Question

A person standing on the land beside a river looks at a fish inside the water. The depth of the fish inside the water will appear ______________ to the person.
(Note that you are almost vertically above the fish)

• A. closer than its actual depth
• B. farther than its actual depth
• C. same as its actual depth
• D. exactly double of its actual depth

Answer 1

The correct option is A closer than its actual depth

When light enters a rarer medium from a denser medium, it bends away from the normal.
In the given case water is the denser medium and air is rarer medium. Reflected light from the fish comes to our eyes after bending at the air-water interface. As we see the straight path of incoming light, the depth of the fish will appear closer (y) to us than its actual depth (x) as shown in the figure below.