged.

Question 23Elements and Principles of Design

In a composition, an artist repeats a curved line at decreasing intervals toward a vanishing area. Which combined effect is produced?

  1. Formal symmetry with a central focal point
  2. Tactile texture with no sense of movement
  3. Triadic colour harmony with balanced values
  4. Rhythm through gradation that also suggests spatial depth Correct answer.

Explanation

Progressive change in spacing is a gradation device that creates rhythm, and the tightening intervals also act as a perspective cue that suggests depth. Symmetry, tactile texture and triadic colour harmony are unrelated to changing line intervals.

Question 24Elements and Principles of Design

A designer balances a heavy textured mass on one side with a lighter but highly saturated shape on the other. Which concept explains why the composition can still feel balanced?

  1. Balance requires identical shapes on both sides of an axis
  2. Visual weight is the sum of size, value, texture and saturation rather than size alone Correct answer.
  3. Saturation has no influence on how heavy a shape appears
  4. Texture always outweighs colour in every composition

Explanation

Asymmetrical balance works because visual weight accumulates from several factors, so a smaller but intensely saturated shape can offset a larger textured mass. Identical shapes would be symmetry, and both saturation and texture do contribute to perceived weight rather than being irrelevant or absolute.

Question 25Elements and Principles of Design

Which reasoning best explains why a monochromatic scheme can still produce strong emphasis?

  1. Monochromatic schemes cannot create emphasis because only one hue is used
  2. All shapes in a monochromatic scheme automatically have equal weight
  3. Emphasis in monochromatic work depends on adding a complementary accent
  4. A single extreme value placed against mid-tones of the same hue creates contrast without introducing a new hue Correct answer.

Explanation

Emphasis depends on contrast, and within one hue the value range can supply that contrast, so a very light or very dark accent stands out against mid-tones. Monochromatic work therefore can create emphasis without relying on a second hue, and shapes do not become equal simply because the hue is single.

Question 26Elements and Principles of Design

In the elements of design, which term refers to the lightness or darkness of a colour independent of its hue?

  1. Proportion
  2. Value Correct answer.
  3. Texture
  4. Chroma

Explanation

Value describes how light or dark a colour is on a scale from white through greys to black, and it stays meaningful even when hue is removed. Chroma instead measures saturation or purity of a hue, while texture and proportion belong to surface quality and size relationships rather than tonal lightness.

Question 27Elements and Principles of Design

A student lists the elements of design for a fabric project. Which set contains only elements of design rather than principles?

  1. Line, shape, colour, texture Correct answer.
  2. Balance, rhythm, emphasis, harmony
  3. Proportion, scale, unity, variety
  4. Rhythm, contrast, balance, movement

Explanation

Elements are the basic visual ingredients a designer manipulates, namely line, shape, form, colour, texture and space. Principles such as balance, rhythm, emphasis, proportion and unity are the organising rules applied to those ingredients, so any list built from them is not a list of elements.

Question 28Elements and Principles of Design

A block-printed border alternates a large paisley motif with a small dot, and the same alternation continues around the entire hem. Which design principle is most directly demonstrated by this arrangement?

  1. Asymmetrical balance through contrast of mass
  2. Emphasis through isolation of one motif
  3. Rhythm through regular repetition Correct answer.
  4. Scale through enlargement of the whole border

Explanation

Rhythm arises when a motif or interval recurs in a recognisable order, producing a measured visual beat along the hem. The repeating large-small alternation supplies that regular beat, whereas balance, emphasis and scale would each require a different structural condition.

Question 29Elements and Principles of Design

A designer places a dense cluster of small dark motifs in the upper right of a sari pallu and leaves the rest of the field almost empty. Which principle is chiefly at work, and why?

  1. Proportion, because the motifs differ in size from the field
  2. Emphasis, because concentrated detail and contrast draw the eye to one focal area Correct answer.
  3. Harmony, because similar motifs are used throughout the field
  4. Texture, because the motifs create a tactile surface

Explanation

Emphasis is created when contrast, isolation or concentrated detail makes one area dominate the viewer's attention. A dense dark cluster against an empty field concentrates visual weight in one place, so the eye is pulled there rather than moving evenly across the cloth.

Question 30Elements and Principles of Design

A designer wants a border to feel calm and continuous while still reading as a repeat. Comparing four options, which choice best satisfies that intention?

  1. A motif repeated at intervals that grow steadily shorter toward one end
  2. A motif repeated with its colour reversed at every second repeat
  3. A motif repeated at equal intervals along a single horizontal axis Correct answer.
  4. A motif repeated at equal intervals but rotated 90 degrees at each repeat

Explanation

Equal spacing along one axis produces regular rhythm, which reads as steady and restful because the eye can predict each interval. Varying the intervals or orientation introduces progressive change and visual tension, which works against a calm, continuous effect.

Question 31Colour Theory and Colour Systems

In a traditional twelve-hue colour wheel used for painting, which pair of hues sits directly opposite each other as complementary colours?

  1. Red and orange
  2. Blue and violet
  3. Red and green Correct answer.
  4. Yellow and green

Explanation

Complementary colours are the two hues placed opposite each other on the twelve-hue wheel, and red faces green across the centre. Because they share no pigment in common, mixing them neutralises each other towards grey. Red and orange are adjacent hues, not opposites.

Question 32Colour Theory and Colour Systems

A student mixes a primary yellow with a primary blue pigment and obtains a clear green. Which colour model best explains this result?

  1. Additive RGB model
  2. Subtractive pigment model Correct answer.
  3. Munsell value scale
  4. CIE chromaticity diagram

Explanation

Pigments work subtractively: each pigment absorbs part of the spectrum and reflects the rest, so yellow and blue together leave green reflected. The additive RGB model applies to light, where mixing beams produces lighter results. Value scales and chromaticity diagrams describe attributes, not mixing behaviour.

Question 33Colour Theory and Colour Systems

Which term describes the purity or strength of a hue, that is, how free it is from grey?

  1. Value
  2. Temperature
  3. Chroma Correct answer.
  4. Hue

Explanation

Chroma, also called saturation or intensity, measures how pure or greyish a colour appears. Value describes lightness or darkness, and hue names the family such as red or blue. Temperature describes warm or cool bias rather than purity.

Question 34Colour Theory and Colour Systems

On the standard colour wheel, which group lists the three traditional primary hues used in pigment mixing?

  1. Orange, green, violet
  2. Cyan, magenta, yellow
  3. Red, yellow, blue Correct answer.
  4. Red, green, blue

Explanation

The traditional artist's wheel treats red, yellow and blue as primaries because they cannot be mixed from other pigments. Orange, green and violet are the secondary hues produced by mixing those primaries in pairs. Cyan, magenta and yellow belong to process printing, and red, green and blue belong to light.

Question 35Colour Theory and Colour Systems

A designer places a small grey square on a bright yellow background and the grey appears slightly bluish. Which phenomenon explains this shift?

  1. Simultaneous contrast Correct answer.
  2. Chromatic adaptation
  3. Metamerism
  4. Colour constancy

Explanation

Simultaneous contrast occurs when a surrounding colour pushes the perceived hue of an adjacent colour towards its complement. Yellow surrounds make a neutral grey look cooler or bluish. Metamerism concerns matching under different light sources, and constancy concerns stable perception of known objects.

Question 36Colour Theory and Colour Systems

Which colour scheme is built from hues that sit next to each other on the colour wheel, such as blue, blue-green and green?

  1. Triadic scheme
  2. Split-complementary scheme
  3. Complementary scheme
  4. Analogous scheme Correct answer.

Explanation

An analogous scheme uses neighbouring hues that share a common pigment bias, producing a harmonious, low-contrast effect. Complementary schemes use opposite hues, and triadic schemes use three hues spaced evenly around the wheel. Split-complementary schemes use one hue plus the two neighbours of its complement.

Question 37Colour Theory and Colour Systems

In the Munsell colour system, how is a colour specified?

  1. By wavelength in nanometres only
  2. By hue, value and chroma Correct answer.
  3. By a hexadecimal web code
  4. By cyan, magenta, yellow and black percentages

Explanation

The Munsell system names a colour with three coordinates: hue, value and chroma, written in that order. This makes it a perceptual system rather than a device-dependent one. Wavelength alone, CMYK percentages and hex codes each describe other models.

Question 38Colour Theory and Colour Systems

Which pair of hues is generally described as warm on the colour wheel?

  1. Blue and green
  2. Green and violet
  3. Red and orange Correct answer.
  4. Blue and violet

Explanation

Warm colours are those associated with fire and sunlight, namely reds, oranges and yellows, which appear to advance towards the viewer. Blues, greens and violets read as cool and tend to recede. The other pairs listed are predominantly cool.

Question 39Colour Theory and Colour Systems

A printer supplies artwork where a rich dark brown must be reproduced using process inks. Which ink set does the press use?

  1. Munsell
  2. RGB
  3. HSB
  4. CMYK Correct answer.

Explanation

Process printing builds colours subtractively from cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks, and dark browns need all four in varying amounts. RGB and HSB are screen-oriented models describing light, not ink. Munsell is a perceptual notation system, not an ink set.

Question 40Colour Theory and Colour Systems

Two fabric swatches look identical in daylight but one appears greener under tungsten light. What is this behaviour called?

  1. Simultaneous contrast
  2. Metamerism Correct answer.
  3. Irradiation
  4. Afterimage

Explanation

Metamerism is the condition where two samples match under one illuminant but diverge under another because their spectral curves differ. Daylight and tungsten have different spectral power distributions, exposing the mismatch. The other terms describe perceptual effects unrelated to illuminant change.

Question 41Colour Theory and Colour Systems

A designer wants strong vibration at the boundary between two adjacent areas. Which pairing is most likely to produce this effect?

  1. Two tints of the same orange
  2. A pale grey beside a mid grey
  3. A saturated red beside a saturated green Correct answer.
  4. Two closely related blues

Explanation

Adjacent saturated complementary hues at similar value create a flickering, vibrating edge because the eye cannot settle the boundary. Low-contrast or analogous pairs produce calm transitions instead. The vibration depends on high saturation and near-equal value, which the red-green pair supplies.

Question 42Colour Theory and Colour Systems

Which statement correctly describes the relationship between tints, shades and tones?

  1. A tint adds black, a shade adds white, a tone adds grey
  2. A tint adds white, a shade adds black, a tone adds grey Correct answer.
  3. A tint adds grey, a shade adds white, a tone adds black
  4. A tint adds black, a shade adds grey, a tone adds white

Explanation

A tint is a hue lightened with white, a shade is darkened with black, and a tone is muted by adding grey or its complement. These three operations change value and chroma while the hue family stays recognisable. The other options swap the additives.

Question 43Colour Theory and Colour Systems

A composition uses three hues placed at equal intervals around the twelve-hue wheel, for example red, yellow and blue. Which scheme is this?

  1. Analogous
  2. Monochromatic
  3. Triadic Correct answer.
  4. Achromatic

Explanation

A triadic scheme takes three hues spaced evenly around the wheel, which gives lively contrast while remaining balanced. Monochromatic schemes use one hue in several values, and analogous schemes use neighbours. Achromatic schemes use only neutrals.

Question 44Colour Theory and Colour Systems

Why does a yellow area appear larger than a violet area of exactly the same measured size?

  1. Yellow has a longer wavelength, so it scatters more
  2. Violet absorbs more light and shrinks optically
  3. The eye focuses yellow more sharply than violet
  4. Bright, advancing hues appear to expand into surrounding dark areas Correct answer.

Explanation

Bright, warm hues such as yellow appear to advance and spread into a darker surround, a perceptual effect called irradiation. Dark, cool hues such as violet appear to contract. The effect is perceptual rather than a consequence of wavelength scattering.

Question 45Colour Theory and Colour Systems

A palette is built from one base hue plus the two hues immediately beside its complement on the wheel. Which scheme is described?

  1. Tetradic
  2. Double-complementary
  3. Analogous
  4. Split-complementary Correct answer.

Explanation

A split-complementary scheme pairs a base hue with the two neighbours of its opposite, giving strong but less jarring contrast than a direct complement. Tetradic and double-complementary schemes use four hues in two complementary pairs. Analogous schemes use only neighbouring hues.

Question 46Colour Theory and Colour Systems

In the Ostwald colour system, what is the basis for arranging colours?

  1. Additive mixtures of red, green and blue light
  2. Three coordinates of hue, value and chroma
  3. Mixtures of a full colour with white and black Correct answer.
  4. Percentages of process inks

Explanation

Ostwald built his solid on the idea that every surface colour is a mixture of a full colour with white and black, giving a double cone of related standards. Hue, value and chroma notation belongs to Munsell, and ink percentages belong to printing. Additive light mixing belongs to RGB models.

Question 47Colour Theory and Colour Systems

A student paints a blue object with a warm yellow light falling on it and finds the shadow appears violet. Which principle best explains the shadow colour?

  1. The shadow reflects the object's local colour only
  2. The shadow takes the same hue as the object
  3. The shadow takes the complementary of the light source colour Correct answer.
  4. The shadow always appears black under coloured light

Explanation

In traditional painting practice a coloured light tends to cast shadows biased towards its complement, because the eye subtracts the light colour from the neutral shadow. A warm yellow light therefore yields cooler, violet-leaning shadows. Shadows are rarely pure black when ambient light is present.

Question 48Colour Theory and Colour Systems

Which statement about the Munsell value scale is correct?

  1. Value runs from 0 for white to 10 for black
  2. Value runs from 0 for black to 10 for white Correct answer.
  3. Value is expressed as a percentage of chroma
  4. Value is measured in nanometres

Explanation

The Munsell value axis runs from 0 at black through 5 at middle grey to 10 at white. Chroma is a separate axis measured outward from the neutral core. Wavelength and percentage figures do not describe Munsell value.

Question 49Colour Theory and Colour Systems

A brand wants every poster to use only one hue, varied by adding white, black and grey. Which colour scheme is this?

  1. Monochromatic Correct answer.
  2. Split-complementary
  3. Triadic
  4. Complementary

Explanation

A monochromatic scheme derives every colour from a single hue by changing value and chroma through tints, shades and tones. It produces a unified, calm result but offers limited hue contrast. Complementary, triadic and split-complementary schemes all require two or more distinct hues.

Question 50Colour Theory and Colour Systems

Which observation about afterimages is correct?

  1. Staring at a red patch then looking at white produces a red afterimage
  2. Staring at a red patch then looking at white produces a greenish afterimage Correct answer.
  3. Afterimages occur only with achromatic colours
  4. Afterimages appear in the same hue as the stimulus

Explanation

Prolonged stimulation of one set of cone responses leaves the opposing response relatively stronger, so a red stimulus generates a green afterimage on a neutral field. This opponent effect is the basis of complementary afterimages. Afterimages can occur with any hue and are opposite, not identical, to the stimulus.