Inertia is the property of a body which makes the body to

Step 1: Analyze the question We are asked to complete a definition of inertia, so we need to pick the option that matches it.

Step 2: The concept Inertia is the property of a body by which it resists any change in its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line. This is the idea behind Newton's First Law of Motion. The greater the mass of a body, the greater its inertia.

Two everyday examples:

• A heavy lorry is hard to start moving (resistance to change from rest).
• Passengers lurch forward when a bus brakes suddenly, because their bodies tend to keep moving (resistance to change from motion).

Step 3: Check each option

• A. Accelerate: Wrong. Inertia opposes acceleration. It does not cause it.
• B. Be reluctant to move when at rest: This describes inertia of rest, which is part of the definition. The body resists being set in motion.
• C. Experience friction when moving: Wrong. Friction is a force between surfaces in contact, which is a different thing from inertia.
• D. Move randomly: Wrong. This has nothing to do with inertia.
• E. Retard: Wrong. Retardation is deceleration, which is caused by a force such as friction, not by inertia.

Step 4: Answer Option B is the only one that correctly describes inertia (resistance to a change in the state of rest).

Exam tip: Remember inertia as "Inertia = Idle". A body stays idle if at rest, and keeps going if moving, unless a force acts on it. When you see "inertia," think "resistance to change in motion."