Question

What kind of charge do cathode rays carry?
A. Negative
B. Positive
C. Neutral
D. None of these

Answer 1

To answer this question, you should recall the concept of cathode rays. These rays are negatively charged particles present or moving around in a set of a positive charge.

Complete step by step answer:
Cathode rays also known as an electron beam or e-beam consists of streams of electrons which can be seen in discharge tubes. When two electrodes and a voltage is applied in an evacuated glass tube and glass present at the back of the positive electrode is observed to glow, because of the electrons emitted from the cathode (the electrode connected to the negative terminal of the voltage supply).
British physicist J. J. Thomson showed that cathode rays were composed of negatively charged particles which were unknown at that time but later named the electron.

Hence, the correct option is option A.

Note:
A cathode of any device is from which current flows out. In any circuit the positive current flowing in is the same as out flowing electrons. For better results in a cathode tube experiment, an evacuated (low pressure) tube is filled with an inert gas such as hydrogen due to its light nature. The ionization of this gas also gave the maximum charge value to the mass ratio $(e/m = 1.76 \times {10^{11}}{\text{coulombs per kg}})$. The apparatus used is known as cathode-ray tube (CRT). It was a vacuum tube which produces images when electron beams strike its phosphorescent surface. Different types of cathode ray tubes exist: they can be monochrome (using one electron gun) or can be coloured involving the use of three electron guns to produce red, green, and blue images that render a multicoloured image when combined.